Heavy Rain

 Humans have been telling stories since we crawled out of that primordial soup and began walking upright, chasing tusked mammals with clubs. The only difference now is that a story can be told through a wide variety of mediums such as films, music, comics, and video games, rather than just through grunts around the campfire. However, there are substantial distinctions between those forms of media, which lend each of them to different types of stories and different methods of storytelling. Therefore, to make a video game with a great narrative, it must do something to prove itself not separately, but as a game and story combined, both parts of which make the other necessary. By presenting itself in a manner that focuses on what makes video games enjoyable, engrossing, tense, and memorable, Heavy Rain strives to do just that

After the purposefully film-like opening credits, Heavy Rain begins with the player in control of Ethan Mars, an architect who resides in an ultra-modern home on an otherwise average suburban cul-de-sac. This opening scene serves as a tutorial to the game’s unorthodox control scheme. Holding down the L2 button at any time reveals a set of thoughts floating above the character’s head. Each notion can be explored by pressing a corresponding face button, which will result in the character voicing their opinions on the selected idea. Throughout the game this is used to give the player clues as to what the next action should be, or to recap what the player has learned from recent events. The left analog stick controls the character’s head, while simultaneously holding the R1 button makes the character walk. The movement feels odd at first, but once the controls are mastered they allow the player to fluidly move around an area and interact with points of interest. After approaching the Mars' bathroom sink, for example, the player can easily examine a toothbrush, razor, or mirror.

Other than walking around during the calm exploratory segments, the gameplay in Heavy Rain basically boils down to on-screen commands that prompt player inputs (which I would call quick-time events in other games, but because of their uniqueness in this title I feel they do not deserve such branding). The commands may require the player to press a series of buttons, move the right analog stick, or even move the sixaxis enabled controller itself. The game keeps things feeling coherent, so the player will begin to anticipate what buttons to use when he/she wants to engage something, and the variety is unlike anything I have seen in the way other games use similar devices. If there is a complicated or precise task to be accomplished, the player may be required to hold down a continuing series of buttons all at once, if there is a fight sequence or similarly adrenaline fueled scene, the prompts will quickly appear and then disappear, and if you are attempting something more delicate like cradling a newborn child (yes that actually is in this game), the button presses had better be made slowly and gingerly. What’s even more engaging is the way these commands visually present themselves on screen. In one of Heavy Rain’s more memorable moments, the character has a gun turned on him and has to make the split decision of shooting the other person, or reaching out to peacefully push their gun aside. When the escalating standoff reaches its peak, two nervously shaking button prompts appear, one near the main character’s outstretched hand, the other near his side where his gun was holstered, presenting the player with a genuinely guttural decision. One of the best parts of Heavy Rain is experiencing all of these interactions with objects, events, and other characters, and watching the story morph from your choices as well as your failed attempts.

Once the player leaves the setting of the Mars’ home and the pleasant company of Ethan’s wife and children, the story gets darker and darker and never looks back. After a scarring tragedy strikes the Mars family, Ethan’s son Shaun goes missing, and his suspected kidnapper is a local serial murderer known as The Origami Killer. Players control four different characters as the narrative progresses, switching back and forth between them and occasionally seeing their paths intersect. The player’s decisions, both large and small, will potentially have immense influence on the story. In action packed scenes, there are typically multiple opportunities to have an overall positive outcome, so it’s not detrimental when the player misses a single quick button press during a fight or a chase scene. Numerous scenarios can happen startlingly differently, or not happen at all, depending on the player’s actions. It is even possible for the main controllable characters to be killed off long before the tale comes to an end.

There are, however, a few complaints to be had with the game’s driving narrative and presentation. Quantic Dream, the game’s developers, has called Heavy Rain an “interactive drama”, but in an attempt to make a dramatic game, they have made one that’s unnecessarily serious throughout its entirety. In a game involving broken homes, a child murderer, and a suicidal parent, some slightly lighthearted segments would have been refreshing. Furthermore, while the plot functions well enough, it is hardly anything original, albeit uncommon for most games. Additionally, there are a few minor moments where the game simply does not let the player fail, requiring certain sections to be repeated until a successful outcome is reached. The aforementioned baby-cradling scene for example, demands the player successfully rock the newborn to sleep. While a failed attempt results in whines and tears, it merely forces the player to restart the sequence, creating an awkward hiccup in the narrative. And lastly, the big climactic reveal is nothing more than a cheat based on perspective, something that even a keen observer to the plot couldn’t notice because key information is arbitrarily withheld from the player. The developers missed an opportunity to create a Fight Club-esque reveal, that would entice players to go through the game a second time to catch potential foreshadowing.

By now you should understand that Heavy Rain is all about the tale that it tells and the way in which it tells it. Since I have already described the phenomenal gameplay mechanics that pull the player into the story, what about the other elements that bring the game to life? Since it is such a cinematic experience it’s no surprise that the voice acting in Heavy Rain is generally top notch. The entire cast does a great job, aside from anyone who voiced a child character, all of whom sound creepy and despondent (we’re talking Haley Joel Osment in A.I. creepy). Additionally, the developers made a mistake by setting their game in the United States and having almost an entirely European cast. 99% of the time, their work is completely convincing, but when an oddly pronounced syllable rears its head, it breaks an otherwise gripping experience. The game’s visuals are spectacular, character models are quite convincing during highly emotional moments and the cinematic camera movements work well during energetic scenes. Movement animations can look stiff at times, but this can usually be attributed to a player still getting the hang of the unique control scheme.

Without a doubt, Heavy Rain is unlike anything I have ever played, and it is a perfect example of a story that is greatly enhanced by the interactivity of video games. It is not a passive experience, but one solely based on the player’s actions, or lack thereof. Whether a choice is more of a quick reaction or a calculated decision, the player always feels in control of the destiny of the characters he/she controls. The story is filled with exciting moments, even if it feels like a generic Hollywood thriller. While the plot twist doesn’t do anything to urge one to make a second playthrough, it is worth a second or third time through just to see the way things can play out differently. Moreover, the player can return to a completed scene and play the game from that particular point, rather than begin all the way from the game’s opening, which is a nice option to have. Some of the endings require certain combinations of very specific things, so seeing all of them without the aid of a guide or walkthrough would be incredibly taxing. However, it’s great that there are so many endings, which range from shockingly morose, to happily-ever after. Heavy Rain is not special just because of its story or gameplay mechanics, but how those two elements are brought together in a way that makes the player experience a game in a spectacularly immersive new way.

originally posted on www.MuchAdoAboutGaming.com