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Quantic Dream storytelling - from worst to best (Heavy Rain, Beyond, Detroit, Fahrenheit)

2K View2023-01-04

I'm going to share my thoughts on four Quantic Dream games that I've played on PC recently. The classic PC game Fahrenheit, the PS3 mystery thriller Heavy Rain, the star studded Beyond: Two Souls, and the expansive Detroit: Become Human. Reviewing them along the way and ranking them from worst to best.

Fahrenheit / Indigo Prophecy

Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy Remastered

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This clearly hasn't aged that well in terms of graphics as well as gameplay mechanics. The controls are Tank-ish and QTEs are very primitive, QTEs are right in the center blocking the screen requiring you to focus on the QTEs instead of the actual action scenes, missing out all the good action.

The story is ironically the most ambitious of all the games. It has all the elements of all the other games combined. (mystery thriller, supernatural, futuristic technology). But it is cheesy and sometimes ridiculous and over-the-top / nonsense to the point of being funny.

It is a great experience nonetheless, even more so if you played it during its heyday, but you can skip this one if you don't want retro gaming and obsolete frustrating mechanics.

Heavy Rain

A compelling mystery/thriller that will keep you engaged throughout the whole game wondering who the killer really is. The perspective of the multiple characters doing their different investigations all converging into the climax really shines in this.

Despite being a great mystery thriller, there are some glaring plot holes or out of place / unresolved plot lines that is best handled with suspension of disbelief to better enjoy it.

Gameplay wise it is in the same ballpark as the later games Beyond and Detroit, and has aged decently graphics and gameplay wise to play in this era and still be considered modern.

Beyond: Two Souls

Way underrated, Seeing as it is generally the worst game that the majority considers. Gameplay wise its the best of all games as the prompts and QTE's are unobtrusive than ever and very minimalistic. You also get a lot of variety in gameplay and it does not rely on purely QTE or 'Point and click' mechanics.

Story-wise it is great, It's like a mash-up of Death Stranding and Control. A mix of supernatural, government experimentations, technology, etc.

You only focus and control one character and the story is more high-stakes than the other games.

Storytelling is a mess though because it jumps back and forth, fortunately there is a "Remix" version that is more linear. I definitely recommend the "remix" version of this though I played the original version first.

Detroit: Become Human

The latest game and graphically / mechanically the most evolved. It also has the best replay value of all the games as the choices you can do are so varied, with so many endings and divergences felt even early in the game. You can have an entire different story compared to another player.

Gameplay wise, it took a back seat and focused on QTE's and 'point and click' mechanics again, more than Beyond. QTE wise, I still prefer Beyond's simplistic QTE gameplay over this one too.

Story-wise this is the most "normal" story, and that's a compliment. No over-the-top nonsense and cliches. no supernatural elements or even dream sequences. Suspension of disbelief is at a minimum. This is also has one of the most interesting worldbuilding lore for a game I've seen in a while. The setting reminded me of Blade Runner and Terminator.