‘Heavy’ Hitting
Have you ever loved someone so much that you are willing to die or kill for them? This is probably the most important question presented by “Heavy Rain”, the latest release by Quantic Dream, for the Playstation 3.
Much like Quantic Dream’s previous release, 2005’s “Indigo Prophecy,” “Heavy Rain” is all about blending the mediums of video gaming and cinema. “Heavy Rain” could be classified as an interactive narrative; a thrilling murder mystery starring the gamer.
Violence and death is seen routinely in games, but in “Heavy Rain” when someone dies there is an emotional weight to it. Every choice you make will have an effect; every action has its consequence.
“Heavy Rain” is not an average game. If a mistake is made, there is no game over screen, the action just continues to flow seamlessly and the gamer must deal with the outcome.
Something else that will probably throw off some gamers is that they are in control of four people who have very different lives. Any film fan can appreciate the depth in the characterizations.
After a while, it is hard not to feel for private investigator Scott Shelby’s hapless search for a killer, or Ethan Mars’ inability to cope with the death of his son. These are not the generic, testosterone heroes that populate most games; these people could easily remind gamers of neighbors or friends.
What makes it most intriguing is that one of them could be the Origami Killer, the game’s mysterious serial killer.
There have been a series of child murders that the police have no leads for, with the exception of an origami found at each scene. The characters of Ethan, Madison, Norman and Scott all have some sort of connection to the murders.
Some are more personal than others, but it is relevant that another child will die soon if the killer is not stopped. That is without counting the laundry list of character defects like alcohol abuse, drug addiction and insomnia that also plagues them.
However, “Heavy Rain” does have its flaws. While the performances for the four main characters are top notch, some of the supporting characters were a bit lackluster. It is easy to catch British accents in characters that are supposed to be American and the animations seem a tad unnatural.
While the control scheme does work, some may not like that most of the game play happens in quick time events, similar to the cut scenes in Resident Evil 4. And while I have been praising its tense plot, I must warn gamers that the game does start slow. Getting to know Ethan’s back story is boring, but it is vital information.
For anyone with patience that is willing to be immersed in a game that stirs emotion and rewards replaying, “Heavy Rain” is definitely worth the experience.
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