Heavy Rain

The Origami Killer is a child murderer who drowns his victims and places origami figures and white orchids on their bodies. His latest target is Shaun Mars, the son of beleaguered architect Ethan Mars. Ethan had previously failed to save Shaun’s older brother Jason from being fatally hit by a car, leaving him depressed, divorced, and distant. But when Shaun goes missing, Ethan has a chance to redeem himself. He just needs to complete a series of increasingly difficult trials and find Shaun’s location before the boy drowns. Fortunately, he makes the acquaintance of Madison Paige, an insomniac journalist who takes up his cause. Meanwhile, the Origami Killer is being investigated independently by Norman Jayden, a drug-addled, tech-savvy FBI profiler on loan to the local police and by Scott Shelby, a private investigator acting on behalf of the victims’ families. Will any of them be able to stop the killer before it is too late?

Created by Quantic Dream founder David Cage for exclusive release on the Playstation 3 in 2010, Heavy Rain is a mature video game in all senses of the word. Not only does it feature some very dark subject matter, but the path the game takes relies heavily on the choices that the player makes. While this isn’t an entirely novel concept, it, coupled with a compelling story and a distinctive atmosphere, make Heavy Rain stand out.

Thanks to brilliant motion capture and a taut score, Heavy Rain looks and sounds amazing. Not only are characters convincingly rendered, but sound effects and background details are given their due as well. Whether it’s the splink of raindrops or the open window behind you, there is always something to grab your attention. The voice acting is convincing, but not without flaw. French accents occasionally slip though, and Ethan’s overly dramatic yelling of his son’s name has achieved Internet infamy. Still, the cast of unknowns’ effort is admirable.

Heavy Rain’s gameplay alternates between four primary characters, each with his or her own strengths, weaknesses, and challenges to complete. Scott the burly detective, for instance is an adept fighter while Madison the outgoing reporter (who is quite tough in her own right) relies mostly on guile. The alternating perspectives keep the game fresh and give the game time to play out the story’s various angles.

Speaking of the story, it draws liberally from existing cinematic lore without seeming stale. There are elements of Saw and police procedurals here, but the killer and the primary characters are fleshed out enough to transcend cliché. The discovery of the killer’s identity raises a few plotting questions and will understandably frustrate some players, but by that point, you most likely just want to see justice done.

If there is one aspect of Heavy Rain that is more polarizing than the reveal, it is the control scheme. The game is driven entirely by quick time actions: press, hold, or repeatedly tap one or more buttons to perform actions. This is cumbersome at first, but playing the prologue chapter should give you the hang of it. More frustrating is the use of the right analog stick to do just about everything else. While it would make sense to use it to open a drawer and retrieve an important item, Heavy Rain has you rotating the stick in contexts that range from mundane (cooking eggs) to awkward (removing a lover’s clothing).

Heavy Rain is not without blemish, but the positives (story, graphics, sound) far outweigh the negatives (awkward controls and a flair for the overly dramatic). Best of all, the choice-based story branching means that multiple endings are at your disposal. Make different decisions on your next playthrough and see where Ethan, Madison, Norman, and Scott end up. The results, like a lot else in this game, may surprise you.

8.5/10