Back when the Game Developers Conference was trending, developer, Quantic Dream showed off an impressive tech demo called Kara. This was a demo of just a few minutes long and it managed to pull every emotion out of a person. This forced the viewers to play that game but players were stunned when they learned that the tech demo was not going to be made into an actual game. It was known that Quantic Dream was working on a new IP that integrated the same elements that was shown in the tech demo but at that time nothing about that new game was known. We have recently witnessed this new title and we know that it is called Beyond: Two Souls. They have released a trailer for the game and we now know a little bit about what the game is about. So what do players want more, what we have seen with Beyond: Two Souls or would they have rather have had a game more like Kara?
Beyond: Two Souls was first shown with a young woman being interrogated by a police officer. She did not say anything to the man and the man seemed concerned about her. This girl was creepy and emotionless; she seemed to have some kind of supernatural force within her soul. A SWAT team rushed in the police station where she was being held and a quick montage of different parts of the game flash by. The SWAT team is obviously in search of the girl and had been harassing her for quite a while, as they move in on her location the screen goes back; closing the short trailer.
What was really interesting about this title compared to the tech demo is it didn’t make the viewer feel anything at all. Kara pulled out every emotion in a person while Beyond: Two Soulsallowed the viewer to express no feeling. It is understood that Kara was a way to showcase new technology but in reality it was showcased as if it were an actual game title. Despite what Kara really was what was seen in the demo would have made a great new title. With all the talk about Kara it’s a wonder why they took the completely opposite direction when it came to the actual game they were working on. This comes as both a surprise and a disappointment from a company gamers should trust to bring them the best gaming experience possible.
We have seen very little about Beyond: Two Souls, however, right from the start it has caught much less attention than Kara. Kara was all the rage, it was intriguing and it made players long to play that game. Beyond: Two Souls is a game that fades away with the other hot Sony exclusive titles. What players expect from Quantic Dream is emotion and that is not what we have seen. This sales tactic was far less interesting than what we have seen from this developer before. With that said it doesn’t mean that Beyond: Two Souls will not be great it just seems like a lesser interesting title then what was expected after seeing the Kara tech demo. How do you feel about the comparison between the Kara tech demo and Beyond: Two Souls? If they were both a complete titles released on the same day, which game would you more likely purchase?
I would choose Kara even though the other game beyond looks promising . I absolutely loved heavy rain it story was intriguing, emotional, suspenseful and entertaining and it think Kara would offer the same thing plus the graphic was excellent . I will still look forward to beyond because the graphics look good also but I really hoped to play Kara two.
The technical quality of Beyond:TS is at a higher level. David Cage, even said at the unveiling of Kara, that the engine was a work in progress, and that 50 more enhancements would be added to it.
Both games look interesting, and deal with themes that I find fascinating; A.I. and the afterlife. Out of the two, Kara hooked me more, there was more emotion there. Ironically, in a way, Beyond seemed a little souless in comparison. In my opinion, having the ubiquitous Ellen Page involved, detaches you from the game. With Cages previous games, most of his cast were relative unknowns.
Hopefully, at some point in the future, Kara will manifest itself into a full game. I believe that it would be a smart move, if Sony commisioned it as a Vita exlusive. QD’s games would lend themselves perfectly to the handheld device, and would give the system a much needed sales boost.
One last thing. David Cage is a visionary and I admire his approach. However, at times, his script writing can almost be as bad as George Lucas’s. Quantic Dream should hire someone to give him a hand in this area, and other areas; such as consistency and continuity.