Heavy Rain is a masterpiece that delivers in gameplay, story, and atmosphere despite a few technical miscues.
I will start by saying NO SPOILERS will be given in this review. Just the bare facts necessary to convey the story. Heavy Rain follows the case of a serial killer known as the Origami Killer. The Origami Killer kidnaps young boys who are then found dead a few days later, drowned and with a small origami figure in their hands. Your job in Heavy Rain is to figure out who the serial killer is and fast. You play as 4 different characters throughout your journey to solve the case, including Ethan Mars, whose son is the latest to be kidnapped by the OK. You'll also gain control of FBI agent Norman Jayden, private detective Scott Shelby, and journalist Madison Paige. All are interesting in their own ways and as the story progresses so will the lives and events surrounding the characters. There are some plotholes in the story (which I won't discuss for spoiler purposes), but the game is so intense and thrilling that I personally didn't notice them until after I had finished. There are many different ways of progressing through the story though and this is a game that is truly affected by even the smallest of decisions. One event can alter the ending of the game, or even the immediate future. The main story stays the same, but the way things play out is entirely based on your decisions. There is no good or bad karma meter, but you can kill off your main characters if you're not careful. The good thing is that there is no game over screen in Heavy Rain. If a character dies then the game will just continue without him or her. Obviously things will play out differently, but the game won't end until the finale.
Even "failing" button prompts won't end your game. During fight sequences or other events even inputting the wrong commands won't result in a game over. It will just make your character appear a little bit more beat up, or perhaps dead. Of course doing actions correctly can lead to better results at the end of the game or even those precious trophies everyone talks about. For the most part button commands are smooth, but walking can be an issue at times. You have to hold down R1 to walk in Heavy Rain and use the joystick to guide them. This can be awkward and many times my character went where I didn't want them to go. You'll get used to it though. You'll also have different dialogue options when necessary. These can affect your outcome as well obviously. You can also listen to your characters' thoughts by holding down the L1 button and pressing the corresponding button. These thoughts can give a good mental state of the character at times, but sometimes these thoughts just feel a little unnatural. They'll say things that are overly obvious or feel forced in order to give the player a hint. A minor detail, but one that can detract from the tenseness of the game at times. A nice touch though is that the thought commands actually float around the character in a way that reflects their mood. For example if a character is extremely nervous the choices my shake up and down make it harder for you to judge the right button to press. Makes you feel a little nervous yourself as well. Sometimes we get nervous in situations and say the wrong things. I love how the game makes you feel like a part of the action.
The visuals in HR are pretty top notch, but there are some technical issues abound. A lot of them didn't show up until after I had beat the game, but they are still there. Some moments will freeze in time forever due to certain glitches, NPC characters will walk through obstacles and people, and there was a little screen tearing at times. The characters though are actually modeled after their voice actors and look like almost exact replicas of their real life counterparts. The atmosphere of the game is superb though. It is just so dark and intense and it really adds to the game. HR is perhaps the most thrilling, exciting, tense, and emotional game I have ever played. I've never played a game that can provide so much and combine them all efficiently. The music is also great and ranges from horribly sad tunes to extremely tense and scary. Again, the developers put a lot of love into this game. The voice work is adequate at best, but there are a couple stand-out contributors. For an American audience many of the characters are actually foreigners trying to do an American accent. It can come off as weird at times; especially when almost everyone refers to the serial killer as the "Origarmi Killer." You can definitely sense a bit of European flair in their voices. Sometimes trophies won't register either which can add to frustration. Luckily you can replay chapters separately for trophies or to see how a scene turns out with different choices. You'll also have the option to save or not when starting a separate chapter. Saving will save when the chapter ends and affect the remainder of the story, essentially erasing your play data after that point and following the altered chapter. Not saving will not affect the subsequent chapters and allow players to fool around without worry. Again, not saving is great for a quick trophy or a "What If" scenario. There are also a lot unlockables to acquire including making of movies and artwork.
Heavy Rain is a short game at roughly 8 or so hours, but man is it an amazing ride. There actually is a lot of replay value, but I advise players to absorb their endings, let some time pass, and then give it another go. Replaying it immediately won't seem as cool and will detract from your ending. There are tons of epic events in HR. It is just a thrilling experience from beginning to end. Like I said, even the mundane tasks have purpose. The tagline of Heavy Rain is something along the lines of "how far would you go to save someone you love?" Believe me, there are many decisions you'll be faced with that tug at your conscience. HR is just a game, but it is so good at conveying emotion that I just couldn't go through with some of the choices. That's what makes HR so good though. It actually feels like you are making the decisions and impacting these characters' lives. Such an awesome game despite its flaws. Heavy Rain is easily my GOTY so far and instantly moved into my Top 3 games ever. It was that good. I highly recommend this game to anyone looking for a thrilling experience. I applaud the developers for making such an enthralling game and providing a fresh experience.
9.5/10