Beyond: Two Souls is a wonderful blend of interactivity and cinema. If you love Heavy Rain, like I did, you will love this game. The story builds up to an emotionally resonant conclusion. Albeit generally linear, you still get to mould the story to a certain extent into one that can genuinely touch you. The story stands toe-to-toe with other adventure game gems such as Dreamfall: The Longest Journey and The Walking Dead.
The game features more streamlined as well as new gameplay mechanics compared to its predecessor. Objects that can be interacted with are indicated by white dots. Pushing the right thumb stick in the correct direction enables you to interact with these objects. I found this interaction mechanic to be very slick and intuitive. Fight scenes also require you to push the right thumb stick in the correct direction but this time as hinted by on-screen action. You will not always get this right but, in my opinion, this adds realism to the gameplay. You also get to control a somewhat free-moving entity called Aiden that is tethered to Jodie Holmes, the protagonist. Aiden can interact with pre-determined objects and strangle or possess individual beings. This adds an interesting dynamic to the gameplay although interactions are somewhat limited. If you have played the Advanced Experiments DLC, you can see how these simple mechanics can be combined to form something more challenging. However, I understand why this was not done in the game because it would seem contrived and would detract from the cinematic-feel that David Cage is obviously striving for.
Quantic Dream is known for pushing the boundaries of graphical realism in gaming and in this regard, has truly excelled. The graphics are astounding. It surpasses the already awe-inspiring graphics of another PS3 exclusive, The Last of Us.
All in all, Quantic Dream has crafted an engaging game that is enhanced by wonderful performances, stellar graphics and an enchanting soundtrack. It is a truly beautiful and immersive experience, a testament to video gaming as a powerful platform for storytelling.