Two Falls (Nishu Takuatshina) | PC Review

November 10, 2024 Alyssa White

Games about Indigenous people and culture are rare. Their history is sadly left to the wayside. Unreliable Narrators is fixing this issue with their title Two Falls (Nishu Takuatshina). This is a powerful game that won’t leave me for a long while, and I highly urge you to play this unique experience.

Cruelty and Hope

In Two Falls, you control two protagonists (hence the title). Jeanne is a young woman who is sailing from France to Canada. The ship she’s on wrecks on a Canadian beach, and the only other survivor is a dog named Capitaine. The other lead is Maikan, an Innu man who is walking through the woods. He comes across a horribly butchered wolf, which enrages him. The wolf wasn’t given proper respect when it was hunted, and he vows to find the poacher.

These two individuals are only meters away from each other, and as the game progresses, we see how their journeys intertwine and how close they come to meeting each other. It’s also showcased how horribly Indigenous folk and women were treated in the 17th century. It’s horrific but highly appreciated to showcase this history that is often glossed over.

Fate Intervenes

This is very much a walking simulator. You move Jeanne and Maikan forward to their next narrative objective, occasionally making a dialogue choice or inspecting an item. There’s no combat or fail states; the only thing that impacts your story are the decisions you make. I appreciated this aspect and found it interesting to see how what I chose to do affected Jeanne’s faith or Maikan’s trust of others. There is also a handy codex that describes certain words and items that the two encounter on their journeys. I loved this implementation and it further invests you in the game.

My Treatment

Two Falls isn’t a graphically beautiful game, but that doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. If you’re a graphics hound, you may be turned off by the PS2-era reminiscent visuals, but I found it easy to ignore. Besides, when I looked down and could see through my character or an appendage would start floating. I found these more amusing than anything, but I can see this turning off some players. It didn’t affect my enjoyment of Two Falls, and I hope you also give it a chance despite the visual style.

Voice acting is a mixed bag, but again, it’s easy to overlook when you’re invested in such an important story. I did encounter some frame drops when I made Jeanne or Maikan run, but it didn’t hinder the experience too much.

The Final Verdict

I’m so glad a game developer crafted and released a game showcasing Indigenous history and culture. Two Falls has a powerful narrative that interweaves two young individuals’ personal journeys. It’s only about four hours long, but it packs a punch. Graphics hounds may not be crazy about the visuals and frames do occasionally drop, but these can be easily overlooked in the grand scheme of things. I highly encourage supporting this team and playing through Two Falls yourself. It’s educational and narratively strong.

To hear me talk more about Two Falls (Nishu Takuatshina), be sure to listen to the November 7, 2024 episode of The Gaming Outsider podcast around the 1:25:02 time stamp.

This review is based on a PC copy of Two Falls (Nishu Takuatshina) provided by Purple is Royal for coverage purposes. As of the time of this writing, it is exclusive to this platform.