I was lucky enough to spend some time with Unreliable Narrators Games new project Two Falls (Nishu Takuatshina)
Unreliable Narrators is an indie game developer based in Quebec. Their mission is to revisit historical moments through contrasting perspectives. To tell rich stories that will make players think about today’s society, and to give a voice to those that too often go unheard.
Two Falls (Nishu Takuatshina) is a first-person story driven game told from the perspectives of two very different characters during the early days of the French colonization of what was to become Canada.
Two Falls is set in the rugged wilderness of an area around Quebec (roughly 4 weeks walking) and is stunningly beautiful. The graphics and art style are almost like a painting, and I found myself just standing watching the sun off in the distance. There is no HUD but I would have loved a photo mode. I can see myself getting lost in hundreds of screenshots.
Jeanne is a devout Christian who has made the perilous journey from France to the ‘New World’ to start a new life. Jeanne is the sole survivor of a shipwreck. Upon waking you find yourself cold and alone. After wandering (very slowly I might add) up and down the beach you find a cute as a button pup called Capitaine. As the sun starts to set a realization sets in. What am I going to do?
A monster appears from the shadows engulfed in flame; this is when you get your first choice. There is no combat in Two Falls, you must decide to ‘run, screaming’ or ‘sneak off to the shadows’ Every decision has a consequence tied to it. I chose to sneak away and got a notification saying Jeanne had become more manipulative. These decisions are referred to as growth. Each encounter will shape Jeannes outlook on the world. I tried to make these decisions as I would have if I was facing them myself.
Christianity has a very big part to play in the tale of Two Falls. I am not a religious man, however when faced with these decisions Jeanne will become more progressive or dogmatic with her views. There were some that were very easy for me to decide, and others that were worded wrong and I found myself choosing something that ended up not being what I meant.
Turns out the monster was a fur trapper Pierre, seeing if there was anything he could salvage from the shipwreck. Pierre and Jeanne start their long journey towards the city of Quebec.
Maikan is a young Innu hunter who discovers the remains of a desecrated wolf corpse. Stripped of its fur and left to rot. He makes it his duty to find the people responsible for this atrocity. You are following the path of the Spirit of Winter who is leaving destruction in its path. I felt the severe cold was metaphor for change. That no matter what you do or how well you are prepared you can never be truly ready.
Maikan eventually catches up with a now solo Peirre who has lost Jeanne. The two of them start an almost pointless task of trying to find Jeanne in the wilderness. As they travel together you start to get an understanding of how each man has gotten to this point in time. Peirre is just trying to make a life for himself and survive at any cost. Maikan can start to build some trust with Peirre but still doesn’t understand his motives.
The growth of the decision making felt off at times. For most of my playthrough, Jeanne had been standing up for herself and becoming more progressive with my views of religion. Yet I got to a point where Jeanne wasn’t headstrong enough and something didn’t go my way and I’m not sure what I could have done differently. Luckly there is no save scumming available, and you have to live with your decisions.
The story and characters are very well written. With the voice actors doing a superb job delivering some very touching conversations. I found myself becoming more and more upset with the decisions I was being forced to make. Knowing that these things happened and being part of it happening was very unnerving for me. I finished the 6ish hour story mentally exhausted. I wanted to start another playthrough to see what the other outcomes might have been. Then remembered what some of those decisions were and decided I didn’t want to do it.
I would like to thank Unreliable Narrators for the opportunity to experience this tale and would recommend it to anyone who loves a good decision based narrative experience.
Two Falls (Nishu Takuatshina) will be available on PC form the 8th of November 2024
