Review : Heavy Rain

Heavy Rain takes a genre that has never been truly mainstream and by applying layers of gloss developer Quantic Dreams have transformed the mundane into a truly immersive interactive experience. In Heavy Rain do we see the natural evolution of the point and click adventure into something stunning and enthralling or do we scratch the surface and find a traditional mystery title in fancy dress?


Ok, one of the first things I know you do is go check out the score at the end of the review so you already know we rate this game pretty highly, the questions now are “what exactly is Heavy Rain” and “why is it so good?” The first question is easy to answer, Heavy Rain brings you into the investigation into finding the “Origami” killer, you play several characters each featuring in their own chapter of the story arc and each making choices which will ultimately affect the final outcome of the plot. Gameplay is split between the traditional question and answer sessions, searching the game area for clues and taking on a variety of seedy characters in fight sequences.
The one defining ingredient of the game is storyline. Any title that relies on suspension of disbelief as its main weapon simply has to tell a good tale and Heavy Rain steps up to the mark and engrosses you with one of the best scripts we have ever seen in a game. This is not to say that you are going to be gripped right from the title screen however as early sections and seem tedious and very slow indeed. There will possibly be a great number of players who will fall foul of this early lack of compelling game play and may miss out on the frankly stunning middle and end sections. Do not be one of them – give it chance!
As you have come to expect from XTGN – we do believe that you need to experience a games storyline for yourself and we won’t be telling you a single thing about it. If you want to find out every detail of the game before you play – look elsewhere!
For the vast majority of the game you will be gently probing the actors (ok, yes we are going to call them actors this time around such is the “film” feel to the title) for information, sometimes you will be getting a little more aggressive with your line of questioning, sometimes much more. Add in a healthy spoonful of searching the game environment for clues – often in a pretty methodical “try every object you can find and then try and do everything you can with it” (aka trial and error) manner and of course the action sequences. These scenes are not the traditional button bashing frenetic sections you are probably the most familiar with but instead rely on you to subtly influence the direction the game is taking. A careful balance has had to be struck here between Quantic Designs original vision and turning Heavy Rain into an action game it was never supposed to be.
A key word in describing this title is “consequences”. Choices abound right through the story which allow for the script to take slightly different twists and turns. I say slightly different as on many occasions making a choice will alter the upcoming dialogue before brining you back in a roundabout way to the self same place you would have found yourself if you had taken another choice. It can frustrate and leave you feeling like what you are doing isn’t making any real difference which is one of the few areas where Heavy Rain falls down.

The same area where we find fault with the title is ironically also one of the strongest points. We have all been in games where failing to perform a certain task or having a character die will result in a sudden “you are dead / have failed” screen before loading back up to the point where you made the mistake and let you have another go at it until you get it right. Well. If you take a wrong turn in Heavy Rain, if you cause the death of another character or otherwise “make a mistake” the game will simply keep going. Yes, you may miss clues, yes you may have to do without a key actor for the rest of the game and yes it will affect anything from a short passage of play right through to the entire outcome of the script. This is pretty outstanding when you think about the amount of work that has gone into setting things up to make it “you proof”, whatever you decide to do the game will just adjust the script and keep on going- very clever indeed and hats off to Quantic Designs for achieving it.

For any title relying on presentation the graphics are always going to be mission critical and whilst Heavy Rain manages for the most part to deliver a heavily lacquered and highly polished visual it is perhaps a shame that some of the interactive objects look a little “stuck on” and a degree of the actor animation does seem rather unnatural especially during some fluid choice making sections. Don’t get us wrong though Heavy Rain is one of the finest looking titles to be found on any platform, these are only minor gripes that do not overly spoil the experience.

Graphically then, top notch but what about the sound? Not usually one of the prime contenders to make or break a title but again, Heavy Rain isn’t your average title and the audio, particularly the voice acting is crucial to immersing the player. The story is located in the Unites States but sadly it’s clear that not all the actors proving the dialogue are not which gives an unusual feel to some of the accents on display here. Again (as you already noted from our review score) this isn’t a major issue but it is something that should and probably could have been addressed to further refine this title.

An interesting facet for your average gamer will be the control system : forget everything you know. The myriad of preset controls that would be required to deliver an adequate control system for this title would be mind boggling at best and Quantic Design have offered up a solution that is fluid and well up to the task at hand. The controls are contextually dynamic (in as much that the same button will do a different thing in a different situation) and display on screen quite clearly the options available to you as you navigate the game environment. This will certainly seem strange to you when you first come to grips with it but you will soon be smoothly selecting the correct command – exactly when you need it.

If you’re thinking you are going to be running around Heavy Rains oh so bleak locations, gun drawn, adrenaline racing and badge in hand then you may be better leaving this title on the shelf. If you are up for an atmospheric, engaging and engrossing challenge then you are looking at the right title. When was teh last time you sat back and really thought about the moral or circumstantial outcomes of a choice you were about to make in a video game? Not often, that’s for sure. If you have a PS3 and you can get your kicks without a headshot being involved then this is title you must have in your collection.