Should You Play… Beyond: Two Souls

While our reviews aim to give you an honest verdict, some games divide opinion, leaving you as a consumer confused as to whether you should buy a game or not. A personalised opinion can’t always be found even after reading dozens of reviews, so without undermining what we’ve already written, here’s a simple guide to whether you should buy the latest polarising release or not.

So, start with the number ‘5’ in your head – a completely average score – and then ask yourself each question, adding or subtracting points as you go, or staying the same if you feel indifferent.

Basically, then, the higher your score, the more you’ll likely enjoy the game, in theory. If you’ve got anything above 10, you’ll probably enjoy it, but anything below zero might mean you need to steer clear of the game. That, in conjunction with our review, should give you a better idea of whether you should pick the game up or not.

Did you enjoy Heavy Rain? Yes +2, No -3

Beyond: Two Souls naturally shares a lot in common with Quantic Dream’s Heavy Rain, being more of an interactive story with QTEs and choices rather than a traditional game. While the narrative is entirely different, some of the same tricks are played and the button mashing and dialogue selection, which leads to different choices, should feel second nature if you enjoyed the studio’s previous title. If you didn’t get on with Heavy Rain, then Beyond becomes a fair bit harder to recommend.

Do you generally like to delve into supernatural horror, be it film, novel or game? Yes +2, No -2

The moments which feature horror elements are among the best that the game has to offer. One particular section is actually really well done, showing the potential of the game, despite dragging on a bit too long. If you’re a fan of all things paranormal, then there’s some really good stuff for you to dig into.

Are you happy to have a less hands-on approach to gaming? Yes +3, No -2

Everything about Beyond: Two Souls is quite relaxed and if you’re up for watching most of the time and actually moving around in game with the DualShock – or a mobile device – less of the time, then Beyond: Two Souls might be more for you. There’s still QTEs mind, but with branching gameplay and action sequences which don’t require perfection, there’s not quite as much pressure.

Can you ignore a disjointed plot with some poor dialogue? Yes +3, No -4

The game’s plot is quite disjointed, skipping all over the place. While Memento and Pulp Fiction succeed with this plot technique, Beyond: Two Souls is akin to Call of Duty in its time-skipping nature. Could you put up with that before, and did some poor dialogue not hinder your experience? Then you might just be able to look beyond these issues.

Are you looking for the best graphics around? Yes +2, No -1

It’s truly a beautiful sight, and one of the best looking games around, veering into the area of CGI with its masterful graphics. If you’re the kind of person who can’t get enough polygons, or really wants to show to a non-gamer friend how good modern games look, then Beyond should definitely be a bit higher on your radar. Even if you’re not bothered about visuals, you might be after seeing how good the game actually looks.

Do you like Ellen Page and/or Willem Dafoe? Yes +3, No -3

If you don’t like Page or Dafoe as actors then, just as if it were a film starring these two, you should definitely drop Beyond down a few points. If you love them, then go ahead and bump your score right up. Even if you’re indifferent, but want to see some Hollywood acting talent in your game, then you can go ahead and answer yes, but if you’re adamant that it doesn’t matter who plays who, then you can just ignore this one.

You’re all done, and at this point your score should sit somewhere between -10 and 20, or something has gone terribly, terribly wrong! Let us know how you’ve come out of this in the comments below.