This review is difficult to write. No, it’s not because I have any major issues with Heavy Rain (or that I’m personally involved in its development), but because I’m not entirely sure a review for it belongs on a site dedicated to games. You see, Heavy Rain might not be a game, but then again it might be, maybe… I don’t know. This isn’t exactly a flying start is it? Let me try to explain what Heavy rain is exactly.

Heavy Rain is the latest release by Quantic Dream, the game developers who brought you the equally story heavy game “Fahrenheit” (or “Indigo Prophecy” for our American Readers). The experience isn’t your standard gaming fare and instead opts to be an “Interactive Movie” with a strong focus on characters and emotional manipulation. The method Heavy Rain uses to achieve this is very reminiscent of two currently existing genres, the “point and click” adventure games of the 90’s and Quick Time Events. The “point and click” parts are sequences which involve marching your characters around environments looking for clues progress the story and these sections tend to be the slower, less interesting parts. Not only that, but they control horribly, instead of simply moving your character with a joystick as you would expect to, you instead sort of aim your character and then press R2 to move them. Why? I have no idea. It’s fortunate then that these segments are merely looking about and not action based, but even simple actions like walking to the correct locations can be tricky. It can break the immersion in a second, which is a shame because Heavy Rain does a lot to make to make the experience as atmospheric as it can be.

This FBI agent serves as the games main investigator. Oh, and he's a junkie.

The quick time events, on the other hand, are definitely more exciting and interesting; what is most interesting about them is that you can’t exactly “fail” them, if you don’t press the button in time there’s no “Game Over” screen, the sequences just carries on. I won’t disclose any specific events or actions in this review (that would only ruin some incredibly brilliant and startling moments) but suffice to say some made me physically flinch in disgust or jump in surprise. Yes, Heavy Rain did manage to get me to “feel” like I was part of the experience. Except it didn’t make me feel like the characters, it made me feel like a movie director. Instead of asking myself “Should I kill this man?” it became “Would he kill this man?” I don’t know if this was Heavy Rain’s intention or a misstep by the developers, but I can truly say I’ve never had an experience anything like it. Perhaps it’s a testament to the characters development; they feel incredibly real and trying to project yourself onto them feels almost impossible. At least three out of the four main characters, that is. The female character, Madison, serves no real purpose to the plot. She just turns up in the story and suddenly wants help the main character and most of her segments are stupidly dull. The developers should have either made her interesting and relevant or just cut her entirely. I’d actually favour cutting her entirely; Heavy Rain is an incredibly interesting and gripping experience, but it doesn’t half suffer from excess fat.

Heavy Rain’s biggest flaw is that the developers like their ideas just a bit too much. The opening sequence is probably the most self-indulgent and excruciatingly dull moment in a video game ever. I do not want to brush my teeth, I don’t want to have to find the plates, playing with my kids is not something I wish to simulate. What is even worse is that the opening segment plays no role in the overall plot, you can spend a good half an hour opening cupboards and sitting on chairs achieving nothing… it’s frustrating. What’s worse is that the pointless actions aren’t restricted to the opening segment; you might have returned to the police station to investigate clues, but then for some reason you can sit on a desk, go for a pee, or just stare out a window. I don’t want to do this stuff; I just want to move on! Do these actions serve the plot? No, all they do is slow down the narrative. Quantic Dream should have trimmed the fat; remove the trivial interactions. I get that they were trying to make the game feel “realistic” but it just frustrates the player, nothing more.

Why are you in this?

Now that I’ve told you about the gameplay in Heavy Rain, I would like to talk about the story. I would love to discuss the games “big twist”, but really it’s kinda difficult without giving away stuff. Suffice to say, I didn’t see it coming. But that isn’t necessarily a mark in its favour, if anything it’s a quite a damning statement; one of the great qualities of a detective story is to let the viewer try to make their own connections and decisions. For the most part Heavy Rain is excellent at doing this. I played this game with my friend Chris (from the podcast) at my side and we were constantly talking and theorizing about who we thought the murder was. So when the final moments of the game came about, and the curtain was pulled back, I felt almost betrayed by the developer. Almost all the major clues that pointed at one character were discarded and replaced with new evidence to convict another. There is one major plot point in Heavy Rain that is never explained and if you try to read anything into that point you’ll definitely feel mislead by the end of the game. Not only that, but on an entirely personal note, I didn’t want that character to be the bad guy! To me it didn’t fit.

So what to make of Heavy Rain? Well, I liked it a lot. The plot is disappointing towards the end and the opening is almost a test to see how dedicated you are to the idea of an “interactive drama,” but the main bulk of the game is both interesting and enthralling. I was with my friends almost everyday insisting we push on and got to the nub of the case. One of the biggest features Heavy Rain boasts is perhaps one of my favourite; the new video game craze of displaying that actions have consequences. This is one I hope never goes out of style. I can definitely see how my decisions affected the narrative, but I can’t help but wonder what would have happened if I made different choices throughout the game. Sadly, I haven’t had the opportunity to go back and replay some of these segments. However, for what it’s worth, I can definitely vouch that the game makes great use of its scenarios to dictate a series of consequences.

Scott Shelby is by far the most likable character in the game

Heavy Rain is a fascinating and unique experience that I recommend for those with the patience and interest for an “interactive drama”. It’s definitely a unique experience, but it’s not without its faults. Characters look great, but objects look dreadful. At best, voice acting is inconsistent; whenever a child talks you just want to cry with frustration. Additionally, the sound suffers from some glitches and will cut-out at times. It’s a shame, as the music in the game is moody and perfect for each setting. Overall, Heavy Rain may be the start of something wonderful, but it is not the peak of it. It’s a fantastic and daring concept that, ultimately, is let down by its developers focusing in the wrong areas. The next time we see a Heavy Rain-esque game we might have a more streamlined experience with more plot and, hopefully, better voice actors. I look forward to that day immensely. For now, we have this flawed master piece, this imperfect storm, this… Heavy Rain.