How good is Heavy Rain? I blew off the Superbowl to play it. Mind you, I beat Quantic Dreams latest long before the big games kickoff, but what I found myself doing for the next several hours was playing the final handful of chapters over and over again. I cared about these characters, and I desperately wanted to see how each of their tales unfolded when I switched tiny things. What happens when I say this? What happens when I pick the wrong place? What happens when I let one of them die? What happens when all of them die?
These experiments might sound mundane, but the payoff can be astounding. Seeing your favorite character live happily ever in one ending only to go back, change one thing, and see him or her take their own life in another is a crazy thing.
Roper goes as far as to say that Heavy Rains story would be a Scorsese plot if it was translated to film, but its important to note that not everyone will feel that weight as they get going. In the beginning of the game in the slow portions youve been warned about I was laughing as I tried to get the hang of the control scheme and banged plates on the table and couldnt figure out how to open sliding doors. However, as time went on, I found the admittedly unique scheme completely immersive with the exception of confusing shaky button prompts with ones I needed to tap. I also wish that you could skip conversations youve already heard when you replay missions -- as youll do the same thing again and again if youre looking to see it all -- but no games perfect.
Heavy Rain wont be for everyone (namely kids or people just looking to blow stuff up) but its deep story, branching paths, and fleshed out characters make it a title that should be played by anyone looking to see what videogames are capable of in terms of heartfelt experiences. I cared about these people by the time the credits rolled, and thats what made me want to go back and get their stories right.
