‘Beyond: Two Souls’ plays out like movie thriller
By CHRIS CAMPBELL | Scripps Howard News Service
Platform: PlayStation 3
Genre: Action, Adventure
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
ESRB Rating: M for Mature 17+
Look, I get it. Some people choose “Battlefield” or “World of Warcraft” or even “Fruit Ninja” as their gaming environs of pleasure — games where it’s action, action, action at all times, taking you far from the reality of your 9-to-5 desk job and giving you the opportunity, even if wildly fictional, to live a fantastical life of crazy possibility or just to pass some time away.
The typical conventions of gaming made 2010’s “Heavy Rain” a polarizing game. David Cage’s “Rain” had gamers either loving the cinematic experience or expressing outright disdain for a game that played out a narrative on screen with occasional quick-time events to make it appear “interactive.”
I relished the game and its blend of character study and plot — even when those elements had holes a truck could drive through. Thankfully, Cage returns with an entirely new story in “Beyond: Two Souls.”
Pushing his vision forward on cinematic gaming, “Beyond” tells the tale of Jodie, a girl with a spirit companion named Aiden. Button prompts and joystick commands guide both Jodie and Aiden. When the two aren’t controlled directly, the on-screen action plays out like a movie thriller.
Ellen Page and Willem Defoe lend not just their voices but their likenesses, cementing the game’s cinematic quality. The characters’ conversations chart their progress from mentor and teacher to potential adversaries. The storyline rarely loses its focus, and caring about Jodie’s fate becomes easy from the opening scenes.
Watching the cinematic sequences is not just a passive experience. You often get to help Jodie decide how scenes play out, either as a timid woman struggling to control and understand Aiden’s abilities, or as an aggressor, with Aiden as the assistant in wreaking havoc and exacting revenge.
How other characters react to your decisions makes replaying the game almost a requirement; as with any good movie, the more you watch events unfold, the more subtleties you notice and appreciate. Some decisions help forge new relationships, while others may tear the fabric of Jodie’s peace just when she’s getting comfortable in her surroundings.
Though the action isn’t on par with “Call of Duty” or even “Tomb Raider,” the game delivers some tense moments: a fight sequence aboard a speeding train and infiltration of a secret laboratory. More character-driven passages involve aiding a family under harassment or finding food and supplies when you are sheltered by a community of homeless people.
Some traditional gamers abhor this type of video game, which favors story and characters over classic tropes like running-and-gunning or beating people into a pulp. I can defend “Two Souls” confidently by saying that Cage tested the rules and boundaries of what a video game could be with “Heavy Rain” and has gone a few steps further with this release.
I wish the overall narrative and plot infused more tension and mystery like “Rain.” But the characters in “Two Souls” are stronger and more complex. No matter what issues the game play may have, this cinematic game remains more movie-like than many Hollywood feature films.
I have nothing but confidence and high hopes for Cage’s next story. With new consoles about to hit the market, I hope the wait will be even shorter.
