And in life we only get one playthrough.
That’s the logos behind the director’s latest comments to Videogamer, where he suggested that gamers play Beyond: Two Souls once - and then never again. It was the same prescription Cage gave years ago for Heavy Rain: Decision making and choice are great. They allow players the freedom to chart their own course through a character’s life. But just how could that illusion, that sense of real connection with the path we choose, possibly hold up if we explore every conclusion in a multi-ending story?
And we’ve heard before how seriously Cage is approaching Beyond’s weighty themes. The director was inspired to write the story of Jodie Holmes after losing a close relative, and in the interview he explains how the game is driven by the concept of explaining what comes after death, albeit outside of religion:
“For me, it’s more interesting to have players defining the life of Jodie - this is your version of the life of Jodie. And you can talk to other people and see their versions, and compare what you did, what you missed, what you saw, but never know what would have happened if… I think that’s the beauty of the thing.”
For most gamers, however, deciding whether or not Beyond deserves another playthrough will likely be harder than Cage lets on. Because at the end of the day let’s face it: the game is still with us, still staring us down from the shelf or the coffee table.
The replay choice is easy for an engaging singular narrative like Assassin’s Creed, a sports simulator like Madden, or game devoid of storytelling altogether such as Words with Friends - but is it really worth knowing “what could have been” in a Mass Effect, Heavy Rain… or Beyond?
Beyond: Two Souls releases in early 2013, exclusively for the PlayStation 3.
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Source: Videogamer
