Two Falls (Nishu Takuatshina) is an interesting cultural tale developed and published by Unreliable Narrators, about a time in North American history when French fur traders were making their way into the Canadian wilderness to strike it rich. The main narrative focuses on two characters with very different lives and backgrounds; A naive French woman named Jeanne who is seeking out her husband in Quebec, and an Innu native named Maikan who is looking to protect his people by righting a wrong perpetrated against the natural order pertaining to Innu sacred rites.
This short narrative-driven journey begins as Jeanne is washed up on the beach after the ship that she had taken to gain passage to the new world has wrecked on the shores of Canada. The player is greeted with charming, stylized graphics in a first-person perspective as they wander around searching for clues as to the whereabouts of the remainder of the crew.
The game features quite a bit of light investigative segments that not only provide insight into the story as it unfolds, but also historical references of encyclopedic knowledge to better orient the player with the setting of the experience as well as the context the characters find themselves in. I spent a great deal of my time with the game walking around and interacting with everything I was able and reading through the details of historical and cultural significance to attempt to better understand the characters, their people, and the motivations of those trying to survive in this 17th century setting.
As the game progresses the player is presented with dialogue and action options that help shape the character in matters such as manipulation, trust, faith, liberation, contemplation, and most importantly understanding, among other notable traits. Two Falls attempts to get a clear message across about the cultural divide between the native inhabitants and the newly arriving settlers of the time and focuses heavily on highlighting the hostilities and mischaracterizations both parties showed towards one another due to ignorance, language barriers, misinformation, preconceived notions, fear, and misunderstandings of intent.
Not only that, but the religious beliefs and practices of French settlers and Canadian natives, as well as their traditions of honoring nature and respecting life were so wildly different that it leads the player into some rather tense encounters where they must attempt to properly navigate social interactions with what can almost be seen as another species regardless of which character you are in control of at the time.
Jeanne’s naivety can turn to strong willed good intention if properly nurtured, or she can become a dogmatic and fearful sort depending on the choices made throughout the story. On that same note, Maikan can become vengeful and untrusting, or he can become contemplative and caring all based on the actions taken by the player that are measured and counted against or in favor of the player, as best to serve the narrative as it unfolds.
My biggest complaint about this system is that much like in reality, these choices did not have clear outcomes, often amounting to a decision I made that I hoped would lead to honesty and respect between the characters, rather having the opposite effect and creating a more manipulative and deceptive nature for one character or another.
These decisions had branching effects that were felt later in the game, typically presented through dialogue changes and a ripple in my ability to effectively communicate and get what I wanted for the characters in my version of the tale.
The story of these two polar opposites introduces a handful of characters that shake things up and challenge the player’s morality such as Pierre, a fur trapper that is reluctantly thrust into the lives of both characters in varying ways. There is also Augustin, a Jesuit pastor who may not be what he seems upon first meeting, and Tehon who is a native that lives and works with the French, adopting their dress and certain mannerisms, among others.
These characters can all be affected by the choices the player makes throughout the game; Their behavior, their understanding and trust of others, their actions in the face of adversity, and their view of the world and concepts of life and death are all molded as the player interacts with them through a number of high stakes moments.
Two Falls did have its fair share of pulse pounding interactions that left me wondering if I was about to lose one of my favorite characters, or if I was going to be left on my own to survive, and even whether or not the character I was controlling was going to survive the situation I found myself in at the time. The story wasn’t exactly gripping, but I don’t know if that was entirely the point.
It was a shared story told from the perspective of two very different individuals and allowed the player many insights into how they both saw the world and felt about many of the same things in such different ways due to their cultural identities and upbringings.
These opposing views allowed for a gap to be bridged between not only these individuals, but also the cultures of their respective people, as the story unfolded and I made more decisions pertaining to what I felt the best outcome would be, I found that at the root of their differences was a simple lack of knowledge on the other’s intentions. As the characters shared their beliefs, their emotions, their fears, their desires, and their views on the world with one another, they came to quickly realize that the basis for human connection stems mostly from honesty, trust, and mutual respect. As this grew, so too did their understanding for each other.
The central conflict in the narrative was that there were many people that had yet to bridge that gap of understanding through trust and honesty, and this led to beliefs that the only way to live side by side with such different people was to convert them to their own traditions and cultural customs, or perhaps eliminate them if they weren’t amenable to the idea of change.
This idea of evolving and adapting as an individual and as a society was prevalent throughout the experience, as each of the characters invariably changed their viewpoints and convictions in one way or another throughout the game as all people tend to do as they become more knowledgeable and shed their ignorance of reality.
With time, experience, and determination for survival, these characters embarked on a journey of self-realization as well as a deeper connection with their fellow man, and this was the true crux of the narrative. There wasn’t much gameplay in terms of any combat, action-adventure mechanics, or deeper roleplaying elements outside of the minor investigation sections that had the player tracking footprints or blood trails, and the dialogue and action decisions that changed the characters’ personalities and how they handled certain scenarios later in the game.
The colors of the environments were stunning, with an artistic 3D style that made me feel as though I was moving through a storybook, complete with first-person, often unreliable narration. I couldn’t trust anyone I met without digging deeper into their motivations, and I found that at many times during the game, I couldn’t trust the characters I was controlling as they would often handle situations improperly due to choices I had made early on.
This led to quite a bit of uncertainty as decisions that seemed positive at the time would have negative tradeoffs later in the game. Being too trusting, too honest, too faithful, too contemplative, could all have terrible consequences in high stakes moments where lives were on the line.
Apart from that, the voice acting felt a bit theatrical in what I believe could have been an otherwise very emotionally charged experience, had they just taken their time to present the narrative with more nuance and gravitas. Perhaps this was all part of highlighting the divide between the characters by making their feelings and inner monologues loud and in your face, but I would have preferred it being handled with a bit more subtlety, as the story represents a time in history that deserves reverence and care when being taught or exhibited in such a way. The ideas were good, but the execution felt sloppy and a bit rushed.
I also think that more exploration would have helped the game leave more of an impact, as I found the often-linear paths a bit limiting, and the number of interactable objects and facets of contextual evidence were greatly hampered due in no small part to that linearity.
The game wanted to tell a story and it did but it also sought to teach the player a valuable lesson about mankind rooted in historical significance, and some of that story was muddied by the sometimes awkward and unclear choices to be made, the lack of exploratory depth in the gameplay, and the relatively few amount of actions that could be taken by the player.
With that said, the game ran smoothly and bug-free for the four or five hours that it took to complete. The music was well suited for each scene and perspective being presented at time of the scoring. Though the voice acting felt a bit too rehearsed, none of the performers did a poor job at portraying their characters to at least get their points across.
Much like the acting, the graphics felt a bit cartoonish, but unlike the vocal performances, helped to immerse me into what felt like a storybook retelling of historical events. All in all the game was a decent experience that did a passable job at explaining the differences and disparities between different groups during a time of vast global change.
If you are a fan of narrative-driven walking sims, North American history, and/or short one-shot story focused experiences, then this game would be a decent fit for you. If you’re looking for a bit more action and agency, I would recommend looking elsewhere. I enjoyed my time with Two Falls well enough, but I certainly don’t see myself returning for another run any time soon.
