Ever since its announcement in 2006, Heavy Rain has left some unanswered questions amongst curious minds. From the first tech demo to the various interviews, Quantic Dream studios definitely raised the bar on what game design is all about. They presented us with imagery that leaves one to question, what is this game all about?

To start off, this is one of those titles that people will understand and can personally relate to based off the situations presented in the game. Well where’s the game play you say? Heavy Rain isn’t about game play at all. It’s really more like heightening your senses in dynamic situations. Sound complex? Well that’s because it is. The complexity with the player’s interaction with the game’s dynamic story telling is what makes Heavy Rain such a unique experience. I mean the slogan holds true to the question, “how far will you go to save the one you love?”

To start off the setting is very somber. You have the deranged serial killer that leaves his calling card on all his victims, the FBI agent who can see between the lines but something is not quite right with him, the loving father who deals with an emotional situation, the over-the-hill private eye, and the curious news reporter. All of these personas fill the cold and lonely setting in Heavy Rain. Graphically the game is very impressive particularly in the character details and animations. There are times where the graphics tend to stutter, but its easily forgotten once you get into the bulk of the story. The rain plays a heavy role in the story as it unfolds and is the catalyst for all the characters involved.

It is very difficult to explain how the game is played primarily since the majority of the actions would give away huge spoilers. So I’ll try my best to explain. In any given scene, though it’s scripted to be very linear, the game play is really about “choice” more than anything else. Typically you are given a scene to interact with. Motions on the right analog stick will be displayed when there is something to interact with. There will be times where the face buttons will be used as well, but this is where the game becomes interesting. Some interactions may have you hold a series of buttons to complete the interaction. There are many times where it’s so frantic that the button presses seem impossible within the time frame you are given to complete them. This is my favorite aspect of the game. You can literally miss all of the inputs and say to yourself, “what would have happened if I didn’t miss?” Other times you may just walk normally with the left analog stick and end up in front a of an interaction suddenly. The quick time events are what really makes the game intriguing.

Another unique aspect is the dynamic story telling. Hands down, the writers of this game are on-point. Sure there are a few plot holes and inconsistencies, but the level of interactivity with the characters is amazing. This achievement is made possible because whatever “you” the player decides to interact with, changes the way the story progresses.  This definitely is a stretch beyond the imagination of what gaming should be. I almost see this trend being imitated in other games in the future. If so it will make for some unique player interaction. Again it’s really hard to describe this game without giving much away, but I can tell you there will be moments where you wish you had done something differently. You will also go through some insane decision making interactions that will simply make you want to take a breather because of its intensity.

The sound in Heavy Rain is very appealing and appropriate. The cadences in mood changes are placed at the right moments. If you feel tense, the music takes you there, if you feel somber, the music is paced proportionately in the background. The music score is of big budget movie caliber. The voice acting is hit or miss at times. I never found them too distracting only because I was into the story, though your buddies may pick on how robotic some of the dialogue sounds. Overall I think they did a great job with establishing mood by using sound. If they really bother you that much, you can change the audio to another language and watch it with subtitles.

To sum this review up, Heavy Rain is one of those titles that screams of “high risk, high reward” and I think their efforts have paid off. I can say this is not a game for everyone, but it will really intrigue an avid book reader or diehard movie-goer. This game takes you to some of those same emotions that you’d find in other forms of media. There is a bit of replay value in the sense that you can go through the entire game again and make different choices thus recreating a different outcome. I for one have a sensitive spot for this title simply because I have a child and could relate to the character’s emotions given that I were in their particular situations. The game is not perfect, but this design team needs to earn some kind of recognition simply because there is nothing out there like this.  I don’t think this game should be passed up if you really give a damn about gaming and game design. Quantic Dream’s Heavy Rain may one of those titles that could revolutionize the gaming genre.

GOD KING GRADE: (B)   ★★★★★