Beyond Two Souls Theory
Article By: Chelsea Stulen
I play and watch a lot of
people play video games. It is interesting and exciting to see graphics improve
every year, but also, the storylines are intriguing and mind-blowing. Speaking
of mind-blowing….
JODIE WAS DEAD THE WHOLE
TIME
Beyond Two Souls is a
Quantic Dream video game that is exclusive for the PS3. The story is centered
on Jodie Holmes (played by Ellen Page). Jodie has an entity attached to her
(called Aiden), and slowly, the player discovers a variety of situations that
occurred over her lifetime. Despite many people saying that it was not the
greatest of video games, I must say that it did get exceptional reviews
(granted not like “game of the year” type, but it did well). People also must
understand that Quantic Dream games are unique for the storyline and graphics,
not actual gameplay.
Considering all of that…
Beyond Two Souls BLEW MY MIND. At
first, I was only intrigued by the graphics. Quantic Dream uses motion capture
(like James Cameron’s film Avatar)
for the characters and received excellent results. I could hardly tell whenever
I was playing versus whenever a cutscene was on the screen. After playing it
multiple times, however, I slowly started to lose interest in it entirely. (You
have to replay it in order to get all of the trophies) But then, I saw all
eleven different endings.
That’s right.
Eleven.
Players can choose how they
want the storyline to progress and can essentially receive different endings.
And at one point towards the end, the player has to decide for Jodie to go into
the “Beyond” (aka DIE) or go back to the realm of “Life.” If one chooses for her to live, the player
can decide how she lives the rest of her days (Alone, with Jay, with Zoey, or
with Ryan [if he survives]). Some players can live or die, but that does not
sway the overall plot structure. The only differences are contained in the
ending cutscenes.
1. Walter, Jimmy, Paul, Norah, Cole, & Ryan live
(Jodie enters the Beyond)
2. Walter, Jimmy, Paul, Norah, Cole, & Ryan live (Jodie
chooses to be Alone)
3. Walter, Jimmy, Paul, Norah, Cole, & Ryan live
(Jodie chooses to be with Jay)
4. Walter, Jimmy, Paul, Norah, Cole, & Ryan live
(Jodie chooses to be with Zoey)
5. Walter, Jimmy, Paul, Norah, Cole, & Ryan live
(Jodie chooses to be with Ryan)
6. Walter, Jimmy, Paul, Norah, Cole, & Ryan live
(Jodie chooses to be with one-eyed Ryan)
7. Walter, Jimmy, Paul, Norah, Cole, & Ryan die
(Jodie enters the Beyond)
8. Walter, Jimmy, Paul, Norah, Cole, & Ryan die
(Jodie chooses to be Alone)
9. Walter, Jimmy, Paul, Norah, Cole, & Ryan die
(Jodie chooses to be with Jay)
10. Walter, Jimmy, Paul, Norah, Cole, & Ryan die
(Jodie chooses to be with Zoey)
But wait…
Technically, that is only ten different endings.
So, what’s the eleventh
ending?
Watch the eleventh ending
here before you continue reading:
When the scene fades in,
Jodie simply states the following:
“Nothing.
There’s nothing left…
nothing but death,
chaos and destruction.
The Infraworld has
overwhelmed our world,
And cast its shroud over the
living.
Billions of fragments of
souls wandering in silence…
The world I was born into
has disappeared forever.
But still the images from my
life collide in my head.
I try to remember each
second…
what I did…
where I failed…
what I could have done to
avoid what happened.
Ever since I died I…
I’ve let myself float along
the cold wave.
I hunger for obscurity and
oblivion.
I am alone with my guilt,
and my regrets…
Alone for eternity.”
[During the scene, there are dark entities, and the
visuals signify that the world has indeed come to an end.]
Yup. EVERYONE DIES. You, me, the
entire world as we know it. All because she (and/or the player/you) failed.
But, hold on. Throughout the entire game, there is no way for Jodie to die. Aiden would come and save the day. So,
essentially a player could just move Jodie forward here and there and allow
the game to play itself. Even the QTE’s (options that would appear on the
screen) would fade if the player doesn’t make a choice in time. The same
choices are even made for you (if you don’t make one) every time (it is not randomized).
So, why is it that Aiden saves her every single time
except for the moment before she turns off the Black Sun condenser?
I guess this can be answered
several different ways. Many fans of the game ask which ending they favor in game;
however, I believe that is the wrong question to ask. The real question should
be: Which is the real ending?
