How far will you go to save someone you love? This question will be etched in your mind as you experience Heavy Rain, a crime mystery/thriller game developed by Quantic Dream exclusively for PlayStation 3.
The story begins with Ethan Mars, one of the characters you will control, at home on one of his son's birthdays. Right away tragedy strikes as the son is hit and killed by a car while crossing the road. This leaves Ethan with only one remaining son, Shaun Mars. The story now fast forwards 2 years and we meet up with Ethan spending time with his son Shaun. Tragedy strikes once again for Ethan as his remaining son is kidnapped by the Origami killer.
Ethan Mars with his son Shaun shortly before being kidnapped by the Origami killer
The Origami killer is responsible for a string of child kidnappings and murders that have taken place recently. The killer locks the kidnapped child in a drain exposed to the elements. The more it rains (hence the title) the less time the child has to live. The killer uses origami figurines as clues to the where a bouts of the kidnapped child. Ethan Mars is forced to carry out a series of physical and mentally demanding challenges in order to receive the next clue from the Origami killer and save his son in time. As the story progresses you will play as many more characters who have a role in the story. Nothing is what it seems so attention to detail is a must.
What clues does the origami figure give about Shaun's location?
The story plays out like a movie and along the way you are given button prompts. The easiest way to describe this element is that it is very similar to those mystery novels you read as a kid where you could choose the path of the story (i.e. turn to page # for action 'A' or page # for action 'B'). In some scenes the button prompts you choose have your character say different things where in other cases the prompts cause your character to perform certain actions. It's like watching a Martin Scorsese movie but being in control of the plot rather then just observing.
In a particular scene while playing as the FBI agent investigating the murders, I arrived at an apartment to question a suspect only to find he wasn't home. I was presented with the option to leave the location or kick the door down. I think you can guess what option I chose. After entering the apartment and searching for clues for a couple minutes the suspect returned. He noticed I was in his apartment, became angry that I broke in and pulled a gun on me. Now the button prompts were asking me to perform a conversation rather than physical actions. I chose the "Accuse" button prompt and my character began his statement accusing the suspect of being the origami killer. This only made the suspect more angry and through a string of picking the wrong things to say the suspect ended up shooting me and escaped. I replayed the same scene again choosing different things to say and taking a more calm approach to the situation. In the end, the suspect surrendered his weapon and let me arrest him to take to the station for further questioning.
Conflicts are common occurrences in Heavy Rain. Make a bad decision or say the wrong things and the story can quickly take a turn for the worst. Seemingly meaningless decisions end up costing you big time later on in the story, making you wonder what if I had chose that other option. Depending on your choices, Ethan Mars may die during one of the challenges leaving Shaun hopeless and condemning him to die as well or your decisions could lead to one of the other characters finding Shaun. That's the beauty of this game. It encourages exploration and leaves you wanting to experience the story over and over. There are numerous outcomes and possibilities to the ending of this story.
Playing this game is unlike anything I've ever experienced. It doesn't have the typical video game feel where you play it for a couple hours for some relaxation time. Unless you experience this phenomenal game you can't understand how revolutionary it is. Intense emotional situations create a gray area between virtual reality and actuality. The combination of button prompts and an intense story line make you feel as if you are a character in the story experiencing the same pain, terror, and stress as the other characters. The fate of their story is in literally in your hands.
The breathtaking graphics only add to the realism. Making the experience more believable.
Should I play it safe and escape the burning apartment of the origami killer or risk everything by staying a few minutes to acquire the evidence left behind? Hundreds of question like this will race through your mind leaving you only seconds to make a serious decision that could help or hinder you later. Playing this game is not entertainment but rather an experience that you will not soon forget.
Rating: 9.5 out of 10 (Excellent)
Rating: 9.5 out of 10 (Excellent)
Posts
