Heavy Rain:
The Origami Killer is a tasty melding of different genres, with one foot in the
real world in terms of environmental familiarity, and the other foot firmly
entrenched in the surreal.
The game,
from Quantic Dreams and SCEA, is a blend of discovery for the four central
characters, but also one that embraces the word ‘immersive’ in a manner that
tries to go beyond the cursory elements associated with most games and puts the
player in the shoes of the characters. From mundane tasks to timing combat
elements, and using a heads-up display as an FBI agent to uncover clues, Heavy
Rain is a game that epitomizes the concept that games are interactive novels.
There are
four characters in the game, each a thread in the overall tapestry of the
storyline. Each plays a vital part in the overall telling and each character can
be controlled by the player as the game progresses. But lest you think the game
will be a walk in the park, mistakes can be costly. If you react too slowly in
the timed-button-mashing moments during combat and the character central to that
part of the story dies, you lose that character and that part of the story. The
goal, therefore, is to go through the story with each character and experience
the psychological murder-mystery from that up-close and very personal
perspective.
The core
ingredient in this game is the choices that have to be made all along the way.
That’s what makes the game so intriguing. There is never a truly right answer,
or even a righteous one. The player will be second-guessing himself or herself
throughout. React on gut – that’s about the only way to do it. While a certain
choice may seem the nice thing to do, or the noble, or even the right one, that
one decision may wind back around and have terrible consequences later on in the
game.
Four
characters are the key, and at the core is the antagonist – a serial killer
known as the Origami Killer. Replayability is rife here, as after completing the
10-12 hour game, going back in, making a different decision will yield some
different consequences as the game moves forward. It is rather ingenuous, though
not everyone will understand or appreciate it.
The setting
is any town hit by poverty and hardship (like many American towns in the current
economic climate). The game is adult-oriented, hitting on themes that are
familiar. There is heartbreak, psychological terror, and a pervading sense of
darkness that pulls gamers along.
The four
characters are fleshed out remarkably well. Each has a sense of familiarity and
also a darker side that reveals itself. The characters are architect Ethan Mars
(whose life is ripped apart when one of the children introduced during the
tutorial – which passes itself off as a glimpse of his home life and is
extremely believable – is killed in a car accident), an FBI profiler named
Norman Jayden (who has a drug habit that rears itself at the wrong times),
retired private detective Scott Shelby, and photo-journalist Madison Paige. The
amazing thing is that each of these characters feels real. Their actions may be
controlled, but there is a connection made through the controller that resonates
in the way they are given life that extends beyond the monitor. And that makes
seeing bad things happen much more personal.
The graphics
are incredible, with attention to detail that is remarkable. The control scheme
is also very well realized, moving from some motion elements that are of the
‘why didn’t anyone else thing of this?’ to the onscreen prompts during the
action scenes that requires gamers to press corresponding hot buttons. The audio
is well done.
At first,
the game seemed mired in minutia, and didn’t seem all that attractive. But then
something strange happened. Going beyond the need for a quick action fix, along
with the connection forged with the characters (realized in part by the control
scheme), the story and game world started to matter.
Sure, there
are a few stumbling elements in the way the game plays out, and some frustration
is bound to pop in, but Heavy Rain is a great achievement. It may have gathered
elements from different genres, but Quantic Dreams has forged a brand-new
experience. Heavy Rain goes beyond the confines of the HD screen and gets inside
the player.
|
|
Gameplay: 9
‘Immersion’ is a
word bantered about, but very rarely without a solid originating reference
point. Heavy Rain could well be that reference point. The camera can be a bit
odd, but that is seldom. The game controls take a bit to get used to, and in
frenetic scenes they can seem to hamper, but the driving elements do work very
well as a whole.
Graphics: 9
Some minor
distractions but the look and ‘feel’ of the game’s environments and characters
is excellent.
Sound: 8.5
The audio is
solid and a nice supporting cast member to the audio. Together the audio and
graphical elements weave a realistic world.
Difficulty: Med/Hard
Concept: 9.5
There are very,
very few games that can compare with the psychological elements, or the power of
choice elements that this game has. The controls might seem a bit much
initially, but the reasoning for the control scheme becomes clear deep into the
game.
Overall: 9
There are some
flaws, but taken as a package Heavy Rain is a remarkable achievement in gaming
that creates an interactive experience that goes beyond the pages of a good
novel or film noir. This is a game that needs to be experienced.
