Video Game Review: Revolutionary ‘Heavy Rain’ Mesmerizes

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CHICAGO – When’s the last time you finished a game and didn’t merely feel like you had successfully gone through the animated motions as needed but had actually contributed to a story that felt uniquely your own? In other words, when was the last time you were emotionally invested and intellectually satisfied instead of just entertained? “Heavy Rain” delivers those complex reactions more common with film and fiction as much as any game in years. It’s a masterpiece.

Video Game Rating: 5.0/5.0

In case you haven’t heard the building buzz on this unique title, hitting store shelves today, February 23rd, 2010 from Sony Computer Entertainment, “Heavy Rain” is a daring, rich “interactive drama”. The player takes on four roles through what is essentially a mystery and is responsible for decisions big and small. At one point, you’ll have to decide whether or not to kill an innocent man to further your goals. At another, you’ll gently use a control stick to change a diaper. Clearly, you’ve never played anything quite like “Heavy Rain”.

Heavy Rain
Photo credit: Sony Computer Entertainment

“Heavy Rain,” which was written and filmed more like a movie than a video game, complete with a strikingly beautiful score and facial models that are arguably the best in the history of gaming, opens with the happy life of Ethan Mars, one of the quartet that you will control throughout the title (or as long as you keep them alive). Ethan has a lovely wife, beautiful home, and two gorgeous kids. In the first level, you’ll use the controller to shower, get dressed, brush your teeth, do some work, set the table, and even play with your kids in the backyard.

Heavy Rain Photo credit: Sony Computer Entertainment

From the very beginning, little decisions are being made. When I was play-fighting with my kid in the backyard, I realized that I didn’t “have to win”. Like so many parents, I let my kid beat me. Small decisions like this will add up through “Heavy Rain” and create branching narratives and alter future encounters. From that very first level, you’ll start thinking not in terms of gameplay goals like leveling up or boss-killing but in human needs like feeding your kid dinner and asking him what’s wrong at school.

The opening two chapters of “Heavy Rain” take place in sunshine. With a title like “Heavy Rain,” it’s not a spoiler to reveal that there will be very little of that again. After the opening credits, the meat of the plot kicks in. After a horrible accident takes one of Ethan’s sons, he’s despondent and barely able to take care of the other one. Ethan is also prone to blackouts, after which he wakes up in the middle of the street with an origami piece in his hand. This is especially bad considering there’s a maniac out there known as “The Origami Killer,” a psycho who has killed seven children and left an orchid on their chest and a piece of folded paper in their hand.

Is Ethan the killer? It’s not long before Ethan’s remaining son is kidnapped by the lunatic (that could still be Ethan himself considering those blackouts) and the father is put through a series of “Saw”-esque tests to prove he loves him enough to save him. How far is he willing to go to see his son again? Only as far as you are, putting his emotional plight in your hands and heart. You’ll be amazed at how intensely you’ll get involved in the saga of Ethan Mars. The conclusion I reached with him (and there are many that can be reached) was as emotionally draining as any game in a very long time.

Heavy Rain Photo credit: Sony Computer Entertainment

“Heavy Rain” would be spectacular with Ethan’s story alone but it’s only the major plot of a game with many great, interseting subplots. There are three crucial supporting characters that you’ll play as well - Private Investigator Scott Shelby, FBI Agent Norman Jayden, and a beautiful journalist named Madison. Shelby is trying to track down parents of previous victims of the Origami Killer as he looks for clues, Jayden is forced to help an inept police force who don’t seem to appreciate his involvement, and Madison starts as an unbiased reporter but soon becomes personally involved.

All four of the playable characters in “Heavy Rain” have their own energy and style. Ethan’s arc is naturally the most intense, while Shelby’s is more traditionally investigative and Jayden’s more futuristically so. Jayden has a device known as an ARI, which allows him to access clues, files, and analysis almost like the characters in “Minority Report”. Naturally, the only female character has her own style as well. The variety from character to character allows for a game that never gets old.

And for one that won’t be the same for you as it was for me. There are so many decisions to make in “Heavy Rain” and many, many points where you could make the wrong one and at least one member of your quartet won’t be there for the final act. There are many simple moments in “Heavy Rain,” but there are also times when you’ll be asked to hit buttons in the right order at the right time to survive intense action scenes like escaping a burning building or driving the wrong way down a freeway.

One of the more rewarding elements of the title is that a character can die in “Heavy Rain” and you won’t get a screen that says “Game Over”. Like life, it will simply go on but in a different way then if you hadn’t made the mistake. I can’t recommend highly enough just playing through every decision instead of going back and retracing your steps. Most are made in the blink of an eye and you will probably regret at least one later, but it’s far more rewarding to move forward and play through the game again with the possible wisdom of hindsight.

Heavy Rain Photo credit: Sony Computer Entertainment

Despite how strongly I recommend that everyone with a PS3 play the game, and probably more than once, “Heavy Rain” isn’t perfect. There are some glitches in the graphics and framerate that are too noticeable (one of which forced a restart for me when my son graphically merged with the couch) and the movement of the characters in free-form scenes feels unrefined when compared to the rest of the title. There are also some plot holes that are a bit disappointing (a major plotline is dropped about halfway through and the conclusion doesn’t really hold up on examination) and some of the dialogue is weak.

This is a minor complaint, but I also think the game shouldn’t have trophies. It takes the player out of the experience (especially when they get one called “Blunder”) and makes them more likely to hit rewind instead of living with the decision. It creates a traditional reward structure in a game that’s wildly untraditional.

But how often are the weakest elements of a game the dialogue and a flashy background every once in awhile? Everything that really matters about “Heavy Rain,” the things that truly make it one of the best games in years, are game ingredients virtually ignored by other developers. This is a game with honest emotional power like a good book and it’s as riveting as anything I’ve ever played. When I was done, I knew I had played one of the most spectacular and influential games ever made. And I knew I wanted to start over and play it again as soon as possible.

Check out this great preview before you go buy a copy yourself:

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com