Heavy Rain PS3

Alex Beech's review of Heavy Rain. Subscribe to this column via RSS or Newsletter.

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Column:
Scared Gamer

Format:
PS3

Genre:
Adventuring

Style:
Thirdperson
Singleplayer

Written on:
09/08/2010

Second opinion:
Family Gamer (PS3)
Soulful Gamer (PS3)
Reporting Gamer (PS3)
Podcast (PS3)

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Heavy Rain PS3 shoots for the moon, but while the filmic nature is impressive it doesn't distract from the juvenile game play. In parts scary, while in others unbelievable. A game I enjoyed watching more than I enjoyed playing.

Heavy Rain aspires to blend cinematic narrative and interaction. Set against a film-noir detective thriller, the tale tackles a number of adult themes as character's lives become entwined in their search for the Origami Killer.

It's directed by David Cage and developed by Quantic Dream with a real emphasis on characterisation and emotion through both narrative and controls. While it is hard to ignore the importance of what Heavy Rain attempts, the manipulation of the narrative leaves a lingering sense of missed opportunity.

Heavy Rain appears to suffer from multiple personality disorder, fittingly as this is one of the key themes of the game. Yet despite having made this diagnosis I remain unable to workout which of its personalities is dominant as it flitters back and forth between movie and game. Occasionally it manages to blend the two media, but all too often finding the two personas jarringly separate.

I didn't feel any sense of impact to my interactions. Described in the tutorial as 'unfolding' actions, play frequently consisted of carefully and methodically acting out complex onscreen prompts. Actions were indicated by icons strategically placed on the location of my natural focal point, forcing me to contort my hand around the controller with multiple buttons - often mirroring and recreating for me the on-screen difficulties. Mechanically and emotionally it brought me closer to the character's experience, but I never quite escaped feeling that I was just choosing which movie reel to play next.

On the few occasions I was granted direct control of a character, the visuals often stumbled. Tasked with guiding my character through the environments their rigid character animations fast became starkly evident. Under my manipulation characters moved unnaturally around the world as I struggled with unfamiliar controls, bumping in to tables and strangers heedlessly. It is a common enough occurrence in games, but with so much reliance on the connection Heavy Rain's stilted animations fundamentally hurts the experience for me.

Heavy Rain tackles some difficult topics, child abduction and murder being two most obvious. From the beginning pace is intentionally slow and spends time properly framing the characters and motivations. It does a good job, I felt for my characters, but I was still the viewer rather than the actor.

Split personalities is not only a theme of the game, but was also mirrored in my own motivations and conflicted desires. Initially I tried to role-play the cast, behaving as I felt they would. I had no urge to test the limits of the game, happy to go where it intended. I would listen to character's musings, searching for every hint available in order to build their mental profiles. But even with visual clues the breadcrumbs left by the characters left me wanting to shake things up with an unanticipated outcome or choice.

Facts and motivations that were key to the plot remained withheld from me. Was this just because my characters wouldn't have known? Unfortunately I suspect the reason for withholding information was simpler, that the movie element failed to hold up under the strain imposed by game mechanics. That the limitations of his story forced the director to pull narrative slight of hand to keep finale hidden until he wanted it revealed.

This all creates a fascinating talking piece, adult topics and sensitive apprehension are as intriguing as they are rare. But as a cinematic experience, it serves as a case study in how games are still very much in their infancy.

A narrative structure riddled with holes to accommodate a mystery, and game play that is ultimately a complex game of Simon Says, simply fell short of what I hoped for. It's not that I didn't enjoy Heavy Rain, it's a milestone title for what it attempts. But this is a genre that could prove an evolutionary dead-end in gaming narrative, unless someone finds away to better realise the concept's promise.

Written by Alex Beech

Alex Beech writes the Scared Gamer column. "Games connect us to exhilaration in various ways. I love mine to scare me. Although the shock, horror and gore are all pretty unnerving, nothing comes close to the sweaty palms of playing games that take you to ridiculously high places - InFamous, Mirror's Edge and Uncharted to name a few."

Alex Beech's recent reviews:

• Blur
• Contra 4
• Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem
• Dark Void Zero

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