E3 is over, and almost everyone is talking about the latest hack-and-slash and first-person shooter video games. Sure, the occasional RPG gets bandied about, but there's one company that insists on always doing things differently: Quantic Dream.
Quantic Dream has a different philosophy when it comes to gaming. It's not just about racking up zombie kills or taking down the enemy. Instead, Quantic Dream games focus on making the gaming experience a more interactive and emotional experience, making players think about choices they make and then suffer the consequences of those choices.
Companies such as Telltale Games often take a page from this kind of gameplay, but Quantic Dream did it early on with its second title, Indigo Prophecy (known as Fahrenheit in countries beyond North America). The developer wasn't the first to delve into interactive adventures — that honor probably belongs to the early '90s Tex Murphy games — but it has continued to make games that push the boundaries of what we think video games actually are.
Indigo Prophecy (Fahrenheit)
Quantic Dream first released Indigo Prophecy for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox in 2005. The game is a paranormal thriller that follows a group of characters as they discover that supernatural forces are behind a series of grisly public murders. In gameplay, players take on the roles of these characters to uncover the truth behind the murders, all the while monitoring their in-game mental states: if their sanity meter goes empty, they die.
That alone makes Indigo Prophecy a unique title, but it also offers the player choices that ultimately affect the game's outcome. Although having multiple endings is now a staple of RPGs, at the time, Indigo Prophecy was one of few titles that offered a different ending based on how the player progresses through the game. The plot branches out so that, every time a choice is made, each branch leans toward a certain outcome.
Indigo Prophecy also used motion-captured animation, which set it apart from other titles. Back then, gamers argued that Indigo Prophecy wasn't even a game at all, but an interactive movie. However, it was this game that set the tone for the developer's later titles.
Heavy Rain
It wasn't until 2010, though, that Quantic Dream really made its mark in gaming. Its next title, Heavy Rain, went on to become a hit with both players and critics alike for its unique interactive gameplay. The film noir thriller features four very different protagonists for players to take on as they search for the mystery behind a serial killer who uses long periods of rainfall to drown his victims.
Players interact with the game by performing certain actions, as highlighted on the screen, usually related to motions with the controller. Some actions are time-based, meaning that a player must respond quickly. Every decision and action made by the player affects the story, meaning that some of the main characters can die: no one is safe.
Heavy Rain even allows players to go inside the heads of each character by holding down a button to explore their current thoughts.
Again, Quantic Dream used motion capture to give its characters real life and movement, something that was still ahead of its time in 2010. Today, almost every AAA developer uses the technique for its animation.
Beyond: Two Souls
Quantic Dream created magic again in 2013 with Beyond: Two Souls, its much-anticipated follow-up to Heavy Rain. This time, though, the game blurred the lines between interactive movie and video game by making its premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival. Perhaps this is why the game polarized those trying to define games by something that offered more traditional gameplay.
In Beyond: Two Souls, players take on one of two characters. The first is Jodie Holmes, who the player gets to follow from childhood into adulthood. Jodie, though, has a separate soul linked to her, an incorporeal being named Aiden, the second playable character in the game. Jodie and Aiden learn to work together and share their powers.
Beyond: Two Souls was one of the first video games featuring Hollywood actors in motion capture roles. Ellen Page portrayed Jodie, while Willem Dafoe portrayed Nathan Dawkins, a researcher at the Department of Paranormal Activity and Jodie's father figure.
Like Quantic Dream's other games, players make choices throughout the game that affect the story's ending. However, this interactive storytelling brought criticism to what Quantic Dream was trying to accomplish: many accused the game of not being a game at all and of being too passive. Again, Beyond: Two Souls made people question the definition of "video game."
Detroit: Become Human
Quantic Dream announced its next title at this year's E3, Detroit: Become Human. The developer also premiered a trailer that showed off its signature storytelling style, although the trailer could indicate that the story allows one of the main characters, an android, to go through multiple scenarios for given situations in its head before making a choice that will result in the desired outcome.
The developer hasn't released many details on its new title yet, but it will have the same interactive elements that pull players into the game and give it emotional depth. Players will take on the role of multiple androids throughout gameplay, and each of these characters can die. However, instead of ending the game with a character death, the story will continue to branch out to one of many possible outcomes.
Detroit: Become Human will also allow players to investigate crime scenes, using the androids' skills to reconstruct and replay events as they occurred.
Quantic Dream knows that storytelling is its strong suit, and that continues with its latest title. The company still plans on expanding the player experience and continues to challenge what video gaming really is about.
