Beyond: Two Souls

Beyond: Two Souls is an interactive drama and action-adventure game developed by Quantic Dream and released for the PlayStation 3 in 2013. The game was later remastered and re-released for the PlayStation 4 in 2015, and was also made available for Microsoft Windows in 2019. It is directed and written by David Cage, the founder of Quantic Dream, and features performances by actors Elliot Page and Willem Dafoe. The player controls Jodie Holmes through 15 years of her life from age eight to age 23 as she goes on a journey to discover the true meaning of the entity Aiden, who has been alongside her throughout her life.

Beyond: Two Souls
Developer(s)Quantic Dream
Publisher(s)Sony Computer Entertainment
Director(s)David Cage
Writer(s)David Cage
Composer(s)Normand Corbeil
Lorne Balfe
Platform(s)PlayStation 3
PlayStation 4 (2015)
Microsoft Windows (2019)
Release8 October 2013
Genre(s)Interactive movie
Mode(s)Single-player

The game received mixed reviews upon release.

Development

The game was announced at Sony's press conference during the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2012 by David Cage. At that conference, Page was confirmed to star in the game. The game's soundtrack was composed by Normand Corbeil, who died of pancreatic cancer on 25 January 2013 before the game's release.[1] The soundtrack was later completed by Lorne Balfe.

Reception

Beyond: Two Souls received mixed reviews upon release. Critics praised Page's performance, with IGN's Colin Moriarty writing "Beyond: Two Souls is compelling enough, principally thanks to a remarkable performance from [Elliot] Page. But never before have I felt like such a passive participant in a video game, my choices and actions merely icing on a dense, multi-layered cake."[2] Similarly, Eurogamer's Tom Bramwell stating that "Beyond is [...] poorly served by the limited interactivity and stodgy controls of Quantic's interactive drama formula."[3]

Remaster

Along with Heavy Rain, which was also made by Quantic Dream, Beyond: Two Souls received a remaster on PlayStation 4, which released on 24 November 2015.[4]

PC port

The game was released alongside Heavy Rain and Detroit: Become Human for PC's running Microsoft Windows on 22 July 2019.[5]

Beyond: Two Souls Media

References

  1. "Heavy Rain composer Normand Corbeil passes away, aged 56". Joystiq. Retrieved 2013-06-10.
  2. https://www.ign.com/articles/2013/10/08/beyond-two-souls-review
  3. https://www.eurogamer.net/beyond-two-souls-review
  4. Hillier, Brenna (30 November 2015). "Beyond: Two Souls remaster fixes original's frame rate issues". VG247. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  5. Co, Franz (16 May 2019). "Heavy Rain, Beyond, and Detroit PC release dates and demos revealed". GameRevolution.com. Retrieved 11 August 2022.

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