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Beyond: Two Souls PC Review | PC perfection
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Unfortunately, that same main quest is where all the good stuff is. The constant shifts in tone and cast do nothing but dilute the main quest. Every chapter has new characters you’re supposed to instantly care about, and it’s just all so much. There’s the fact that Jodie goes through military training, joins the CIA, and then bails because she “doesn’t want to take orders.” There’s an interlude with a group of homeless characters, drunk teenagers at a birthday party, an adventure in a submarine. This tangent feels less like a vital chapter in Jodie’s story and more like an X-Files rerun jammed into a video game. The Navajo section is the most infamous of the bunch as it is an hour-long detour into the lives of a Native American family. Sadly, Beyond seems to relish in adding explosions and flights of fancy that do little but pad the runtime.īeyond the ridiculous premise of “magical ghost woman saves the world,” players of Beyond need to accept so much. If there had been more focus on the relationship between Page and Dafoe, the story would be much stronger. He’s static for most of the experience, with big character moments that take far too long to bubble to the surface. The story beats her down so much that it becomes less tragic and more comical. Willem Dafoe has less to do than you’d like as Jodie’s de facto caretaker. Ellen Page seems to be left sobbing and vulnerable at the end of every chapter. Main character Jodie might suffer the most from David Cage’s peculiar understanding of emotion. Of course, not every character’s arc is so praiseworthy. Beyond: Two Souls PC Review | Direct to Netflix It can be hard to pinpoint where he was going at times but the resolution to his arc was most satisfying and he remained blissfully untainted by Beyond‘s tendency towards ridiculousness. In particular, Kadeem Hardison pulls off a charming side character in Cole, a lab assistant who awkwardly tries his best in increasingly over the top situations. It may be commonplace now, but Quantic Dream has a handle on capturing subtle performances that few others match. Both Ellen Page and Willem Defoe earn their paychecks, but even the supporting roles also feature brilliant acting.
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Part of that is due to the motion capture acting, technology that makes many of the game’s smaller moments exceed expectation. It’s definitely worth investing the time it takes to sort it all out. That original narrative has so many neat payoffs that go unfulfilled in the nonstandard order. The original take is the better one to dive into first and it is far less confusing than many players seem to believe. There is a “Remix” option (first added in the PS4 re-release) if you’d rather play through in chronological order. Born in a government lab in the Pentagon, you see Jodie’s life as she goes from the girl in the Exorcism to a grizzled CIA veteran and everything in between.īy default, story segments jump all throughout the timeline in a nonlinear fashion. He helps her whenever he can, although he’s not above shaking the furniture around for fun. Aiden is an Entity from the other side bound to Jodie’s body since birth. Jodie is able to touch the spirit world with powers she can’t explain. The listed games like Beyond: Two Souls below offer similar adventures where you can shape the story while utilising interesting game mechanics and includes options for PlayStation, Xbox and PC gamers.You play as dual protagonists Jodie and Aiden. Using Aiden’s various powers such as possession, healing, strangling and transmission of memory players will move the story forward which is shaped by the choices you make during your supernatural adventure.
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While Jodie is limited to what her human body is capable of Aiden is free to roam through walls and other obstacles while also being capable of possession which creates an interesting dual gameplay dynamic. Following Jodie Holmes and the ghost Aiden who share a soul link players will be part of intense and superb story supported by voice acting and motion capture from Ellen Page.īeyond: Two Souls is an action-adventure title at the core with players guided through the story while being able to interact with the game world as either Jodie or Aiden. Our list of games like Beyond: Two Souls features more interactive adventures filled with drama, action and supernatural themes that utilise branching decision trees for you to drive the story.īeyond: Two Souls is part of the new breed of interactive drama games and was originally released as a PlayStation 3 exclusive title in 2013.
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