• Review: Heavy Rain

    by
    Jason Arriola
    Published on 05-13-2011 04:30 PM
    2 Comments Comments


    Heavy Rain

    Developer: Quantic Dream
    Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
    Platform: Playstation 3
    Genre: Psychological Thriller, Interactive
    Rating: Mature
    Release Date: February 23, 2010

    A once peaceful town has been plagued by a series of horrible murders by a figure that has come to be known as the Origami Killer. The victims of this killer are young boys, kidnapped, and are soon found dead with an origami killer in their cold hands, a mark of the Origami Killer. That isn’t to say the victims don’t stand a chance. The killer leaves these boys in a deep gutter that slowly fills with rain water, meaning there is time to save them, at least before the water fills, hence the name: Heavy Rain. This time the Origami Killer has targeted a new victim, one that brings four strangers together to solve this mystery before another tragedy occurs. The question is: How far will you go to save someone you love?

    Presentation

    Ethan Mars, Madison Paige, Scott Shelby, and Norman Jayden are all seemingly normal people. Ethan is an architect, Madison is a freelance photojournalist, Scott is a retired police officer turned private investigator, and Norman is a rising FBI Agent. Yet these people are strangers, and each has at least one thing in common: a mutual interest in the Origami Killer. Ethan’s son becomes the next victim. Madison uses her journalistic intuition to uncover information about the killer. Scott visits the previous victims of the killer to connect the confusing puzzle pieces together. Norman has come to this terrorized city to ensure that any victims are made safe and to bring the Origami Killer to justice.

    However, each of these characters must rely on something crucial: choices. Their choices can carry heavy consequences depending on what one chooses to do. These lead to good outcomes or bad outcomes. Ultimately these choices come down to you, the player. This is what makes Heavy Rain so invigorating, it pulls you in and makes you part of the story just as much as it does with these characters.

    Graphics

    Heavy Rain is one of the Playstation 3’s graphical powerhouses. The amount of detail is surprising, everything from environments, clothes, furniture, and facial expressions. Heavy Rain holds nothing back and challenges the Playstation 3’s graphical display, and it does so impressively. Because Heavy Rain presents itself similar to a thriller/mystery movie, its visual presentation matches spot on. It’s dark and stormy outside, but colorful within indoor environments at times, the character’s clothes get dirty; they suffer wounds that slowly heal over time, and other features you’d think twice about noticing.

    Sound/Music

    Heavy Rain is a suspenseful yet tragic story, one that’s full of drama, and the same can be said for the sounds and music in the game. The most ominous audio presence you’ll hear is the “drip drop” of rain, and the “tap” it makes as it crashes from the sky to the ground. This is what makes the game so appreciative. The sense of danger, sadness, and hopelessness continues to tear away at you with each drop of water that passes. Never has rain played an iconic role in a video game, because each drop acts against you.

    Heavy Rain features some great voice work and each actor was cast very well with their in-game counterparts. Their performances are very believable and they help keep the story interesting and help it progress as you continue to play.

    If you’re a music enthusiast, Heavy Rain features an exceptional soundtrack, one that captures and brings to life the emotions of the game. So many emotions are put into musical form such as sadness, fear, suspense, and joyfulness. Yet as I’ve mentioned before, Heavy Rain is more tragic and this is musically embodied with somber sounding piano, brass, and stringed instruments. For each type of emotion or situation, the game has an orchestration to match what you experience on the screen.

    Gameplay

    Heavy Rain features timed button response gameplay and interaction with people and/or things in your immediate environment, which means there are some segments of limited free roaming. In some situations you can explore an area freely and examine certain things using the PS3 controller (Heavy Rain also utilizes the Playstation Move hardware, if you choose to play the game that way), but during action sequences, carefully timed button presses are a big deal. There are a variety of ways to go about gameplay. First of all walking can be done by holding down the R2 button and using the analog sticks to control the direction of your movement. Nearly all of the PS3 controller’s buttons are used, but how you use them will differ. Some sequences will require you to hold down a button while pushing another, mash a button, push a button before a timed counter expires, shake the controller, or use its sixaxis sensors. As you can see there is a lot of possible combinations, so the game does a good job of keeping you on your toes, especially during action sequences. What’s great is that interaction with the controller is only part of it. It’s your judgment to do something or not that really matters.

    I will say that there will be a few button commands that can be tricky to pull off because there will be times where many of your digits will be preoccupied with other buttons. You can fail button presses only so much before you completely fail, some events may even require only one opportunity to get it right. So failure means that things may not go your way, meaning you’ll have to try again to get it right.