Based on the structure of
writing for the plot, color themes, and other pivotal points, one can conclude
that the Destruction Ending (the eleventh ending I have listed) is the actual
ending to the entire game.
After having viewed all of the potential
endings for Beyond Two Souls, the eleventh (aka the Destruction Ending) makes
the most logical sense. Most likely it is the “true” ending for the game, where
the other endings are what she “could have done to avoid what happened.”
The following is a list of
supporting detail that can support this theory:
• The beginning of the game
starts off with Jodie stating that she is “all mixed up” and needs to put the
“pieces together.” The background during this scene only consists of ethereal
waves (no particular place can be identified). Then the entire game is played
in no chronological order. One would normally think of the order as a way for
the writers to reveal pieces of the plot line without it being too obvious
early on (in a chronological sense). The
entire game IS an entire reconstruction of her memory.
• After witnessing the
Destruction Ending, any other time it’s revealed that Jodie is writing her
memories that have faded, it seems contrived in comparison. Initial gameplay
leaves it perfectly logical, however, it now shows a scenario to where Jodie
can have multiple “successes” rather than focusing on her one “failure.”
• Going back to the words Jodie
says, one can analyze in a plethora of ways. With the sense of the ordering of
the game, one could argue that this is Jodie going over the “images in her
head.” She is forever stuck with the memories and the failure that she cursed
upon the world.
• In other endings, Jodie even
includes a potential scene that has driven fans wild for a sequel. Jodie
implies that another condenser has been created, which opened a rift, thus
causing the apocalypse. However, for the eleventh ending, one could argue that
due to Jodie’s regret, this is her way of coping. Jodie might believe that
despite her failure, the world would have been lost with or without her. The
government would continue to make condensers until the apocalypse arrives
anyway.
• After all endings, the same
credits play. The backgrounds of the credits consist of dark colored waves. In
the first ten endings, the background blends well with the previous scene’s
color themes. So, it would be usual to miss this. Also note, Jodie claims she
is forever floating “cold waves.” For those that are not in the art community,
“cold” colors consist of blues, greens, and violets. Thus, “cold waves” could
even be based on the color of them.
• In all of the endings, the
same “STILL HERE” is written. It is in the same, font and style, whether it be
in the sand or on a screen. This shows that all of the endings are connected in
some way. In a sense, one could even say this is Jodie’s subconscious reminding
her that those scenes were not real. However, the Destruction Ending does not
feature this.
• Quantic Dream is infamously
known to NOT make sequels for their games, despite endings alluding to a
potential sequel. David Cage (one of the creators) has even stated that making
sequels is just “milking the franchise,” which means the ending with Zoey and
Jodie (the apocalyptic one) that fans are declaring “canon” is not. None of the endings have been
declared “canon.”
• During the gameplay for
Beyond Two Souls, QTE’s pop up for the player to choose between. Whenever this
occurs, the player only has a few seconds to choose. If one is not chosen, one
is chosen for you. This shows that Quantic Dream had specific moments planned
for. Essentially, the options that are automatically chosen are what “really”
occurred for Jodie. Thus, there is only one timeline that is essentially
“real.”
• Aiden’s face is never shown.
This could be because Jodie never actually saw it. (Also note that during this
scene, the background is unidentifiable and darkens like the dark entities
[potentially Jodie’s unconsciousness bringing the reality of the world into her
guilt-driven illusions].)
• There are several times where
it is revealed that Jodie does not wish to exist anymore or she hungers for
“obscurity and oblivion.” In the game, there are several attempts where she
tries to kill herself. This could be, again, her hidden thoughts and wishes to
no longer exist or a means to punish herself for her failure as she
continuously goes over her memories.
• In a sense, this theory is Jodie
consistently telling herself, “Everything would have been better if I had
stopped the condenser at Black Sun. Even if I lived or died.” Hence why the
other endings are so contrived (and even cheesy). I say “cheesy” because of the
fact that the rest of the story throughout the game is not; it does not fit the
writing style.
• In endings where she
survived, a newscast comes on the television, claiming “three months” have
passed. Some could even argue that this is over exaggeration. Her memory still
goes back to her moment of failure, even when trying to create fake memories.
• Jodie and Aiden are no longer
connected (this occurs in all of the endings). Hence why she says, “Alone for
eternity.” Also, Jodie forces a connection with Zoey so that she could create a
surrogate connection to replace Aiden in her illusions. Essentially it’s her
thoughts looking for something positive to cling onto.
