Troy Benedict, Senior Writer

Heavy Rain: A Mature Drama with Hard Hitting Action

February 24, 2010

Over the past several years, in an attempt to immerse gamers into the experience, and get them to identify on a more personal level with the characters and their actions, many games have introduced a morality choice into their gameplay elements. None of them have been executed in quite the same way that Heavy Rain has.

It's obvious from the start that Heavy Rain is going to be a unique video game experience, one that is narrative-driven and is focused on the human element. The game plays out like an interactive movie - a mix of an adventure game scheme with "quick time events" that are similar to something like the classic arcade game Dragon's Lair. There is no Heads Up Display with a health bar or visual compass. In fact, there is absolutely nothing on the screen other than your character and the environment. Only when the player approaches objects that can be interacted with, do visual cues pop-up on the screen that instruct you what to do.

If there a comparable video game that I could use as a basis to describe Heavy Rain, it would be the Dreamcast's Shenmue. Some parts of the game are purely exploratory with a heavy focus on interacting with the environment and "just living life" while other actions, like violent encounters, require you to push buttons in the correct order and within a very limited amount to time.

There were other parts during my run with the game that events were timed, but it was subtly done. You obviously have a set schedule to follow and how you do so, and how you spend that time, is up to you. Of course, there are consequences to the choices that you'll make. Earlier in the game, I feel that following a certain course of action won't lead to hugely catastrophic events, but at the same time, I wouldn't be surprised if your actions didn't have at least some sort of butterfly effect where a small change early on could eventually lead to a dramatically different result much later in the game.

Being a father and a husband, there were a few scenes in the introduction that kinda hit home. Without giving away spoilers, the game begins full of bright bold colors, and clear skies. Of course, a tragedy happens after you start to identify with the characters, which kicks off the game's opening credits and leads into a complete change of visual style, from a brightly colored atmosphere, to a drab and mud-colored environment where it always seems to be raining.

The player is informed that two years have passed, and it's obvious that the tragedy has led to a complete breakdown of the once happy family structure. Characters seem to be sad and depressed, and it's very obvious, not only in their facial animation and body language, but in the changes that have taken place within the characters' environment. Whatever has happened during that two years took it's toll in a bad way.

Heavy Rain is an M-rated game, but it's not in M-rated for the reasons that other titles receive that rating. Yes, there is bad language, sexual situations, violence, and nudity, but it's handled with a surprising maturity that I can only compare to a very serious and heavy dramatic movie.

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