I knew I would love this game the moment the music kicked in and the cinematic style boxes started to layout on the screen one by one. It is abundantly clear, from the very get go, that you are about to experience a game that is in a league of its own. That feeling of awe and excitement, not only stays with you all the way to the end of the game, but grows as the game progresses.

In case you’re still in the dark about what this game is: it is a murder mystery-thriller. You get to play four main characters that are somehow tied in different ways to the central plot that involves a serial killer who’s been kidnapping kids.

Someone’s kidnapping kids again?

One of the game’s strongest points is its ability to absorb you into the storyline. It accomplishes this by its successful combination of elements. For one, you become intimately familiar (no pun intended) with all four of the main characters as well as some of the side characters. The control system, although at first a bit daunting, has the effect of immersing you into the action. Instead of sitting by idly watching a scene play out, you are always in the centre of it and the intensity of the controls is well matched by the intensity of the scene.

For example, when you are pushing a heavy object, you’ll have to tap the buttons quicker or when someone is half conscious trying to stay awake – you have to shake the controller to keep him in his senses. This may sound a bit stressful, however, Quantic Dream has spaced some of the more strenuous control movements out enough so that it doesn’t get tedious.

The progression of the storyline itself is very intriguing, and you will encounter some high dramatic moments that are intended to make you shed a tear (or two). The game starts off a bit slow but this is essential in order for you to develop a feel for the characters, and that leads to bigger paybacks later on in the game. Small decisions have a large impact on the way the story plays out for each character. For example, it is possible for one (or more) of the main characters to die and the story to adapt to the changing circumstances and play out differently from if they had survived.

For the most part the story is well balanced but I did have one burning question throughout Heavy Rain that never got answered: “Why is the FBI agent using tools that are clearly light years beyond the current setting in the game?!” I guess we just have to look past that one.

But she looked so ugly from where I was standing

The graphics of the game are sort of a mixed bag, the animation of the characters and in particular their facial expressions are extremely detailed, while the general environment at times can vary from a bit bland to gorgeous. This becomes more prevalent in environments where there are a lot of people around (such as the club scene or the mall scene) some of the characters look a bit ‘cardboard-ish’ from a distance. Some of the acting might come off as cheesy at times but it’s still decent enough to project the feeling it’s trying to convey.

What is truly unbalanced is the voice acting. Some people have pointed out how the voices are supposed to be American but they have an accent and whatnot, I actually have no issues with that. What impaired my experience was the dramatic shift in voice tones that happen erratically. For example there is a scene in a park where your son is supposedly depressed and responding in that way, one conversation option is to ask him if he wants to go play on a see-saw with you, all of a sudden he yells in an overwhelming “YES!!”. First of all, I never expected him to say yes that easily, and especially not in such an over enthusiastic method. So inconsistencies like this are evident in quite a few places in the game.

Your Experience:

Although the identity of the Origami killer does not change, once you play the game you will realize that knowing the identity of the killer is not even the most important thing in the game. The path taken is much more captivating than this final reveal. It’s so much more than watching a simple TV show where you have to sit and take whatever is thrown at you, here you can change things significantly, go back and recreate different paths and endings. One thing worth noting is that all this depth and detail may be lost on a minority of (ADD?) gamers who don’t have the capacity for enjoying anything past blindly shooting objects on the screen as they may not have the patience to appreciate this piece of art.

Final Word:

The bottom line here is that Heavy Rain is more than just another high rated game; it’s a birth of a new genre, a modern-day rebirth of adventure games. From what I’ve heard there are at least 18 different kind of endings to this game. The majority of gamers WILL be back for at least one (if not more) more play through because of all this. All I can say is, if you go out and buy the game, you are in for one hell of an experience!

Genre: Adventure / Thriller / QTE

Platforms: PS3 Exclusive

Developed by: Quantic Dreams

Published by: Sony Entertainment