• This is the only ending that
requires a unique means to obtain it. It sets the ending apart from all of the
others.
• If the eleventh ending was
the true ending, that means Jodie did not know who Aiden was. So, it stands to
reason that Jodie’s claim that “he’s not a ghost” is actually true. Also, the
scenes where her mother is shown yelling do not match between the first and
second time they’re shown. It is possible that the “twin” excuse for Aiden is
just a reason Jodie gave herself.
· • Even the title of the game
“BEYOND” alludes to the fact that she is in the “beyond.” The title could
easily have just been “Two Souls.” So why include “Beyond?”
· • She never has the upper hand
in a fight. One could argue that it is due to her small stature, however, many
people with a small frame can use that for speed or being a limited target
(which Jodie never does). This is strange because she had military training. This
could be another way of Jodie punishing herself as she pieces her memories
together.
(Look at that! Even the
concept art showed this!)
• In the Navajo chapter, we see
a cave painting that shows a figure attached to an entity with a cord. This could
be taken in two ways: 1. Jodie is not alone with this special gift of hers and
others have entities attached to them, as well. Or 2. This was a prophetic cave
painting, alluding to Jodie and Aiden coming to save them from the evil that
torments them. Whether she was solely unique or not does not matter. This means
her gift was not because she had a twin (Aiden being her twin could have been
an excuse she gave herself as previously mentioned). In another ending, we see
that Jodie’s spirit becomes attached (or linked) with Zoey’s. Obviously they’re
not twins. This leaves the “Aiden was Jodie’s twin” theory out the window. The
attachment occurred because Jodie’s parents had paranormal gifts, thus
genetically passing down the “paranormal gift DNA strand” to her. Also note,
General McGrath states in the Black Sun chapter that “[they] discovered a way
of linking soldiers with entities.” This shows that one does not need a
stillborn twin to achieve the gift Jodie has.
• After reading a plethora of
posts regarding disappointed fans (whether it be with Quantic Dream, David
Cage, or Beyond Two Souls), there seems to be a negative response due to (being
put simply) ignorance. David Cage stated (before the game was released) that it
was supposed to go over death in a different way. The gaming experience shows
how the viewer/gamer chooses to deal with death (by allowing certain characters
to live and choosing if Jodie lives or dies at the end). We also see how side
characters cope with death. The Navajo chapter alludes to the culture’s
significance in dealing with death. We even see a culture (in Africa) that is
subjected to death daily (in that chapter we see murder, suicide, and outrage
when their leader is killed). Throughout the game, we see death and every
single ending alludes to dealing with death in some way. That was the point of
the experience of the video game. Which takes me back to my point/theory. The
entire game’s premise is surrounding death, thus it makes sense to end with the
inevitable demise of the world.
While this game blew my mind, it obviously
didn’t for the majority of its players. As some have said before, Quantic Dream
was too soon in this development, thus the majority of the points that this
game made were lost amongst its players. Many people have complained about
missing a heavy amount of actions, but I believe that is what gives it the best
replay value. We get to see other choices or actions Jodie could have made.
Again, this was Jodie going over her thoughts and memories in her head (seeing
what she could have done differently). All points allude to her failure, but of
course, many people don’t even know about this ending. You must replay the
entire game; a player must get all of the endings and choices to get the full
experience. Many won’t do this, thus this beautiful twist to the game and story
is lost.
If one plays the game as it was intended, one
gets the meaning and experience Quantic Dream and David Cage were striving for.
Throughout our lives, we find ourselves
questioning two things:
1. Is there other conscious life beyond our
world? And 2. Is there life after death (or some variation of it)?
Beyond Two Souls demonstrates and attempts to
answer both of these questions, while also demonstrating people’s behavior in
regarding death. We see characters throughout the story dealing with death:
Willem Dafoe’s character has to cope with his wife and daughter dying in a car
crash, Shimashani dies (in every scenario) and we see her grandsons at her
funeral, and we even witness murder and suicide. Not only do we see all of
this, but also, we are forced to deal with it ourselves (as a player). We must
decide to help characters live or die, as well as choosing if Jodie lives or
dies.
Yet then we are left with the Destruction
ending. Its placement is very different from the other ten, and all allusions
and metaphors lead to it. If the main point of the game was to deal with death,
then doesn’t it make sense for the proper ending to be about death entirely?
We all die eventually. There is no denying
that. And this game slaps us in the face with that reality.
