It is difficult to a write a review of Heavy Rain because it is such a rare game. Is it even a game? Or is it a movie? Or as the creators say an interactive drama? I read a nice sentence in an interview with David Cage, the writer of the game. He said you're not just the actor in Heavy Rain, but also the writer and director. I think this really good match with my experiences. Many scenes have a predetermined end, but you can reach those ends in many different ways. There are also scenes that get a very different course depending on your choices. There’re even scenes that only occur when you did or didn’t do something in a scene before. Of course there are also several possible endings to the game. Many of these endings depend largely on what you do in the final chapters.
I must say that all these different endings are well thought through and not just put together to fulfil the promise of multiple endings.
Enough with the scenes and endings. The game itself is an unique experience.Some scenes you play without you’re being aware of it, time goes by and you are hooked to the TV. You think like you’re the character and wonder what you would do in his place. I was totally into the game when I played it. The story is very interesting and is brought to the player in a good way. First you're mostly playing with the characters separately and slowly the links between them appear. Although the controls are actually quite limited, I've never felt the game was monotonous. The scenes are just very strong, some are for the story, other are more about the relationship between the characters and some scenes get you that edge of your seat experience.
Also, this game is very strong audiovisual. Heavy Rain definitely got some of the best facial expressions and emotions in a game I have ever seen. The attention to detail is sometimes unknown in the land of gaming. The drops of blood from someone’s face, the splashes of rain on the street, the movement of clothing and much more. There are many details that are just as they are in real live but have never been seen in games. At least in the games I've played.
The replay value was one of those things I had concerns about. In some ways those concerns came true. I do not really even remember how many hours I have played the game. All I know is that I constantly returned to my PS3 to play just another chapter to play. I like the different endings and epilogues, in that way I’m happy with the replay value. There are not many games I’d like to play over and over again. But in the end I can’t deny the fact that it’s a short, but strong, singleplayer experience. And if you pay the full price for a one day experience it could let you down. So my advise is that if you haven’t bought it already, wait for a price drop.
In the end Heavy Rain is a very unique experience. A game where you are the actor, director and writer. An interactive drama with great scenes, great graphics and a good story. The replay value can be a bit disappointing though. If you don’t mind the short experience and low value you can add a half to the score.
Overall score: 8.5/10
