Beyond: Two Souls is an action-adventure and interactive drama video game that comes from the team at Quantic Dream. The idea behind the game was to offer interactive storytelling that even people who don’t play video games could enjoy. The premiere for this game was at the Tribeca Film Festival.
If you’re a fan of this game, you’re sure to be looking for more psychological action thrillers that give players a lot of freedom. One of the best things about Beyond: Two Souls is the fact that every choice you make in the game matters.
If you’re looking for more story-rich games similar to Beyond: Two Souls, we’ve got you covered. Here are the best 10 games like Beyond: Two Souls, with similar stories, themes, and styles of gameplay.
Heavy Rain
Coming from the same studio as Beyond: Two Souls, Heavy Rain is an interactive drama and adventure game that came out in 2010. David Cage, founder of Quantic Dream and lead developer of Heavy Rain, wrote a 2,000-page script for Heavy Rain. You can play this game on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and Windows.
Heavy Rain is arguably one of the best video games of all time. The story follows four protagonists who have a part in the mystery of a notorious serial killer known as the Origami Killer. This serial killer is notable for using extended periods of rainfall to drown people.
Each player character in the game conducts their own investigation. They each have personal motives and unique leads that could help prevent the Origami Killer from striking again. The game takes a third-person perspective. Player characters can die in the game depending on your actions. This creates a branching storyline.
The well-written and detailed story is, without a doubt, the backbone of Heavy Rain. There is a lot of content in the game, so expect to be playing it for quite a while. There are multiple endings, which vary depending on your course of action throughout the game.
The consequences of your actions increase as you progress in the game. This means that you’ll need to be more mindful of your actions later on in the story. This is one of the most powerful story-rich games on Steam and fans of games like Beyond: Two Souls will love it.
The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan
Commonly referred to as only ‘Man of Medan’, this is an interactive drama video game with survival horror elements. The game is from the team at Supermassive Games. It represents the first entry in The Dark Pictures Anthology video game series. You can play Man of Medan on Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
Just like in Beyond: Two Souls, this video game plays like an interactive movie.
You can embark on this horror journey by yourself or with friends. There is an online multiplayer co-op mode that supports two players. You can also play with up to five players in the same room by passing the controller when prompted. In this mode, called Movie Night, each player selects a different character.
The story in Man of Medan follows five people as they search for the remains of an old warplane. The group consists of four college students and the captain of a boat called Duke of Milan. On your journey, you encounter a group of pirates who force you to find a chemical bio-weapon known as Manchurian Gold.
As you search for the Manchurian Gold, you come across a ghost ship where each character starts having visions of horrific monsters. Throughout the game, you’ll collect numerous items that will help you understand what’s going on.
The choices you make in the game change the narrative and shape the ending you’re going to experience. The story is incredibly well-written, and it’s a must-play if you enjoy games similar to Beyond: Two Souls.
Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy
If you’re looking for games like Beyond: Two Souls, it’s impossible to ignore titles from Quantic Dream. Fahrenheit is the second game from the studio. The development took two years and the game came out in 2005. A remastered version came out ten years after the original.
You can play the remastered version of Fahrenheit on Windows, PlayStation 4, macOS, and Linux. There are also versions of the game available for iOS and Android devices.
Fahrenheit is an action-adventure game with an incredibly rich story. Players make countless choices that affect the overall narrative, just like other games like Beyond: Two Souls.
At the time of its original release, Fahrenheit left a powerful mark on interactive narrative in video games. It blurred the lines between games and cinema by making players feel like they’re in a movie. The game was highly praised for its story, voice acting, character depth, and soundtrack.
The story follows a man named Lucas Kane, who is suddenly possessed by a supernatural entity and forced into committing a murder. After the crime, two police officers start pursuing Lucas. There are three different endings depending on your actions throughout the game.
There are four different playable characters in the game, including Lucas, the two police officers, and Lucas’ brother. The gameplay involves exploring the world, collecting items, and interacting with non-playable characters. Fahrenheit uses both first-person and third-person perspectives.
The soundtrack in the game comes from legendary composer Angelo Badalamenti.
Oxenfree
Oxenfree is a graphic adventure video game with horror and mystery elements. It comes from the team at Night School Studio, a studio that Netflix acquired in 2021. You can play this game on Windows, OS X, Linux, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, iOS, Android, and Nintendo Switch.
The game has a 2.5D perspective. In other words, the characters are three-dimensional but the environment is two-dimensional. While most story-driven video games feature cutscenes, Night School Studio decided to make Oxenfree without them. Instead, players can explore the environment while they’re talking with characters.
The story follows a group of friends who go to a party on an old military island. You take on the role of Alex, a rebellious teenager who brings her stepbrother to the party. Everything is fine until you accidentally open a ghostly rift.
How the story develops from that point depends on your actions throughout the game. There are multiple endings to the story.
Oxenfree has walk-and-talk gameplay mechanics. When you engage in dialogue with NPCs, speech bubbles will appear over your head. You’ll have the option to choose from a few dialogue options while maintaining your freedom to roam around the environment.
There are many puzzles you’ll have to solve in Oxenfree. You can also interact with objects if there is a small circle next to them. This is one of the best story-rich games on the Switch, and fans of games like Beyond: Two Souls will love it.
Control
Control is a single-player action-adventure video game from the team at Remedy Entertainment. It features a rich story, well-written characters, unique setting, and exciting combat. Control is available for Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Stadia, Amazon Luna, and Nintendo Switch.