    Remember that the game’s story is a reflection of your actions, and sometimes a lack of action, so how the story progresses is really up to you. For example, Ethan, most importantly, is given a series of challenges by the Origami Killer, and either you do them or not. Each character has their own challenges too, of course. So even if things don’t go your way during your first play through, Heavy Rain has a good checkpoint and save system. So you can change the flow of events should they not go the way you wanted them to in the first place.

    Lasting Appeal

    Heavy Rain earns its replay value through, first and foremost: alternate endings. Heavy Rain has a good length, which means that the flow of events can be changed from practically any time in the game, beginning through the end. Heavy Rain is such a great game that you’ll want to uncover every possible ending there is, and there are many alternate endings to obtain. Getting them all may not always be clear or easy, but they’re worth seeing so you can get more out of this suspenseful story.

    Finishing the game will give you concept art galleries with artwork on how Heavy Rain came to fruition as well as making of videos that show video segments of the game being brought to life.

    Conclusion

    Heavy Rain is much more than a video game. It’s an experience that depends entirely on the player, and the outcome of the story is all in their control. This is a suspense story that all should experience, especially for people who enjoy the suspense and/or mystery genres. Gamers can associate with the characters of the game, and these characters certain are memorable as you explore their individual stories. Heavy Rain is well rounded in nearly every area reviewed, and the learning curve isn’t steep. Please do yourself the favor of experiencing this game firsthand. Go in open-minded as you try to grow closer to solving the mystery of the elusive Origami Killer. Add Heavy Rain to your Playstation 3 collection now.

    Score
    9.5/10

    Comments 2 Comments
    1. Skotters's Avatar
      Skotters - 07-07-2011
      love love love this game, gonna tackle the taxidermist pretty soon
    1. Jason Arriola's Avatar
      Jason Arriola - 07-08-2011
      I never looked into The Taxidermist. Though I am doing a second run through of the game with Move, so why not? This was a good review to write, thanks for bringing it up again, I need to play.

  • Review Scale

    Score 10- Flawless Victory: A score not handed out to every game. Games earning this rare score sit at the very pinnacle of excellence. These games act as the examples for which all others should be measured with. They are instant classics from the beginning. These games not only deliver what was expected of it, but also exceed the player’s expectations. The game’s features are innovative and original. No game is without its absolute flaws, but the finished product you bring home surpasses the anticipation the game has formed. A day one buy is a must. The game you hold in your hands with this score is a video game jackpot.

    Score 9 - 9.5- Outstanding: Games earning scores such as these absolutely must be played. Games that achieve this high ranking do so because they define the genres that they are in. Flaws are few and barely noticeable. Features seen in the game have been renovated to provide something new and fresh. The story, gameplay, graphics, and lasting appeal are all fantastic and is reason enough to bring the game home and to enjoy with family and friends. Every penny you spend on the game is so worth it.

    Score 8 - 8.5- Great: Any flaw the game may possess is overshadowed by its fun factor. These games would be great for gamers to play. These great games appeal to gamers more and more outside its normal player base because of what it brings to the table.

    Score 7 - 7.5- Good: Flaws do exist in these games, but the positive features of the game can counterbalance the flaws. Additionally, players who are predisposed to liking a game of a particular series or genre with this score should enjoy the game. These are in no way bad games, and much fun can be had with them. An overall good game is worth taking a look at, whether you are willing to buy the game or rent it first. That or you can also wait for the game to reach a good price.

    Score 6 - 6.5- Decent: Games falling into this category may suffer from numerous flaws (for example, graphics or gameplay), but are still worth playing. Granted, the player should be aware that a game with these scores may not guarantee them full satisfaction.

    Score 5 - 5.5- Average: An average game is one in which a game’s features are neither good nor completely terrible. Instead, the finished product is manageable. Little has been done to hold the player’s interest. If anything, rent this game before you consider buying it so that you can at least get a feel for the game’s overall experience.

    Score 4 - 4.5- Poor: Games falling into this category may only keep gamers entertained for a short while. While the game may seem enjoyable for moments at a time, it can quickly grow old and may never be revisited again. The game’s overall function is lacking in quality and may not hold the player’s attention for long. The game leaves little or nothing else to return back to.

    Score 3 - 3.5- Bad: If any positive qualities about a game in this category exist, it is not enough to redeem the game for its shortcomings. Sure you may find yourself playing it, but for how long? You will wind up not giving the game a second glance.

    Score 2 - 2.5- Horrible: Games such as these may not be totally unplayable, they nearly are. Additionally, they may lack, or greatly suffer in, the fundamental functionality of the software as a whole. The game simply does not come close to meeting industry standards at the time of its release.

    Score 1 - 1.5- Appalling: Gamers should avoid this game at all costs. The game was clearly not ready to make its way to store shelves in its status. Save your money and find something else. See it in the bargain bin? No! Stay away! Keep moving and look for something else.

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