"Beyond: Two Souls": Ellen Page Is Character In Supernatural Drama Video Game

By Jobs & Hire Staff Reporter | Oct 10, 2013 09:05 AM EDT

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Critics have described "Beyond: Two Souls" as not being a game (besides actually being what it is, which is a videogame), but an extended, interactive movie. Players will be able to choose their own path in the game, each path leading to their choice of adventure. It is a wonderful blend of film and gaming, a compelling way to tell a story.

Created by French gaming company Quantum Dream, "Beyond: Two Souls," is helmed by two critically acclaimed actors who breathe life into the characters: Ellen page stars as Jodie Holmes, a girl with a mysterious and sometimes dangerous entity lurking near her that only she is able to communicate to, and Willem Dafoe as a scientist and father-figure tasked to study her.

Players will be able to control a two-in-one character: Jodie, who automatically also has Aiden, an unseen supernatural entity bound to her since she was young. Aidan has all the powers, which players can also control.

"Beyond: Two Souls" players will go through controlling Jodie through various stages in her life: as a child playing games in her room, to her breaking necks as a CIA operative many years later. The chronology may be confusing, but it will be a comfort to know that the loading bar is also a timeline to watch and organize things as the player goes along.

Among the most striking features of "Beyond: Two Souls" is the performance capture. Jodie is Ellen Page acting out her best onscreen, and looks so well-defined that one could be tempted to sit back and just watch the game unfold like a film. The attention to detail lets players connect emotionally to the game; the rest of the games out there at this point could only dream to achieve that kind of realism.

Players can easily control Jodie: moving towards the white dots can have her interact with her environment, and fight scenes and action scenes are slowed down to have the players move accordingly to directions onscreen.

Pressing "triangle" will have the player enter "Ghost mode" as Aidan . Aidan is much more powerful than Jodie, adnhas the ability to drift through walls, topple large objects, choke enemies or posses them, heal injuries, trigger flashbacks...the only setback to him is that he must always remain at a close distance to Jodie.

"Beyond: Two Souls" will also delight players as nobody will ever lose or fail the game; in the case of failures, the game simply moves into another direction. Much like life, thus displaying the level of realism (despite the fact that "Beyond: Two Souls" features the most unrealistic elements ever) the game is capable of. 

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