Step into an adult noir setting, step out of what you usually expect from a videogame. Developer Quantic Dream wanted to push for creating a game...that's actually more of a single-player "experience"; and it's safe to say they delivered on quite of those few fronts. As much promise as the game showed before release, one must ask: Does it deliver on all of its promises?
To give a quick history lesson, Quantic Dream has delivered a previous QTE/Adventure game called Indigo Prophecy/Farenheit (varies depending on country). Before that, the inception of QTE's occured in Shenmue, and has been used as a game variant for a plethora of games in almost every genre. While the QTE might be an overused side-feature, -ironically- very few games actually develop it to become an integral part of the gameplay. Enter the challenge for a game developer to create zeal in a new fanbase in which the main formula is normally filler in many other games. It is now easy to understand the risk-reward for creating this game.
Heavy Rain is a near-future noir game set in undisclosed city focused around the murders of young boys by the heralded Origami Killer. All that is known about this mysterious, supposed psychopath is that he/she murders boys by drowning, dumps their body somewhere, and leaves an origami figurine next to his/her victims. The story to find the killer is a 4-pronged storyline, in which 4 characters: Norman Jayden, Ethan Mars, Madison Paige, and Scott Shelby become intertwined as you progress through the game.
The beginning of Heavy Rain revolves around Ethan Mars and ,to exspunge spoilers, his reasons for getting involved in the Origami Killer's tangled web. FBI Agent Norman Jayden and Private Eye Scott Shelby's revealed drives for this Orgami Killer case are that of assignment by their agency and the victims' mothers, respectively. The one character that falls into this investigation is photojournalist Madison Paige.
This thrilling tangled web of lies leaves a story waiting to be uncovered; however, many of these questions are left unanswered or the answers that are just anticlimatic. One of the main components, Ethan's blackouts throughout the game, driving the psychological thriller portion is never properly explained. Beyond that lies some uneven pacing, other unanswered questions, and cheap-parlour tricks incorporated into the main plot twist of the game. Having said that, you'll be greeted by a great amount of suspenseful moments that still drive the game to be a great experience.
To say Heavy Rain is a beautiful game would be an understatement. From delivering crisp close-ups substituted as a static loading screen to the top-notch voice acting, HR (Heavy Rain) certainly capitalizes on the cinematic experience aspect of the game. You are greeted by direction similar to that of movies; certain moves like camera pans, multiple camera angles running simultaneously, among many other ideas incorporated in many movies are used to vary the slower, humdrum moments. Incorporate these directing ideas with a somber tone and you then have the makings of a great noir feel. It certainly has a few imbalances graphically, but it's nothing that's detriment to the overall visual appeal. Overall, almost every aspect of the audio/video side is top-notch and delivered with expertise and panache.
As stated earlier, Heavy Rain is a QTE Adventure game. What that translates to, for those unfamilar with the term, is an adventure with most of your action movements throughout the game revolving around pressing, holding, or tapping a button; on top of that, you also have motion control actions from the Sixaxis on the PS3 controller-as well as the Playstation Move-. If failing or succeeding in making the right moves, you'll be greeted with the appropriate animations translated on the screen. Whether it's simply shaking orange juice or evading police, the different button combos are both varied and well-impletemented.
What gravitates this game to great heights is having the volition that can be either life or death for your character(s). What makes this aspect of the gameplay so compelling is the idea that the story must go on. If any of your playable character dies throughout the game, the game keeps rolling and you see the consequences unfold later in the game. Entire parts of the story can be missed simply by making one choice! For example, one of your characters will be pinioned spread eagle on a table, struggling for his/her virtual life while trying to make a narrow escape (in which you only have a small amount of time to escape). Wrap up all of these aspects together, and you have the makings of a unique experience hampered by hitches that are diminutive in comparison.
In the end, Heavy Rain delivers a one-of-a-kind experience for this gen; although, also bringing a big double-edged sword in regards to the story side of the game. Although game stories aren't always a deciding factor in a game, this could be found to be exception by some. I personally have always thought a noir game's/movie's/etc. story is ipso facto a great one, so it is understandable to hold this aspect to a higher standard. The minor flaws when it comes to clunky controls and a sometimes-iffy camera can harm the experience, but it's nothing game breaking. I personally can't recommend this game for all adventure fans; however, if you are beginning to abhor those vapid shooters that seem to keep coming then you should definately try this game out.
