Critically acclaimed development studio Quantic Dream are the guys behind the incredibly good movie-cum-game-cum-choose-you-own-adventure Heavy Rain, and their follow-up, Beyond Two Souls, has a new cast member in the form of Willem Dafoe.
He joins the already announced Ellen Page on the game's acting roster as Nathan Dawkins, an enigmatic scientist working for a government division studying paranormal activities - which makes sense considering his previous work as scientist Norman Osborn in Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy.
Page, meanwhile, stars as the lead character, Jodie, a young woman who possesses supernatural powers through her link to an invisible entity. Naturally, the professional and emotional connection between the two characters is a big part of writer and director David Cage's vision.
For more on Cage's vision - segue alert - have a read of our exclusive interview with the Heavy Rain helmer below:
***You used a new motion capture technology. Was all the action filmed and if so, how many hours of shooting were involved? ***
The whole shooting of Beyond took about a year working almost every day with about 160 actors. We had kids, adults, teenagers, stuntmen, actors of different ages and nationalities, for a total of several thousands animations and about 55 hours. That's truly insane, but we only realised it afterwards...
***What is the main goal of Beyond? ***
Making players share the life of Jodie Holmes through fifteen years, be with her in the important moments of her life, know what she went through and how she became who she is. I want to discover if we can make people like her and feel attached to her as someone they would know intimately, if we can make them miss her once the game is over. This is a huge challenge of course, but also something incredibly exciting.
***Will Beyond be a subjective game with multiple choices as Heavy Rain was? ***
What is always fascinating is how people want more of something they already know. When I pitched Heavy Rain, no one wanted to hear about it, but now I am often asked, "Will we get more of the same?" The answer is no, Beyond is not a spiritual sequel to Heavy Rain, it is a very different game with its own identity, its own tone, its own style. It is a mature, emotional, storydriven experience like Heavy Rain with probably some common points, but my goal was to create an experience that would allow me to explore new ideas, not to repeat something I had already done.
***Critics say TV shows are the new cinema, do you think videogames will be the cinema of the future? ***
No, I think that interactivity can provide a very different type of experience. In a film, you are passive, in a game you have the opportunity to contribute to the experience and change it through your actions. This is something that no other medium can offer. When we will start to use interactivity to tell more meaningful things, it will become a very unique and popular medium. It will never replace cinema of course, but it can definitely become as popular and creative.
Beyond Two Souls is aiming for a October 2013 release. Check out the E3 trailer below for more details...