The game takes a third-person perspective. The story revolves around a secret government agency called the Federal Bureau of Control (FBC). This agency investigates any phenomena that don’t follow the laws of reality. You take on the role of the FBC’s new director and must get to the root of a presence that has invaded the Bureau.
The player character is named Jesse Faden and is voiced by American actress Courtney Hope. To defeat a dangerous enemy, Jesse must explore the Bureau’s paranormal headquarters. The game is full of various unexpected events that will often keep you on the edge of your seat.
What’s interesting about the FBC’s paranormal headquarters is that it’s actually a supernatural realm that doesn’t follow the laws of spacetime. Its interior is much larger than the exterior. As you explore the headquarters, usually referred to as The Oldest House, you’ll experience shifting environments.
Apart from main missions in Control, there are also plenty of side quests. When you complete missions, you’ll unlock more areas to explore and gain skill points. You can use the skill points to upgrade your powers.
This is truly one of the most unique action-adventure games around. It’s absolutely worth checking out, especially if you’re a Beyond: Two Souls fan.
Gone Home
Gone Home is an adventure and exploration game from the American independent studio The Fullbright Company. Gone Home came out in 2013 and has a first-person perspective.
The game doesn’t contain any elements other than exploration. There are no puzzles in Gone Home, there are no specific goals, and there is no combat. You’re free to explore the world on your own time without getting stuck or attacked.
The story is set in 1995 and you play as a young woman who returns to her family home after spending a year abroad. When you arrive at the house, you expect your family to be there but they aren’t. Nobody is home and you have no clue what happened.
Players have the ability to interact with objects in the house. You can occasionally find notes that will give you clues to what happened. Interacting with certain objects will also unlock different parts of the house. As you interact with objects, you’ll watch an incredible and realistic story unfold.
At the time of its release, Gone Home played a big part in demonstrating how video games can be valid forms of artistry. The concept of interactive exploration simulators was not familiar to most people at the time. The release of this game opened the door for many similar games released after.
Gone Home is available for Windows, OS X, Linux, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, iOS, and Nintendo Switch.
Detroit: Become Human
Detroit: Become Human is yet another video game from the same company behind Beyond: Two Souls. It comes from Quantic Dream and it came out in 2018, Detroit: Become Human explores the topic of artificial intelligence. You can play the game on PlayStation 4 and Windows.
The story is set in 2038, a time when technology evolved so much that androids are everywhere. Sometimes, it’s even hard to spot the difference between a human and an android.
There are three playable characters in Detroit: Become Human. Each character is an android with a different job. One is a police investigator, the other is a housekeeper, and the third is a caretaker.
In the game, both the housekeeper and the caretaker androids develop consciousness. On the other hand, the police officer has to hunt down androids who became aware of their existence.
Your decisions will shape the narrative in Detroit: Become Human, in a similar fashion to other games like Beyond: Two Souls. A playable character may die in the game but the story will go on without them.
Life Is Strange
Life Is Strange is a graphic adventure video game from the French studio Dontnod Entertainment. It came out in stages throughout 2015 and consists of five episodes. The game was a commercial and critical success, and spawned a series of games.
You can play Life Is Strange on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Stadia, Nintendo Switch, Windows, OS X, and Linux. There are also versions of the game for Android and iOS devices. The game takes a third-person perspective. The gameplay includes puzzle-solving and interacting with NPCs.
The story focuses on an 18-year-old photography student named Max Caulfield. Max discovers that she has the ability to rewind time at her will. Whatever Max does when she travels back in time creates a butterfly effect.
In the game, you explore a town called Arcadia Bay. Arcadia Bay used to be a thriving fishing town but it has since gone through tough times. Several disasters from a sudden eclipse to snowstorms during the summer had a negative effect on the town. As you progress in the game, you’ll learn how these occurrences play a part in your story.
The decisions you make in Life Is Strange will have both short- and long-term consequences. A decision that has a positive short-term consequence may have a negative long-term outcome.
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is an adventure video game with horror elements. It comes from the independent studio The Astronauts. The game came out in 2014.
The game was initially made using Unreal Engine 3. Less than a month after its release, an updated version made in Unreal Engine 4 came out. You can play The Vanishing of Ethan Carter on Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. The game has a first-person perspective.
The story follows a paranormal investigator named Paul Prospero. Paul receives a letter from a young fan that inspires him to visit the boy. Upon his arrival, Paul learns that Ethan is missing and starts sensing paranormal activity in the area.
You take on the role of Paul and attempt to piece together what happened in the town of Red Creek Valley.
The game features an open-world environment that you can explore freely. You find out what happened to Ethan by investigating the murders in the Carter family. Whenever you find a dead body, you can use your abilities to see what happened to each person prior to their death.
Alan Wake
Alan Wake is an action-adventure video game from Remedy Entertainment. The game was initially only available for Xbox 360 in 2010 before it came to Windows two years later. A remastered version of Alan Wake came out in 2021 and is available for Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox One.
While some of the games on this list resemble interactive movies, Alan Wake takes the form of a TV series. Episodes in the game contain both plot twists and cliffhangers. There are six episodes in Alan Wake.
The story follows a bestselling crime fiction author named Alan Wake. Alan goes on a vacation with his wife to the small town of Bright Falls. There, his wife disappears and he goes on a mission to find her. You soon discover that there is a darkness in the town that’s taking over animals, humans, and even objects.
You have to fight enemies that were taken over by the darkness using weapons like a revolver and a shotgun. Enemies that attack you also have weapons, such as knives, chainsaws, and shovels. You’ll also have to occasionally fight flocks of possessed ravens.
This is one of the best games like Beyond: Two Souls for fans of dark and atmospheric games.