Learning to coexist with others is a fundamental life skill. While it sounds simple from the
outset, sadly, not everyone is willing to accept the inevitability of change. Two Falls is a
linear choice-based historical narrative that simultaneously tells the story of two characters
from completely different worlds.
Inspired by FireWatch and What Remains of Edith Finch, the exploration through the
beautifully rendered 3D environments is a joy in its own right. From the lush forests to the
narrative-heavy gameplay, Two Falls is sure of what it wants to be and is a better game for
it.
Coincidentally, the game serves as a vehicle to tell the story of two diametrically opposite
characters whose lives are intertwined by circumstances of fate. The story of Jeanne, aa
common French woman searching for a better life in the New World, she instead finds
herself fighting for her life after her ship is wrecked and she is all alone, struggling with her faith along the way.
And the story of Maikan, an Innu searching for a man who gutted a white wolf for his pelt.
Indigenous people’s respect for wilderness is reflected since the very beginning of the game,
and serves as an instinctive motivation to learn more about what is going to happen when he finds this hunter, and confronts him.
In both of these characters’ disparate journeys, it is clear that they will eventually cross each
other’s paths. Over the course of the story, themes of alienation, solitude, and religious
abuse are depicted in various fashions. Two Falls reminds us of the impact of powerful
storytelling, showing uncomfortable scenes of the first encounters between French and
Indigenous people in 17th-century Canada.
I deeply resonated with the story of Two Falls because the Indigenous tribes of my country,
Mexico, were conquered by the Spaniards in the 1500s. My ancestors were slaughtered and
taken advantage of, much like the tribes you will get to play as and interact with. This is
handled thoughtfully through the extensive discussion of the perpetrators of such atrocities
and their consequences.
I also felt many parallels with the character of Tehon, as he is an Indigenous side character
who learns French and deals with the settlers, even though he struggles with his own
identity. Why try to salvage a relationship with people who do not see you as equals? Or
worse, who sees you as savages? Reconciliation is the right path, but it is a difficult one to
traverse.
English is not my first language, and yet I learned it and tried my best to engage with a
foreign culture and language that I know would benefit me in the long run. Even if in that
process I would lose a part of myself in order to become a more cosmopolitan person. We all
need to do things that will impact us in unforeseen ways to aspire for a better future, as is
carefully shown in this game.
A game made in part by a group of Indigenous developers established in Quebec, I was
extremely impressed with how the story is handled in Two Falls. This game does not shy
away from the truth, and instead tackles it head-on. There are periods in our history where
our brutality has gotten the better of us, and Two Falls is poignant in its portrayal of its at
times harrowing themes.
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