Death is the final mystery of human existence, according to Heavy Rain creator David Cage. His newest game, Beyond, was announced at Sony’s E3 media briefing and purports to be a parable about the mysterious powers an encounter with the afterlife can leave a person with.
Beyond was introduced in a long story-driven trailer that featured a digitized performance by Ellen Page. As with Heavy Rain, Beyond appears to be an interactive story more than it is a competitive system for high scores and skill acquisition. The trailer showed a stoic Ellen Page in a small-town police office with a helpful officer trying to figure out where she came from.
They’re soon intruded on by a team of gun-wielding SWAT members and what follows is a violent montage wherein Page’s character wields a variety of psychic powers to overwhelm the SWAT members and wreak havoc on the town.
Cage promises the game will tie players to this psychically charged protagonist over a period of years. “For the first time ever, players will live the life of a video game character over the course of 15 years,” Cage said in the media briefing. “They will experience her life and help her to become who she is.”
Also like Heavy Rain, the game will feature a number of possible endings depending on player choice and Cage promised those who make the right sequence of choices will learn just what awaits people in the afterlife.