Going Back To Beyond: Two Souls On PS4

Beyond: Two Souls on PlayStation 4 is almost exactly as you would expect. It’s the same game at a higher resolution and running at a solid 30 frames per second, but while the smoother frame rate is welcome, the crystal clear imagery have had an unwelcome effect of making the characters look more like shop mannequins than they ever did in the PS3 version. It’s not that the character models are bad – quite the opposite in fact they have been improved for the game – but whilst PS3 version had a slight softness, the sharpness of the PS4 version highlights the smallest details and imperfections.

The close up shots of characters faces are just the wrong side of being perfect, and invoke the uncanny valley as a consequence, the feeling that there’s something not quite right with the image. The new sharpness also gives a glossy videogame look to the scenes set in the medical facility, but conversely the acts set outside at night are richer, darker and utterly gorgeous.

When Blair reviewed the PlayStation 3 game two years ago, he commented that “the non-linear narrative is an extraordinarily and unnecessarily convoluted affair”, and the biggest change for the PlayStation 4 version of the game is the ability to play the scenes in chronological order. Personally I loved the way the plot jumped between points in Jodie’s life and found it a refreshing change, and by placing the scenes in the ‘correct’ order, the pacing of the game is thrown off balance and it’s simply not the creators vision. Quite why it has been added is, ahem, beyond me; you wouldn’t ask Quentin Tarantino to re-edit Pulp Fiction into chronological order, would you?

Cage wrote Beyond: Two Souls himself and the script is undeniably clunky at times, a fact that he has recognised so that Quantic Dream now have a writing team to help polish his vision for the upcoming Detroit. Rather than putting Beyond in chronological order, an opportunity has been missed to ask the new writing team to re-edit the game, though this would have been a much grander effort. There are plenty of scenes – notably the misjudged espionage mission – which could be severely trimmed, or even removed completely.

If you have played the game on PlayStation 3 then returning to the story of Beyond is rather deflating experience. The plot, much like that of predecessor Heavy Rain, has a big reveal near the end and knowing what this is does make a replay feel rather more of a chore than it should do. You can make different choices on your second play through, but much like the Telltale series of games, your actions have a negligible effect on the overarching story and merely decide who will survive until the final scenes.

Unlike Heavy Rain, Jodie and Aiden and almost invincible, protected by their need to be present for the plot to progress, but if you are happy with merely adding light touches to a linear story rather than creating one yourself Beyond: Two Souls is still a massively rewarding experience for new players. Ellen Page is exceptional throughout and the game has some outstanding sequences, such as preparing for a dinner date whilst a rogue poltergeist throws books around the room, and other much more heartfelt moments, which could only come from Quantic Dreams.

You either love David Cage, Quantic Dreams, and their commitment to making interactive movies, or you don’t, and the PlayStation 4 version of Beyond: Two Souls is not going to change that. Whether or not you should purchase this new edition depends entirely on your circumstances.

If you have played and completed the game on PlayStation 3 then there really isn’t much point on picking it up again unless you are a huge fan. On the other hand, if you have never played any of Quantic Dream’s games then you really should, but I would suggest waiting until Heavy Rain is also released, in order to play this first. It, along with Beyond and the forthcoming Detroit: Become Human, all deal with the core theme of what it means to be alive and what you will sacrifice to be happy.

Returning to Heavy Rain after playing Beyond will feel like a step backwards – it has arguably less gameplay and much clunkier than Two Souls – but by playing the three in order you will appreciate how Cage and his team have refined their craft. For now, I would suggest holding out until the Quantic Dream double pack is released in March 2016.