Heavy Rain (Review)

In the midst of a generation laden with generic grey-brown first person shooters, annual action or sports titles which struggle to bring anything new to the table each year, and some boring, two dimensional characters (and in this case, I'm not referring to the design of them), you'll sometimes find a game comes along that dares to be different. A game with such an unusual, cinematic style, that it'll completely split gamers' opinions of it,  and to top that - what we think of as video games as a medium. One such game, in our current generation, is Heavy Rain.

Released exclusively for PlayStation 3 back in 2010, Quantic Dream's psychological thriller follows four playable characters involved in the case of the mysterious Origami Killer, a serial murderer who drowns young victims in the extensive amount of rainfall that the setting of the game experience's every few months. The case has been going on for years, we're told, but the race to discover the killer's identity and put an end to the tragedies is reignited when Ethan Mars (one of the four playable characters) a father who's depression and anxiety (for reasons you'll discover early on in the game) causes him to experience blackouts, reports his son, Shaun, missing. Before long, the police and Ethan himself realise that Shaun is the killer's next victim - and given only three days before he will drown in the rain water, the pursuit to find his son begins.

The loading screens in Heavy Rain show you the rather zoomed in mugshot of
whichever character you're about to play. Looking good,
Ethan.

The other playable characters are private investigator, Scott Shelby, who is looking into the case by himself. There's also a journalist, Madison Paige, and an FBI investigator, Norman Jayden, who is present in the town's police station to aid the force in the Origami Killer investigation. The play styles of each character don't change drastically when it comes to the gameplay, perhaps with the exception of Norman Jayden - but it's actually the fantastic story telling and characterisation implemented through this change of protagonist that mixes things up. Giving us four characters to play with, each with their own thoughts, feelings, motives and events, really allows the story to progress in a way that I've never really seen before.

 Heavy Rain's story is one that I had great fun experiencing, one that kept me gripped and hanging on for more throughout. Writer, director and Quantic Dream founder, David Cage, constantly had me guessing who exactly the killer was, and then he'd soon after me change my mind. The plot is always racing forwards, but does have slower but still enjoyable moments to keep a neat balance - just like a great movie, or a TV drama. Watching the four different characters, who cross over in various occasions (and finally all meet in the grand finale), is an absolute joy. The different characters offer variety, and a uniqueness, a realness, that video games just don't usually offer. The plot is perfectly possible, grounded in a life-like reality which makes you really feel for the characters. Sympathizing with father for Ethan Mars, for example. Feeling Norman Jayden's frustration, who constantly finds his hot-headed partner in the police force pulling the investigation backwards. Madison's curiosity as she risks life and limb to uncover more information. Private investigator Shelby's persistence as he aids a victim's distraught mother in finding the truth.

Levels are, keeping in theme with the film/TV-style, episodic and short, which means you can devour Heavy Rain at whatever pace you like. The main gameplay at heart, again, is something quite different to what players will be used to. It's understandable that in many player's eyes, this is a title that would perhaps be more accurately coined as an "interactive movie" than a videogame. It really is quite the cinematic experience, with the smooth, realistic graphic style (aided by some fantastic motion-capture technology which allows us to watch real-life actors in our virtual world) present throughout. A dialogue heavy plot can be daunting to some, but the developers really utilize the PlayStation controller by allowing to you to choose what's said, with different options on the triangle, square, circle and X buttons. The same goes for character's thoughts - each one will react to their environment, and the ability to hear what they're feeling makes the game all the more immersive.

Clever use of the PlayStation controller goes even further though. Heavy Rain is full of what are, essentially, extended quick time events. Now, that could sound awfully boring to some; most games have QTEs as a tacky, cheap game filler. But Quantic Dream really makes them feel interesting, by having you combine button presses with motions of the controller. In intense scenarios, such as the many brawls and scraps pretty much all of the characters get themselves into, it just really works. For such a film-like experience, I can't have seen any other type of gameplay working quite as well as this. It makes a change from it being just your typical third-person shooter.

One of the QTEs in action. Shaking the controller allows
you to fight back.

The controls generally work pretty well, although one frustrating niggle I encountered throughout the game's entirety was walking. It sounds ridiculous, but instead of allowing players to navigate locations with the use of the left analogue stick and that alone, you have to hold R2 to move forward, and then direct your character with the left stick. The animation of each characters movement throughout the environment is pretty robotic in comparison to the rest of the gameplay, which is a real shame considering it's clear that Quantic Dream wanted to make this adventure as true to life as possible. Luckily, it's not exactly a game breaker.

Most levels are cleverly designed, and there's a lot of variation here, too. Whether it's as Ethan, taking on the various trials that he must undergo to prove to the Origami Killer how far he will go in order to get back his son, which are, as you'd expect, suitably gruesome and treacherous. Or, as FBI man Norman Jayden, in which you investigate the case, all with the use of a unique piece of technology that comes with the job - ARI glasses. This gadget, whilst worn, allows Jayden to see environments in completely new ways: scanning for pieces of evidence, analysing clues, fingerprints, and the like. Think a slightly more elaborate version of Batman: Arkham Asylum's detective vision. It's an interesting little distraction, and although it can be tedious upon occasions to have to constantly scan or turn over evidence, it works well for the most part.

The best plot twist in the game is discovering that  Norman Jayden is
in fact Bruce Wayne... What do you mean that doesn't
happen?

Chuck in a fantastic soundtrack which compliments every tense, dramatic and emotional moment in the game, and you'll find that Heavy Rain really quite is a game that you won't forget soon. It's an experience quite unlike what gamers are used to, and in that respect is also one that , as mentioned, will split players' opinions. To some it's been described as merely a slightly "interactive power-point", giving the player very little choice but to spectate the outcome. But given the fact that your actions in the game decide the fate of our protagonists, giving us various endings and different scenarios and perfect incentive to replay the game, I'd say I care to disagree.

Whether you like first person shooters, or cutesy platformers, or sports simulators - I urge you to give Heavy Rain at least some of your time. Lovers of great stories and characters, awesome set-pieces and just generally looking for something a little different to the norm will be perfectly at home here. While the occasional annoyance can come up, it doesn't generally hinder from the enjoyment of a game that dared to do something different. With Quantic Dream's new title Beyond: Two Souls headed to PlayStation 3 this year, it's the perfect time to try out what will be looked back at as a PlayStation 3 classic when we move onto the next generation.

9.5/10