Heavy Rain is a game I’ve been watching with interest through development and I picked it up yesterday. Calling Heavy Rain a game, though, is not quiet right – an interactive experience is closer to what it truly is.
The basic premise is thus – a killer is on the lose, kidnapping young boys who are turning up dead 3-5 days later. You play a rotation of four different characters through the game, all separate stories that link together. The father; who’s son is missing, the PI; investigating the case, the FBI agent and a young lady who’s motivations are not quiet clear, yet.
The first thing you notice about Heavy Rain is how it looks – it’s amazing. The loading screens are extreme close ups of characters faces and it truly needs to be seen to be believed, detail and focus are astounding, a new bench mark in realism is upon us. The animations are also fantastic, the way characters move and interact with objects seems so real. There are occasional issues, a finger slipping through a door, but on the whole, it’s exceptional.
The Cinematography is second to none. The camera angles, the way scenes cut, seeing the same events from multiple angles is probably the best example in a game so far. It really creates a movie feel.
That being said, it’s a movie with a slow start. Early on there is a tutorial type scene giving you the chance to get to understand the unique controls of the game. This is interesting at first with the controls being so different to normal games, however it leads into some family interaction time that seems to force sentimentality onto you. It does it’s job of showing the main character (Ethan) as being a happy family man, but it’s forced and awkward. During this section the voice acting seems weak and early impressions are that the hype may be for nothing. After about two hours play time I passed a comment in conversation: “If this was a movie, it would be the midday movie”.
Now, after around 6 hours play time, I think that if this were a movie, it would be “The Usual Suspects”. At around two, two and a half hours you start to become invested in the characters. At around four hours, you’re hooked. At six, you can’t look away. This is a slow burner and getting through the pretty average start pays off big time.
The controls play like a series of quick-time events (similar to God of War) however come thick and fast and are much more complex. There is a significant challenge to be had in the game play. At one stage I found myself speeding down a highway, directly into traffic. I missed one of commands and actually said out loud “Shit, sorry” to the pedestrian I nearly killed. While the controls take some getting used to, they’re very clever and after a while they just make sense, helping to immerse you further in the game.
The voice acting is a little hit and miss – some voices are fantastic, others awful and some falling mid-range. There are few script moments that make you cringe, but on the whole, the story is fascinating. I think though, this is a game that’s going to live and die on it’s ending. I desperately want to see what happens and a let down will leave the entire game feeling hollow – I think. Will there be a Keyser Söze style end to this story?. I hope so.
Regardless, this is a game that is trying to break the mold and could well be the future of interactive gaming – and possibly movies as well.
There’s only one thing to do. Get to the ending and find out. I’ll let you know.
Keyser Söze
