Heavy Rain, a newer release for the PS3, has been widely speculated upon for a long time up until its recent release. Now that the game is out, you may find yourself asking what the fuss is about. Well, you will be pleasantly surprised. This game is definitely a change of pace as it is unlike anything else out on the market.
Heavy Rain is not your typical game. This game is about a story and watching it unravel. It isn’t about leveling up or recruiting teammates. It is a psychological thriller revolving around a hunt for a criminal called the Origami Killer. The mystery of the game unravels as you follow the story of 4 characters whose paths intertwine. Each of these people has their own story and path to follow as they each try to find clues leading to the Origami Killer. They all have their own perspectives, actions, and decisions that affect the path of the game.
The first character is Ethan, a troubled father whose son has gone missing and will soon be the next victim of the Origami Killer. Ethan must go through a series of trials the Origami Killer has left for him in order to get clues as to his son’s location. The other three characters that you will play are an investigative journalist, a private investigator, and an FBI profiler.
As you go through the game, you’ll switch between the 4 characters as you look for clues and try to track down the criminal. As you play, on screen prompts will appear letting you choose one decision or another. Some of these decisions seem simple enough, like whether or not to let your son win at a game. Other decisions will leave you biting your nails while trying to decide what is best, like deciding whether or not to fire your gun. These decisions in fact will dramatically impact the game in some situations. How they will impact the game depends on all of the other decisions you made previously. The possibilities seem almost endless.
It is possible for your characters to die in the game. If a character dies, due to some decision you made, you will just move on to the other characters. However, you won’t see the entire story, you won’t be able to get all of the clues, and you will only see the remaining character’s perspectives. It is actually possible for all of the characters to die! In this case… you probably will get a bad ending to the game. Speaking of endings, this game has multitudes of them. The ending you see will be decided on what decisions you made and what paths you chose.
Heavy Rain goes through chapters. Although it is possible to replay chapters to see different outcomes, I would suggest just playing all of the way through. The game can be beaten in about eight or nine hours. If you want to see another ending, play through it again and make different decisions! The replay value is high as there are so many paths to take and outcomes to see! Read the rest of this entry »