Beyond: Two Souls

Quantic Dream doesn’t do conventional gaming. As such, one of the most common questions pertaining to Beyond: Two Souls relates to how you actually play it. Fortunately, the Parisian studio has recognised that, and has released this helpful ‘how to’ video, which outlines the upcoming adventure’s mechanics and control options.

The ‘acceleration’ style movement from Heavy Rain has been dropped, and replaced by a more traditional left stick control method. Protagonist Jodie’s animations will change based on the scenario, to give the game a more immersive feel. Meanwhile, on-screen button prompts have been removed, and a more simplistic analogue stick gesture system has been incorporated in their place.

The developer’s also done away with QTE sequences, swapping them for slowdown segments that force you to make the correct inputs in a specific time window in order to land punches and block incoming attacks. Make a mistake, and the story will continue, though you may feel the repercussions of that blunder later on.

At any point during the game, you’ll be able to assume the role of an entity known as Aiden, who you’ll control from a first-person perspective. When in this viewpoint you’ll be able to possess enemies, choke out guards, and generally explore the world – but you won’t be able to travel further than the spiritual tether between Jodie allows.

Still confused? You can check out the gameplay demonstration below – though you may want to skip the video if you’re worried about spoilers. The title’s due out in October – presumably just before the PlayStation 4.