Beyond: Two Souls, the upcoming ambitious "interactive drama" from Heavy Rain creator David Cage, has been given a release date. The PlayStation 3 exclusive is set for an 8th October debut in the US, with a European release the same month.
The game stars Ellen Page, of Juno and Inception. She plays a young woman called Jodie Holmes who has unusual powers and appears to converse with an invisible ally. Government forces are on her trail, and developer Quantic Dream has announced that the fantastic Willem Dafoe is joining the cast as Nathan Dawkins, a scientist studying Jodie's powers.
Heavy Rain was a big hit for Sony, but the outspoken Cage has always insisted he has no interest in sequels. "If you're interested in innovation and believe that games could be more than shooters, then you realise that sequels kill creativity and innovation," he told Official PlayStation Magazine in January. "We don't give people what they expect. We want to give them something they want without knowing they want it."
As with David Cage's previous games, Beyond: Two Souls will have an emphasis on performance rather than simple voice over with the actors appearing in digital form in the game thanks to advanced motion capture. The game will also be rather epic in scope, covering fifteen years of Jodie's troubled life.
Sony's US division has also announced that there will be a special edition of the game, with steelbook packaging, PS3 desktop and avatar items, the soundtrack and behind-the-scenes features. More news as we get it.