Heavy Rain

Many say that video games are the next step in the evolution of Art, and I suppose there is no reason for me not to agree. Sure there are many areas that could use some improvement, but with the advent of motion based controllers and 3D television there are no signs of slowing down. So once again let us turn towards the comparison of movies and video games. Some members of the film elite may scoff at the idea that these two mediums have anything in common, but anyone who has played a video game of late can find plenty of reasons: an interesting plot, complex characters, epic soundtracks, and equal measures of sheer entertainment and poignancy. If one were to look for a quintessential example of how movies influenced the medium of video games, look no further than Heavy Rain, which has been repeatedly deemed as one of the most “cinematic” gaming experiences ever.

Writer and director David Cage and his company Quantic Dream are known to approach video games as a sort of interactive movie, which is exemplified from their first two games Omikron: The Nomad Soul and Indigo Prophecy. I only played the latter of the two, the gameplay of which has been adapted and improved in Heavy Rain. In terms of the story, both games tend to have a thing for weather and mysterious murders. The longer you play the more intense the blizzard/rainstorm gets, mirroring the intensifying plight of the characters (now that’s deep). Indigo Prophecy and Heavy Rain also center on a mystery that needs to be solved, whether it be by police or by some average (but oh so mysterious) Joe Schmo.

I can honestly say the plot of Heavy Rain does show much more control and the characters ring more true than those of Prophecy. Both games start in a gritty urban environment, but while Heavy Rain remains firmly grounded in this universe, Prophecy goes off in some crazy mystical directions with cults, spells, and resurrections (not to say, of course, that any sort of plot centered in a mystical realm is trash per se, but there should at least be a better way of introducing such aspects to the audience). I was totally digging Prophecy until (SPOILERS) you find out there is some elite of magical hobos, you die, come back to life, make love with the police woman, impregnate her with your zombie sperm, and then watch your half-dead children frolic around a field. I don’t know about you, but really? Did I throw a couple of hours of my life away to see that sort of crap? Maybe it’s because David Cage is French and they are into strange, kinky $#!* like that. I’m happy to say that Heavy Rain had nothing of that sort.

As far as the gameplay goes, you play as four different characters, each with different pieces of the puzzle. You start as Ethan Mars, the main protagonist, who is happily married with two kids. The beginning allows the player to ease into the control system of the game, a lot of which centers around hitting the right buttons or moving the controller at the right time. They even let you practice your combat skills by beating your children into submission! With plastic swords, of course.

I think I enjoyed beating that child a little too much.

Investigating a crime scene

Another aspect this beginning section expands on is how the player needs to use the character’s thoughts as well as choosing the right response in a conversation to help them navigate through the challenges that are presented, which becomes particularly crucial later in the game. We follow Ethan and his family as they go to the mall where they lose their son who is hit by a car and killed. This traumatic experience ruins Ethan, who we find out is divorced and living on his own two years later. Eventually Ethan’s second child is kidnapped by some psycho named the Origami Killer, who forces Ethan into performing suicidal tasks in order to see his son again (makes sense given the tagline for the game is “How far would you go to save someone you love?”). Meanwhile, you also play an old private investigator, an FBI profiler, and a photojournalist who all become involved with Ethan’s missing son one way or another.

Because this is an interactive fiction game with 22 possible endings, all the actions taken or not taken with the characters have consequences on the final outcome. There are two ways one can play this game: the first is going through the challenges in one attempt and letting whatever may happen to happen; the second is making no mistakes in order to get the best possible ending. Having played this game only once, I made damn sure to get the best possible ending I could. If you screw up royally, there is a good chance one of your characters will die, and if that were to happen…well, good luck trying to figure out who the Origami Killer is.

Doing a little soul searching

While Heavy Rain is great at exemplifying the similarities between movies and video games, it does an equally apt job of proving the strength of the video game medium. Video games are all about the experience and with so many choices and endings, players are able to experience various situations and outcomes. The first class soundtrack, stunning graphics, smart writing, and quality voice acting make it easy to get lost in this world and all the more difficult to stop playing. Ironically, there have been some discussions of this game being adapted into a movie, which basically defeats the purpose of the game. Assuming the movie adaptation takes the best ending, the product would most likely be just an average film noir/thriller. It is the moral choices the player makes in addition to the interactive controls that make this game so much fun, not the story itself.

Although I would not call Heavy Rain the Citizen Kane or the 2001: A Space Odyssey of the gaming realm, it is certainly a unique and consistently entertaining experience. This will hopefully be improved when Playstation releases its Move controller, which will be adapted to use for the game. Ideally, I'll be able to try this out (wallet permitting).

4.5/5 Fun, Addicting, and Well Made. Dizzope!