Heavy Rain Review

I recently played my first game of Heavy Rain, start to finish in one day. The game, while short, was an amazing experience. The graphics were some of the best I've seen, the sound was fantastic, and the voice acting, while spotty at times, was also really well done.

The main gameplay element of Heavy Rain is quick time events, or pressing buttons as they appear on screen as quickly as possible to complete an action. Most games using then, failing to hit the button fails the quick time event, and you must start over. Not Heavy Rain. In this game, missing a button changes the outcome of the scene, and in most cases, the rest of the game. That's right, every little action you do effects the outcome of the rest of the game. This put real weight behind the gameplay, and made each segment (especially fights) way more intense.

The focus of Heavy Rain is story and character, and could be described as an interactive movie more than a game. The game follows four characters who are all, in some way, connected to the investigation of a serial killer known as the Origami Killer. Throughout the game, you get the chance to play as each of the characters, and progress the story based on your actions. The game does a fantastic job of telling an engaging and emotional story, where you care about the characters and their relationships.

Overall, Heavy Rain is a must play game to those who appreciate storytelling from games. For those looking for an action packed shoot-em up, this isn't the game for you. Personally, I cannot wait to go back and play through it a second time to see how the game unfolds under a series of new decisions.