I have long been enamored with the Age of Colonialism in North America – not because I have some romantic, rose-colored view of it, but because it is messy, complicated, terrible, wondrous, and unspeakable all at once. I am always in search of media that can consolidate not only the complex history of America (and Canada), but the constantly mutating spirit of its people, and give all its subjects adequate breathing room. While Two Falls has made a solid attempt to reconcile the humanity of the Europeans with the genocide they wrought, it falls a bit short in making a real point.
Before getting into the gameplay, I’d like to speak to the authenticity of Two Falls. A number of indigenous people worked directly on the project, including Wendat composer Eadsé, the art director, writer, and even the co-creative director. Great care was taken by collaborating with the Tshakapesh Institute to ensure that the game is authentically representing indigenous cultures such as the Wendat. During my journey through the five-hour narrative, I felt a genuine love for these cultures that have been all but stamped out of existence, and a desire to understand them.
Two Falls is a narrative game where the only real mechanic is decision making, so there is not much gameplay to speak of. Unlike Telltale’s games, it does not feature quick-time events, which makes it accessible to even folks who have never held a game controller. That’s not to say it lacks excitement – there are certainly a few set pieces in there to discuss. Regardless, just a warning up front that most of the game is holding the control stick forward and pressing X or B to make a decision.
You’ll switch back and forth between two characters: Jeanne, a French woman who is marooned in Nova Scotia all alone on her way to a new life in Quebec; and Maikan, a Wendat native who is attempting to find the source of the Winter Spirit’s ire towards his tribe so that he can save them. Jeanne was a fairly interesting character, but Maikan basically comes off as a wet blanket the entire game. Boring and lacking any personality traits, he seems to lose his temper quickly at cultural differences between him and his French travel companion, the trapper Pierre.
Every time you make a dialogue decision, Maikan or Jeanne will become a little bit different in some personality trait. For instance, Jeanne chooses to read the Bible even though women are forbidden to read it, so she becomes more liberated in her faith. If she chooses to abstain, she becomes more dogmatic in her faith. I wish I could see some sort of meter showing where she was on the scale, because even though the game tells you “Maikan is a little wary of outsiders” when he acts one way or another, it’s hard to tell that it’s actually happening. I suppose that is the purpose of the notification. Still, I did not feel as though I had a ton of control over the characters actions.
This leads me into the very bad ending I got, which I suppose I brought on by my poor actions. Just a warning, since I know this is a sticking point for a lot of folks; there is a route where your dog is slaughtered violently while defending you, and dies slowly in your arms while you rock him to his last sleep with a lullaby. I cried a bit, yes, not because I felt it had been earned by the story, but because it felt like a cheap shot for emotional impact. I have absolutely no idea what I did to get my dog killed. I had to grab my cat and cry into her tummy for a few minutes before I could continue. It is a visceral scene.
I don’t know that I understand how any of my decisions ended up affecting the narrative in an organic way – in fact, even with the notifications of how Jeanne was acting dogmatic or Maikan was acting weary, it never seemed to line up with what they actually chose to do in the game. I like the concept here of having the player build out the character’s personality and then watching them act on their own in accordance, but this game feels like a poor execution of it.
I would like to heap heavy praise where it is deserved for the environmental art and the music. As mentioned previously, Wendat singer-songwriter Eadsé composed an authentic soundtrack for Two Falls and did a masterful job. The soulful wind instruments and solemn drumming, the tribal chanting at the height of action, the mournful mountain cry at the death of a white wolf – all of it came together so well that it truly elevated the experience. The environments are gorgeous, and I could explore this world all day – sadly the faces are kind of horrifying, and live solidly in the uncanny valley. I did not like looking at them, and they looked even worse when speaking.
I also can’t really dodge around the wealth of technical and sound issues I had. While performance was excellent, I had a lot of very weird complete freezes that seemed apropos of nothing. I had one crash to desktop during a loading screen that I can’t explain, and the strangest bug occurred when Jeanne simply started walking backwards across the map during a cutscene but continued her conversation with Tehon. I could not control her or the camera, and she eventually walked back of her own volition, but it was very strange. There’s also something off with the sound mixing on the English voice acting – in addition to all the English voice actors doing a pretty poor job, half of them are echoing like they’re in some giant cavern, even when they’re speaking softly by the fire. I switched the French voices early on and they are far superior – I recommend you do the same.
I actually did learn a lot about the Wendat tribe from Two Falls. It was an educational experience, and I always appreciate a genuine attempt to celebrate a culture while sharing it with others. I know a lot about their beliefs, language, customs, and foods. If that was the point of the game, they nailed it. I am put off, however, by the themes, which I don’t know if I’ve understood or were communicated correctly. Perhaps it was just my bad ending, but I walked away with the lesson being “different cultures can never understand each other and should keep to themselves,” with Jeanne and Maikan being the sole exception to this hard and fast rule. I recommend this game for anyone else who wants to learn more about our indigenous cultures, but I think those looking for an excellent interactive narrative like Until Dawn should look elsewhere.
Nirav reviewed Two Falls (Nishu Takuatshina) on PC with a review code.
