One Note

So I've Finally Played... Beyond Two Souls.

Don't expect this to be a video script. While I can easily fill up a Randomly Mine entry, I'm not entirely sure I'd be confident enough to devote an entire video to the subject (or mentally tough enough to endure such an effort).

I'll leave that to the mad man known as LHudson.

As I'm going to be making one particular point about the game that's very much, negative in context, it's always important to be fair where fairness is due.

Graphically, the game has aged rather remarkably for a nearly ten year old game, and that's down to its high production value and craftsmanship. Quantic Dream have long since moved on from the days of Fahrenheit where characters animated like puppets, puppets which had sex... multiple times.

Omikron was even worse.

Eek.

Though, with even with top notch animations, graphics, and music. Even with Ellen Page and Willem Dafoe. Even with David Cage's general praise from critics.

The awkwardness persists.

Its constant presence I think can be attributed to one thing which stuck with me in particular. At one point, I was five hours in, just beyond the highway point, and thought "I still know next to nothing about this character."

I know that Jodie, the protagonist, has a really shitty life; little agency with people constantly manipulating, controlling, and using her for their own agendas.

But that's not a description of a character, that's their situation. What I just described, could be dozens of characters. That lack of understanding I believe comes from during these situations she finds herself in, there's no room to express her unique character. Saving people from burning buildings, having empathy for someone who just lost their Father, or getting infuriated by someone whose constantly in her life, are all par for the course.

The same way that Lara Croft climbing a tower to send a distress call that could potentially save her and friends, is par for the course.

Action defines character, but not all action does.

Nor are all actions equally compelling.

Jodie's ghost being the only living thing that she gets along with would've been interesting. Her willingly joining the CIA would've been interesting. Her choosing to only kill a President or execute the whole squad, would've been interesting.

But instead, most of the actions Jodie makes are the least compelling.