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"Many video games catch not only great commercial attention but remarkable critical attention as well. We have seen games like Heavy Rain, The Last of Us Part II, and even entries in the Metal Gear series described as fantastic interactive experiences, even heralded in the same way as Hollywood's greatest films.
I would suggest that not only is this an unfair comparison but also a harmful one. Video games, by their very nature, are an intricately different medium and should be weighed against one another rather than another form of media," Phillip writes for GF365.
I think Hollywood films will becoming increasingly more like video games in the future, especially as the world embraces the "new normal" from the pandemic. It makes sense, as games like Spider-Man: Miles Morales showcase just how realistically we're reaching in graphical capabilities, as well as showcase extreme action sequences in spectacular ways. And as time goes by, it'll get easier and cheaper to produce such "art", as well as create new star "actors" that never age, never die, never complain, never gets involved in scandals, etc. Technology is amazing and we're only just getting a taste of what it'll eventually be.
No. For the money spent, a quality game provides far more entertainment value than a quality movie. Especially when looking at what is going on in the world, and how a studio can attempt to pilfer from consumers by charging 30 dollars for Mulan via streaming. Ridiculous. There is no comparison....games all day.
What exactly is the David Cage experience, and is it of value? We examine two classics, Fahrenheit and Heavy Rain, to find the answer.
Quantic Dream has announced a new video series to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of Heavy Rain. Check out the first part here.
Have you played Detroit? While it’s my personal favorite, I fully understand many preferring Heavy Rain more. I’m glad you enjoyed Heavy Rain too.
Glad you enjoyed the game! Yes, Detroit is a masterpiece of a game, and their best work to date “in my opinion”
Wow, 10 years...and yet, still one of the best/most emotional/thrilling gaming experiences I’ve ever had.
So grateful to Sony for believing in Quantic Dream’s vision for this game, and giving them a chance. I’ll never forget David Cage saying “We want to challenge the player, but not with the controller, but mentally, with their decisions of “How far would you go to save someone you love” Well, they broke my emotional gamer heart lol.
My teenage son refuses to play this game, because I’ve told him in little detail the emotional impact it had on me all those years ago. Maybe one day he will.
Still have my origami crane they teach you how to make when you're installing for the first time.
it's been 10 years? wow, that was so fast, I feel like this console gen went fast as well although it hasn't. I really look forward to the PS5 this holiday season though.
Hope you guys and gals enjoyed the review. When it comes to my " *FresH* " badge, I'm just walking closer to that of rottentomatoes.com when it comes to their aggregate reviews by critics.
I further seperate the Fresh/Rotten idea to Certified Fresh/Certified Rotten, also like that of RT. Please note, 9.0 doesn't = a *Certified FresH* badge; you may see my MW2 review as an example.
Great review, completely agree. However I hated the children's voice acting, it was painful to listen to. Other than that, all the other characters sounded great.
Great review man. It was pretty awesome. Reminded me of a Dean Koontz novel, dark, disturbing, and beautiful at the same time. The ending (my ending i guess) was amazing.
SPOILER!!!
I was damn happy it wasnt poison also. I thought hard about what to do. I tried not to read spoilers and just go with my decisions. This is one game a platinum trophy imho takes away from the game. I want to see my trophies and remember every little decision i made. Its my story. The part where you crawled through the broken glass was soo tense. I loved it. Indigo prophecy was also pretty amazing. The intro was the BEST intro ever. I wish it was made with the graphics of heavy rain, still holds up well. Its bc on 360 and on the xbl store. Highly recommended.
Best thing to do is beat the game and put it back on the shelf for a month. Then play it again and you hardly remember anything, so its almost as exciting as the first time. Too many different outcomes they were all great.
I was so eager to buy this game and then found, some time ago, that development had shifted solely to the console market. No ports are in the pipeline as far as I know. Shame, I thoroughly enjoyed their previous games and this one looks better than La Noire could hope to be.