Heavy Rain Takes the Player for a Ride
What could easily be described as an interactive drama film Noir, packing an intense punch with it's beautiful stylized graphics, unique player interaction method and a story that will leave you on the edge of your seat till the final curtain has dropped. Brought to you by the fine folks who created Indigo Prophecy, QuanticDream brings a stellar performance to it's roster. Some would call Heavy Rain a life simulator, allowing you to carry out the various everyday actions of the games four characters, caught in a power struggle with a psychotic, egomaniac killer. Heavy Rain narrates it's grim, grainy, urban story to life, weaving a thread of sequences that will leave you thirsting for the next act. Heavy Rain draws heavily upon it's morally gray, and often questionable decisions throughout the story to craft this masterful adventure to be unique experience each time through.
Heavy Rain is a drama filled excursion that revolves around the lives of four, loosely strung together characters. Starting with the
recently divorced, clinically depressed, out of work Dad, Ethan Mars. Ethan is dealing with his internal demons after losing his first son in a tragic car accident, the fact his wife has left him, and the kidnapping of his second son Shuan. Norman Jayden the drug-addicted, FBI forensic profiler, assigned to the case of the Origami Killer. The alcoholic, retired-detective-turned-private eye, Scott Shelby and Madison Page. The hard-hitting, investigative journalist, fighting to get the story of the Origami killer straight.
All of the actors in this Shakespearean Tragedy are connected to the Origami Killer in some way. A criminal who has been on a murderous crime spree for the past two years, taking the lives of innocent children. One of the key points Heavy Rain has to offer is it's realistic, human approach to its characters stories. None of Heavy Rain's cast is a particularly joyful person, each one
dealing with their own demons and secrets. It is difficult not to get deeply attached to each character, as you watch your decisions affect them on their quest to stop the Origami Killer. The game quickly thrusts it's cast together in a definite and well planned out manor. Very few times does the story feel like something you can take a step back from and think about. Each act swiftly, and effectively jumps together to keep your eyes on the screen and your hands glued to the controller for hours to come.
The gripping main saga is not the only part of Heavy Rain that feels with such great depth and realism. The simple interactions between the cast also feels like a special kind of dialog. Although the conversations can sometimes feel stale and awkward, but almost as if they were written that way to portray the nervousness of the social status quo, and play out the fact that each person is dealing with their own trials and struggles with the Origami Killer. The one problem I did find with the game was the skill of the actors chosen to portray each characters. While the story may have been beautifully written, it sometimes felt like the acting cast did not have the knowledge or skills to convey the emotions that the story wanted properly. For example, after Ethan's son Shaun breaks loose from him in the mall. Ethan begins to call out to him. The monotone, stale call that Ethan then makes is almost face clenchingly bad, and often during scenes of extreme duress, when the actors are at their best, the face masking and textures of each character are stagnant and lifeless.
Having complete control of each character preforming day-to-day mundane tasks can, to some, feel like a long and drawn out trek through molasses. But when you consider the implications to each action, you feel even more deeply rooted to each character. For instance, when Ethan's son Shaun is staying over at his father's house for the night, you are tasked with making sure he eats a healthy snack, does his homework, has dinner, and get's to bed in a timely fashion. That all seems easy enough, but let's consider. Who wishes their dad would let them stay up all night and watch T.V, eat pizza and not do their homework? Well in Heavy Rain, each decisions listed above is an option that you can take.
The game play of Heavy Rain is borrowed extensively from QuanticDream's first title, Indigo Prophecy. As each interaction is performed by pushing the analog sticks in some direction, or using the Sixaxis commands and pressing some combination of buttons. Analog stick commands very heavily depending on the required action. Applying mascara requires a fine, graceful movement of the stick. While picking up a lamp and bashing an assailants head in takes a quick jerk. The buttons were varied from holding/releasing, to button mashing, and finally, the dreaded Sixaxis controls. I found these to be very difficult to work. Being used to sitting at a desk and playing video games, I found myself backing up to be able jerk the controller up and down or side to side. Thinking it was a case of controller-going-bad-that's-why-I-suck, I unpacked a new one and tried again, still
problems. Being that the Sixaxis commands can sometimes play a big role in each scene, it becomes a little frustrating when you fail them due to controller lag. Dealing with the Sixaxis problems, the quick time events are still beautifully woven into the story. Each success or fail has its own unique animation. Upon successful completion of the event, you will feel like breathing a sigh of relief knowing you saved your struggling character for at least a few minutes. Failing them could mean anything from tripping while running from a gun-toting madman, getting slapped around, or, in the most extreme circumstances. Death. Heavy Rain takes the training wheels of this game by allowing each of the cast members to have a chance at meeting an untimely end.
Being the dark and girty world that Heavy Rain sets itself in, loosely reminding the player of a Gotham City-esque stylization. The game sets no limits on the tear-jerking depth of morally questionable decisions that you are forced to make. Some so dark, you may regret what you choose no matter the choice you are inevitably forced to make. Would you suffer to save your son? Take a life? Would you turn and run from danger? Or face it head on? These decisions feel real, even if they are decisions you that will echo throughout the game.
Heavy Rain has an amazing, heart-wrenching well written drama. While it suffers from some small technique glitches that make movement and quick commands a tad difficult, and some stale facial expressions, it can definitely be called a powerful, mind-blowing dive into the human condition that will keep you coming back for more, time and time again.
