Heavy Rain review

Riding atop a wave of genius, or drowning in it's ambition?

Movies and computer games have shared an unsteady relationship. Making movies based on computer games or indeed computer games based on movies usually leads to poor results. But with better graphics and the success of story based games there has been an urge from some developers to marry games and cinema, to provide an experience with both the rich characters and story of a great film and the interaction and exploration of a computer game.

Heavy Rain, from Quantic Dreams, is the latest to try it's had at this type of game. Combining the feel of a psychological thriller, with a whodunnit, and giving the player control over the actions of several key characters in the plot, it engages you in the story and pushes you to answer the question- Who is the Origami Killer?

So, without wanting to give too much away, the plot centres around the actions of a serial killer, who kidnaps and drowns local children. You play the part of several characters- an FBI agent and a private detective who are investigating the murder, a reporter, and a man grieving over the recent loss of his son. The story is engaging, and if you let yourself it is entirely possible to get very wrapped up in the story. The characters are also developed quite well, with their own motives and morals, and the twist at the end is quite surprising.

The graphics in the game are excellent, from detailed environments and effects to facial animation, which all help create a believable world. The sound effects are also spot on, and the music serves to add to the tension, although occasionally becomes a little too dramatic in some scenes.

The control system in this game relies on button or directional prompts popping up, which means that when exploring a room or crime scene contextual icons will appear against objects you can interact with. Also in certain scenes a series of 'quick time events' occur, meaning you need to stab at the buttons in time to get things done. The game does it best to vary these, although over the course of the story this gameplay idea can quickly get stale.

The general idea of choosing your characters actions is also limited. You can't necessarily choose what happens in a lot of cases, and although some choices can affect the game, a lot of these are merely brief interludes against the main story, rather than changing the course of the game. Watching my girlfriend play this after me I was surprised to see her finish it with a similar ending to me, even after making several different decisions story wise.

Overall, the game is enjoyable and certainly different to a lot of other games on the market. Whilst reminding me of the mighty Dreamcast game Shenmue in several places, it lacks the level of interactivity and variety to make it a match. The story is definitely the main feature, and it's not surprising that the rights for a film version have been snapped up. More control over your characters would have been nice, as it is, the game veers far to close to being a movie for my liking.

3/5

Thanks for reading! Andrew