Heavy Rain Review

Since it was announced, nearly 4 years ago, much hype has surrounded this PS3 exclusive. Much has been said about its photo-realistic graphics and even more about its unique (yet somewhat touch-and-go) gameplay. In the spirit of 2005’s Fahrenheit (aka Indigo Prophecy), Quantic Dream has once again attempted to really test the limits of the video game form. While many games nowadays have neglected the story-telling element, relying instead on gameplay mechanics to drive the player through, Heavy Rain has taken the opposite route, creating what could be described as an ‘interactive drama’. Though an interesting approach, the challenge is immense. We’ve all seen a boring film at one point or another – a film where the 2 hour running-time seemed like an eternity of wishing you could break your own neck to end the suffering. Well, Heavy Rain is essentially an 8-10hr cinematic work and, beyond a control scheme based primarily on quick time events (QTEs), the story is really all there is.

So did they pull it off? In one word…yes. Now let’s elaborate on that a bit.

I will not delve into the story much because, as I’ve mention already, the story is the single most important thing in the game and so I wouldn’t want to spoil the experience. However, to skim the surface a little bit, Heavy Rain is a psychological thriller that puts you in command of 4 characters – An architect (and ordinary father), a private investigator, an FBI agent and a mysterious female photographer with apparent sleeping problems. Though there doesn’t seem to be any relationship between the characters at first, the stories begin to intertwine as they attempt to solve the case of the origami killer before the death of his latest victim.

Visually, the game is fantastic, often really nailing the film noir look and feel. The environments and the characters look great and are only let down by some poor animations. That is not to say that the animations are all bad but since they are obviously trying to achieve visual realism, the discrepancies can become glaring. The game also suffers from a myriad of technical issues like texture pop-ups, occasional screen tearing and other anomalies. For example, A face may disappear for a second and a TV that is obviously on may appear off, but these are generally minor and nothing to worry about because 90% of the time, the game is pretty smooth and utterly gorgeous. The music and sound effects are also top notch and so is the voice acting. In fact, to talk of voice acting is moot, because I often found myself judging the characters on their acting performances as a whole. The game is designed as a cinematic experience and so it looks and sounds just like a film…and even though the same could be said of Uncharted 2 for example, Heavy Rain is different in that in emulates a film genre that relies more on emotional stress than over-the-top action. Obviously some plot branches are more convincing than others both in terms of performance and story-line. Yet for these performances to transcend at all, given the technical processes required to make a game, is an achievement in itself.

The game’s control scheme is quite basic and yet surprisingly varied and effective. Most actions or object interactions are done with the right analog stick, moving it in the manner indicated. Other actions will require pressing a button before it disappears, holding down a button or rapidly tapping one. Some actions require holding down different buttons in a certain sequence. The game also utilizes Sixaxis motion controls, so there is quite a variety at their disposal. The best thing about the control scheme, however, is that translates the actions pretty well. Lifting a heavy object or climbing a wall will strain you more than lifting a lighter object or opening a window. The system is simple but it works.

That said, not everything works as well as you’d like. Funnily enough, movement is where the control scheme fails. Just walking around can be a very frustrating experience, especially in tight places. By holding down R2, your character is essentially in ‘walk mode’ and so you use the left analog stick to steer. Seems fine on paper, but the characters are clunky and just do not react well to direction changes. Worse yet, sometimes the ‘absolute’ movement direction doesn’t react quickly enough to a shift in the camera angle; so if you are walking towards a door and the camera angle shifts, you may find yourself beginning to walk away from the door but since walking is clunky to begin with, before you can adjust the direction, the camera will shift back and, unless you intervene by changing the camera manually with L1, you may find yourself spinning around, which can look pretty ridiculous. This becomes even more frustrating in tight areas. Frustrating yes, but thankfully not enough to really hinder the overall experience.

The key to Heavy Rain’s success is the game’s ability to engross you completely. It does so through key sequences that are usually suspense heavy. This is where the game is at its absolute best. Not knowing what will happen while knowing that your reaction speed and decisions ultimately dictate what will happen is quite a rush. Just imagine a suspenseful action sequence from a film you’ve seen and imagine what it would be like if every kick, punch, block and desperate reach for a knife was affected by your ability (or inability) to quickly react to button prompts. Mess up and the character’s tragic demise may be in the cards. It’s a heart-pounding blast. Most importantly, it puts you in the character’s psychological state which is essential for the game mechanic to work. Quantic Dream try to reinforce this connection through both the visual appearance of the button prompts as well as the type. For example, if a character is really nervous, the QTE prompts will quiver and shake haphazardly. If the character needs to do something more delicate, like handle a baby, you will need to be more careful as the prompt will be pressure sensitive. All these considerations are done to enhance the game’s immersive quality which is really the essence of the experience.

Once you’re done with the game, you will undoubtedly be curious as to what would have happened had you made different choices. This option is obviously available, as you can just restart the game and go again. Alternatively, if you don’t want to go through the whole thing again, you can load up and play a specific sequence by selecting the appropriate chapter. The downside of Heavy Rain’s immersive qualities is that its just not as fun the second time around. The aura of suspense and mystery as well as your attachment to the story and characters will wane and this will lessen the experience, especially in a game like this. But you will retain fond memories and they will likely stay with you long after you finally shelve the game.

It is a pity that Heavy Rain was banned in Dubai and not just for the people hoping to play the game. It is a pity because though it is abundantly clear that gaming as a form of entertainment has grown tremendously in the last decade alone and today rivals even film, in the eyes of many it is yet to achieve film’s art-form status. This is true not only in Dubai but across the world. Thankfully not all developers take this lying down and hats-off to Quantic Dream and Sony for taking a chance. The result is a worthy effort and a greatly unique gaming experience and though it is unlikely to start a gaming revolution, I genuinely hope it will convince more developers that story is not lifeless decoration and innovation is always welcome.

About Hosni Auji

As an opinionated young gamer many years ago, I made three predictions: 1- Sega would dominate the console wars for 50 years. 2- Simon's Quest would be remembered as the definitive NES game. 3- I would be gaming even more as an adult. I suppose one out of three isn't bad.