Two Falls (Nishu Takuatshina) (XS)

by
Lee Mehr
, posted 2 hours ago / 285 Views

Reviewer’s Note: Due to certain story praises/critiques, it’s virtually impossible to avoid SPOILERS.  Read on at your own risk.

The Innu translation for “Nishu Takuatshina” literally being “Two Falls” isn’t a coincidence.  Although the two protagonists are separated in place and time, they both flow from the same stream: their interactions with others – both outside and inside their cultural spheres – will make different impacts on how they view the world.  This being a mechanically-light adventure game akin to modern TellTale titles, those decisions aren’t going to be as wildly divergent as the ironically-named developer Unreliable Narrators may sell it.  But as a historical fiction and cultural vehicle for one of Canada’s longest-surviving indigenous cultures and French colonists of the epoch, Two Falls at least holds more promise.

Despite such disparate cultures, both protagonists share the same harsh 17th century.  Step into the boots or moccasins of Jeanne (pronounced “Sz-ahn”), a French King’s daughter, and Maikan, a young Innu hunter, respectively.  After her ship crashes and runs aground, Jeanne and her Bernese Mountain Dog companion, Capitaine, emerge as the only survivors.  Whether by sheer luck or the grace of God (the latter in her eyes), a lone tracker happens upon them and agrees to assist them in reaching the closest civilization that’s weeks away.  Meanwhile, Maikan disinters a malevolent phenomenon near his home that could threaten his people with a terrible winter.

The game sells its dual storyline, but one can’t help but notice how often Maikan is retracing Jeanne’s steps during a different time of day; that’s not to say I don’t understand easing one’s workload where possible.  And to the team’s credit, who wouldn’t want a second pass through such beautiful Canadian wilderness – especially in Unreal Engine 5?  Sure, the soft-texture aesthetic for flora, fauna, and character models is played out in many modern adventures – oftentimes with sharper detail, but there’s something about great lighting that can impress me all over again.  You’ve likely walked through this type of landscape before… but not quite.

Sadly, even that scant nuance won’t really be found in Two Falls’ gameplay.  As I’ve discussed before, thinking of these interactive choose-your-own-adventure stories as a means to drastically reconfigure the plot is misguided; frankly, it wouldn’t make sense in this context either.  No, the driving intention is more about interrogating how “your Jeanne” and “your Maikan” will grow and reflexively react via dialogue:

For Jeanne: will she be driven to be more dogmatic or liberated by her Christian faith?  Will she be vastly more or slightly more headstrong by the end?
For Maikan: will he act more open or closed off to foreigners?  Will he be more contemplative?

And though a few instrumental moments do heighten this tension, sometimes the setup for the inevitable payoff is confused.  Certain integral decisions from a particular point of view could be viewed as ‘liberating,’ but carry a more ‘dogmatic’ tone when acted out.  It carries that dilemma where sometimes the two dialogue options don’t cleanly map out the emotion of the scene.

That choice mismanagement stems from a faulty story foundation.  Whether from Isabelle Picard & John Henry Rumsby’s writing or the direction of said characters, you’re never fully sold on this world.  Among the clearest examples of this stems from its presentation.  With the rare exception of Chimwenwe Miller’s Pierre (aforementioned tracker), I’m hard-pressed to think of any English voice actor who properly inhabits their role.  I understand Charles Bender wishing to avoid a more stereotyped “native voice,” but there’s a reason why it intuitively works: emphasized projection.  Even the most exaggerated versions still carry an authority – a stentorian heft – that doesn’t connect like Bender’s soft-spoken approach here.  Similarly, Kennedy Baillargeon’s Jeanne avoids most French vocal touches, opting for a flatter Midwest girl tone that’s inoffensive instead of good.

Actors can only do so much heavy-lifting, given the trite script.  Overrelying on a sententious pastor and a last-minute philippic to really drum up his firebrand piety is so blasé at this point; of course, it couldn’t just end there either.  No, it needs to go the extra mile in order to cap off with a series of overwrought platitudes.  Although it’s a tough high-wire act to balance, I wouldn’t say sermonizing is a universal writing failure by default; and, given the context of the standard native/colonial dynamic we’re accustomed to, emphasizing coexistence is like having pocket aces in your hand.  But that has to be accompanied with solid build-up and characterization.  So much quality time is spent on each protagonist going to the next important location or following the next lead; it’s not exclusively a series of “…and then this happened” sequences, but enough to suggest it needed a rewrite.

And though the runtime is in the ballpark of five hours, which seems passable for $20, it’s hard to dismiss the small artificial extenders peppered throughout.  Hell, even reaching that hour mark was solely through wanting to explore every square inch and typically not be rewarded for it.  There are a few achievements that expect you to peruse these worlds for hidden baubles, yet most levels contain big pockets of dead air.  Sometimes opening up the world for its own sake can be an inspired choice, but the genuine rewards here are too sparse and spread out.  I can also understand the design intention behind filling the player’s shoes with cement to extend a walky-talky scene, but it ought to be carefully considered so as to not disrupt pacing.  Two Falls misunderstands these principles.   

It’s rather funny that I grew fonder of reading the short apologues in Jeanne & Maitan’s codex than experiencing their in-game stories.  And though Unreliable Narrators sought to weave Indigenous and French culture through presentation and storytelling, the result feels closer to quaint historical footnotes rather than being substantially woven in like it is in, say, Never Alone.  Compounding this is a generic gameplay template that’s rarely interested in exciting your attention.  For a narrative-driven game about the virtue of coexistence, it’s a shame that’s rarely felt emotionally or mechanically.

Contractor by trade and writer by hobby, Lee’s obnoxious criticisms have found a way to be featured across several gaming sites: N4G, VGChartz, Gaming Nexus, DarkStation, and TechRaptor! He started gaming in the mid-90s and has had the privilege in playing many games across a plethora of platforms. Reader warning: each click given to his articles only helps to inflate his Texas-sized ego. Proceed with caution.

VGChartz Verdict

This review is based on a digital copy of Two Falls (Nishu Takuatshina) for the XS, provided by the publisher.

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