So I got my hands on the early demo for the PS3-exclusive game Beyond: Two Souls, from developers Quantic Dream. The demo contained two levels and a trailer.
The first level was essentially a tutorial to get me used to the controls for Jodie and Aiden. Young Jodie’s controls were basic movement and interactivity, like walking around and picking up objects. The triangle button is used to swap between her and Aiden, the entity that has attached itself to her. His controls were a bit more complex, involving the use of the analog sticks in tandem while holding down the L1 button to interact with people and objects in more interesting ways, making things fly across the room, and cracking windows.
After that, it moved forward in time to where I was controlling an older Jodie in self-defense training. Here, the controls got a bit more interesting, as I was using the right analog stick in correspondence to how her body moved. If she was punching or kicking to the right, I moved the stick right. If she was ducking an on-coming blow, I would pull the stick down to complete the implied movement. Time would momentarily slow down to give me time to react to these actions. I welcomed this system of interaction to normal quick-time events which showed you exactly what you needed to do. It was only a couple of brief sections, but it was enough to get accustomed to the situation and how the game works.
Next up was an extended chases sequence on a train, through the woods, on a motorcycle escaping the spotlight of a police helicopter, and finally a showdown in front of a small town theater. Here, the gameplay was much more immediate, and the game made it clear that there would be consequences if you missed a prompt. It was actually pretty strenuous trying to combat the multiple officers on top of a moving train, and I was constantly kept on my toes as I dodged and fought my way through them. That training really came in handy, both for Jodie and myself.
Navigating through the woods was a bit hectic, because I wasn’t given any clue of where to go other than a general sense of direction. I have a suspicion, though, that the invisible walls are just really well hidden, and the game only gives an illusion of agency during these tightly controlled chase sequences. Still, it gave the impression of urgency and suspense, so it pulled it off well.
The motorcycle section was extremely linear, and felt like it was largely on rails with a large margin for error. It would be hard to fail that section if you kept you finger on the R2 button for throttle and able to follow the road.
With the showdown in front of the theater, I was given control over Aiden and flew around the street outside, possessing SWAT officers and using them to take the other ones out. I could also use my powers to flip over cars, bust open fire hydrants, and cause all kinds of mayhem. It was fun, in a limited way. I couldn’t stray too far from Jodie or else my screen would become distorted and blurry, and I had a limited amount of time to interact with specific objects. It took me a moment to realize that I had to bring the helicopter down in order to advance the scene. Although interactivity is tightly controlled, I still enjoyed the experience.
That’s to say nothing of the graphics, though, which are damn impressive. I would go so far as to say that it is the best-looking game on the PlayStation 3, along with The Last of Us. The textures and environments are all crisp and clean, giving it a very detailed and polished look. However, I was most impressed by the character faces and their ability to express emotions through the performance capture. We are nearing the other side of the uncanny valley, that is for sure (It is a vast improvement over the stiff and lifeless characters of Quantic Dream’s last game, Heavy Rain). The game really shows this off in the demo’s main menu, with a high-resolution close-up of Jodie Holmes’ (Ellen Page’s) face. It is extremely lifelike and believable.
Overall, I enjoyed my time with the demo, and I look forward to experiencing the full game next month. The levels demonstrated were almost entirely context-free, with little implication of story, so I look forward to seeing more of that. What was there held my attention. I will admit that the limited interactivity of the controls began to get repetitive by the end of the demo, which lasted for maybe 30 minutes or so. Hopefully they can keep enough variety in the story and gameplay to keep it fresh and interesting for the full duration.
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