Beyond: Two Souls is the intriguing new game from the visionary creator of Heavy Rain David Cage. Although Beyond: Two Souls shares some similarities with Heavy Rain in terms of its gameplay, the story and characters will be totally different. I had a chance to play two levels from the game and I have to say, the game is shaping up to be one of the most unique games I’ve played so far in 2013.
The preview I played did not share too many details about the game’s story, but there is an interesting supernatural element to Beyond: Two Souls that separate it from other story-driven video games like Heavy Rain or The Last of Us.
This is mainly because Jodie Holmes (brilliantly played by Ellen Page) is accompanied by a ghost called “Aiden”. Aiden is playable at any time simply by pressing the triangle button. If you see Jodie is in trouble and is in need of any assistance, you can float around from a first person perspective as Aiden to help her out.
The first level I played is when Jodie is in Somalia where she accompanies a small boy named Salim. I wasn’t sure where this part of the game fits into the storyline, but it appears Jodie is already efficient at combat as she can shoot guns and take out enemies whenever she pleases.
Whenever Jodie is pinned down and is getting overwhelmed with bullets, you can switch to Aiden to assist her. You won’t be able to float around the entire level because Aiden will still need to be in close proximity of Jodie at all times. Not to mention Aiden cannot go out and kill everyone he pleases either.
While you are playing as Aiden, small little dots appear on the screen that tells you who and what Aiden can interact with. This may include a soldier for Aiden to strangle, to even a ladder place in position so Jodie can escape. One of my favorite things that Aiden can do is take control of a human being and take over their body.
When you take over someone’s body, you’ll be able to walk around while the other guards won’t take any notice. This can be helpful when Jodie needs a specific door to be opened or whenever she needs to get rid of a bunch of soldiers. In either case, it’s a feature of the game that I loved the most and is what will make this game more fun to play than other narrative heavy video games.
