Heavy Rain Review

Dear readers!

Today I want to tell you about a special game that moved me deeply…I am talking about „Heavy Rain“

„Heavy Rain“ is one of the PS3 exclusive titles, developed by QuanticDream and one of the reasons why I finally made my mind up and bought a PS3 – not an Xbox360.

The game is rather experimental in its controls and gameplay:

Its like an interactive dramatic thriller in a film noir style including riddles and investigation scenes. Mostly its just pressing one or more buttons, sometimes at the same time triggering quick time events – might sound boring…but definately is the exact opposite of boring!

The whole story is built around the criminal case of the „Origami Killer“ – a murderer who kidnaps children, drowns them in rainwater and leaves their dead bodies on wasteland  with an orchid on their chest and an origami figure in their hand. You play the game from the perspective of four different protagonists:

First theres Ethan Mars, whose son Shaun has been the latest kidnapping victim of the Origami Killer, who is making him go through different emotionally and physically torturing trials set up by the Killer to find his son before Shaun drowns.

Also theres Madison Paige – a journalist suffering from insomnia investigating the case as well as Jayden Norman – a drug-addict FBI agent and Scott Shelby – a private detective.

As the story unfolds you meet several different side-characters and the player has to make decisions how to behave, what to say and what actions the protagonist should finally make and has to interact with objects and people. Depending on how the player decides, the game will develop in an all new way – even main characters can die during the plot leading to the possibility of differing cutscenes and a variety of (what I heard) up to 22 different endings!

While playing you can even hear the thoughts of the protagonists, revealing their insecurities, fears and hopes. Nothing you see or anybody you meet is what it or he seems at the first look and you get yourself caught up in assumptions, disgust and sympathy while watching Ethan struggling to save his son – no matter what he needs to do for it.

I myself got caught up in the story deeply – suffering with Ethan. The facial expressions look incredibly realistic!

 Its a game about love. Like director David Cage said: „the real message [of the game] is about how far you’re willing to go to save someone you love“.

„Heavy Rain“ is one of the games that moved me the most during all the years since I started playing videogames – maybe its even the one that moved me the most. I don’t want to miss the experience of playing it – in some way I’m really sad that its over now. And I can just tell all of you PS3 owners: If you haven’t played it yet – just DO IT! Its worth every second, you won’t regret it!

OXOX,

Vee