Review: Two Falls (Nishu Takuatshina) explained to parents

Two Falls (Nishu Takuatshina) is a narrative exploration game in which the player goes through the back-and-forth adventures of Jeanne, a young shipwrecked King’s Daughter who finds herself left to fend for herself far from the French colonies, and Maïkan, a young Innu hunter who tries to cope with the rapid changes that threaten the land of his ancestors. The player takes turns playing as each character (1st person) and must make choices and decisions that influence the course of the story and the development of relationships between the characters. It is an informative and formative game born from a collaboration between many Indigenous creators – composer Éadsé, artistic director Tara Miller, actors (Charles Bender and James Malloch), and screenwriter Isabelle Picard – and independent Quebec studios. Two Falls is one of the first games to deal with this reality and whose story is presented from the perspective of Indigenous communities. The player explores the Canadian territory in the 17th century through two radically different points of view: that of Jeanne, a newcomer to the continent, and that of Maïkan, an Innu hunter in love with his land. Jeanne tries to reach Quebec City after being shipwrecked, while Maïkan is looking for a rare wolf pelt that has been stolen and causes the fury of the winter spirit in the forest. They will each take turns to go a long way with Pierre, a somewhat rough but soft-hearted coureur des bois. These two perspectives are supported by two distinct artistic directions that accompany the player depending on the character they play. For example, some landscapes are sometimes desolate and frightening when seen by Jeanne, and otherwise moving and rich when seen by Maïkan. The soundtracks also accompany these perspectives, which allows us to better understand each character.

As the story progresses, the player must make choices among dialogue options, which influences the story and the relationships that develop between the characters. Jeanne is a newcomer who grew up in a convent, while Maïkan sees his way of life turned upside down by the arrival of white men on the continent. The decisions that the player makes can, for example, make Jeanne’s faith more dogmatic or more liberating, or make Jeanne herself more tenacious or manipulative. Maïkan, on the other hand, can become more suspicious or more understanding, or more instinctive or contemplative depending on the options chosen. These choices also establish the climate of trust or tension that reigns between the white characters (Jeanne, Pierre, Father Augustin) and the Indigenous characters (Maïkan, Tehonwastasta, the Wendat). By showing a willingness to share and understand, the behaviors of the secondary characters evolve. If Maïkan is understanding because of the player’s choices, Pierre le coureur des bois, for example, becomes more sensitive to Indigenous culture and learns to open his mind.

The goal of the game is to reunite Jeanne and Maïkan so that Maïkan can finally recover the wolf pelt and restore calm to the forest. Ultimately, the goal of the game is also to learn from the teachings relayed by the game, and to reflect on the Indigenous reality and on the ways in which we can all make a positive difference on this still precarious reality, even today, more than 400 years later…

This game was offered to us for free for review purposes, but that doesn’t affect our opinion.