Last Thursday, Sony revealed the box art for Beyond: Two Souls, the new game from Quantic Dream (i.e. the team behind Heavy Rain) that is due to launch in October of this year. The image is a close-up of the side of protagonist Jodie's head, with a bright blue background and shards of something (broken glass?) flying around. The game follows Jodie through many years of her life, from childhood, so naturally the image chosen is one where she is no longer a child but has not yet shaved her head (as seen in the reveal trailer in which she is at a police office).
However, it's quite clear – and refreshing – that the publishers are not trying to sell this game on sex appeal. For a woman to make it to the front cover of a game is rare, and – as in the case of The Last of Us – often has to be fought for even when that woman is an important character. Of course, in this case Jodie is the only primary character who is actually visible, given that the other controllable character is a spirit. And the technology behind the game means that she looks an awful lot like the famous actor who is responsible for her voice and motion capture: Ellen Page. Page is also credited on the front of the box, movie style, alongside Willem Dafoe, who plays the specialist who conducts tests on Jodie when she's a child.
What do you think of the box art? If you didn't know what the game was about, would it convince you to take a closer look?
