E3 is the place for new games, with countless titles announced on the Los Angeles show floor each year. Among endless sequels and rumours of next gen hardware, one new PS3 game stood out: Beyond. The new game from Quantic Dream, those clever chaps behind Fahrenheit and Heavy Rain, Beyond looks like it could be the next big thing for those interested in emotional and narrative driven games. That said, there’s only so much direct information you get from looking at pretty and dazzling E3 demoes, and that’s where we come in. Read on for ten facts about Beyond: Two Souls that may well pique your interest.
It’s a David Cage game
Oh David Cage, you’re my second favourite French developer. You’re just behind that guy who made Rayman.
Love him or hate him, David Cage knows how to make engaging stories. Heavy Rain may not have been the wholly original thriller everyone expected and Fahrenheit has one of the worst ending sections in a game ever, but my word are those games memorable. When Cage gets it right, he really nails it. Beyond: Two Souls will hopefully serve as the product of his collective experience over the years. If Quantic Dream’s main man can round out some of the issues fans had with Fahrenheit and Heavy Rain, Beyond could be the story driven game of the year hands down.
It stars Ellen Page
Ellen Page like you’ve never seen her before.
Who doesn’t love Ellen Page? Memorable for her role in quirky films like Juno and and Hard Candy, Page has proven to have a versatility in her acting style that will be pushed to the limit in Beyond: Two Souls. As leading lady for the upcoming Quantic Dreams game, Page is lending her voice to the game but, due to the heavy reliance on motion captured animations, she will also physically acting out most of the game’s scenes. It means we get lifelike animations and the acting talents of one of the finest actresses of our generation. No complaints there.
It will explore the afterlife
How not to do a game about ghosts. Let’s hope Beyond is better than 2005 Gamecube flop, Gheist.
Characters die in games all the time, mostly due to our own actions, but Beyond seems to be taking a different approach. Aside from Page’s character, Jodie Holmes, players will be introduced to a disembodied soul that she shares an inextricable link with. This ghost, Aiden, will be the window through which David Cage has said he wishes to explore themes of mortality and life after death.
