Eurogamer Expo 2009: Heavy Rain Hands-On Impressions

Norman Jayden and Jack

If any of you guys out there have played Fahrenheit (known as Indigo Prophecy in the States) then I must congratulate you for being part of a select group of gamers and playing one of the most underrated games on the last generation of consoles. Joking aside though, Fahrenheit was something of a flawed gem and if you played it I am quite certain you will agree with me. If not for the very bizarre final third of the game Quantic Dream and, leading man, David Cage would have truly created a gaming masterpiece. However there were some people who argued that it wasn’t really a game, as all you did was press a series of buttons and move the analogue sticks according to what came up on screen; sequences now well known as quick time events (QTEs). Essentially that is what the gameplay consisted of but it was still a game, no matter what anyone said otherwise. Not only that, it was one the few games that managed to combine story telling and gameplay to create such a unique and mature cinematic experience.

Now in 2009 (five years later) Quantic Dream and David Cage are back with Heavy Rain, hoping to perfect what they started with Fahrenheit and once again give gamers that unique gaming experience. A few days ago at the Eurogamer Expo I got to find out if they succeeded and without keeping you in suspense I can honestly say the answer is an emphatic yes. Going by the two scenarios I played, the game improves on the foundations they laid with Fahrenheit and then some.

If you have been following Heavy Rain closely you will know get to play as one of four characters all after one thing, the identity of the Origami Killer. During our hands-on we got to play as two of those characters, Scott Shelby (private detective) and Norman Jayden (FBI profiler). The scenario with Scott Shelby involves him going into a shop and asking the owner some questions about the Origami Killer. The shop keeper refuses to give this information but Scott decides to stay around as he needs to pick up an inhaler. At this point you take control of him and guide him to the back of the shop to look for his inhaler.  As you pick up your inhaler (by flicking the analogue stick up, as indicated on-screen) the actions shifts to the front of the shop where the shop keeper in being held at gun point. Now this is where things get interesting, you once again take control of Scott and have to decide what to do. Now I must mention, fellow God is a Geek member Aaron was sitting right next to me and playing the same scenario but we both ended up with different results. Infact even when my colleague Aryel played the same scenario he ended up with a different result to both myself and Aaron; that is the beauty of Heavy Rain.

As Scott you can pretty much choose to do anything you want once you regain control of him. You can stand there at the back and be a coward, be the calm hero, the aggressive hero or even the dead hero. Anyhow, after various QTEs I ended up getting spotted by the “robber”, tried to calm him down, got into a scuffle and then got grazed by a bullet in my shoulder. After I got “shot” though the “robber” ran away as he was scared and I ended up being the “wounded hero”. This resulted in me getting some information out of the shop keeper about the Origami Killer, something I probably would not have got if I didn’t intervene.  In comparison, Aaron ended up getting the same information but his route to doing that was ever so different. He also got spotted by the “robber” but he talked him out of it which resulted in the guy “calmly” walking out of the shop like nothing had happened. It must be noted that the QTEs are integrated into the scenarios brilliantly, they feel natural and never intrude in on the cinematic atmosphere.

The second scenario placed me in control of Norman Jayden who, as I mentioned earlier, is an FBI profiler also on the trail of the Origami Killer. The setting is a old junk yard where Norman has come looking for some answers about a particular vehicle. I started off by going into a work shop, only to be seen by a guy named Jack (he looks very suspicious!) and he doesn’t seem to keen to answer any of the questions he is asked. After he leaves you are left free to investigate the area using the ARI glasses at Norman’s disposal (fancy gadget!). I roamed around the workshop finding specific clues which eventually lead to an acid bath where I found a human skull. Out of nowhere I was then attacked by Jack and a series of QTEs followed. I managed to gain control of the situation (missing a few QTEs in the process) and through some intimidation (shooting an empty barrel near Jack) I got some information out of him. Just when you think it was over though Norman’s vision starts to blur and his nose starts bleeding. This is as a result of a drug problem, something which I found out later. This results in Norman getting captured by Jack and put in vehicle which is about to be crushed. Now this is no reflection on my gaming skills (“yeah right!”, I hear you say!) but I actually got killed during the next QTE section as I didn’t press the correct buttons time., which obviously resulted in Norman being crushed inside the vehicle. In the demo this is where the scene ended and I couldn’t continue playing but if it were the full game then there would be no game over, the story would just move on accordingly; another unique feature in Heavy Rain.

Now once again, in comparison when Aaron played the exact same section he didn’t start out by going straight into the workshop like me. He guided Norman to Jack who was busy doing some work and then asked him the necessary questions.  Unlike clumsy old me, Aaron also managed to escape the soon to be crushed vehicle and got into another scrap with Jack which eventually resulted in the “poor guy” getting run over by wrecking machine. If it wasn’t clear enough already, then this second scenario also hammers home the point that Heavy Rain is shaping up to be one amazingly unique gaming experience. It is something you will play then talk to friends about and the chances are that you will have had completely different experiences, I know that certainly applies to the God is a Geek team!

Oh and I haven’t even mentioned the sublime visuals yet! Heavy Rain is quite simply a fantastic looking game. Both settings for the scenarios looked great but the shop edged it slightly due to some quite superb environmental detail. However the best thing about the visuals has to be the amazing character models, they almost look like real people at times! I guess the only remaining question to ask is, “are there any negatives?” Well to be honest there are no real glaring faults with the game but, if pressed, I would say the character movement felt a bit awkward at first due the unorthodox controls. The movement is actually very much like a racing game, which sounds weird but actually (eventually!) works pretty well. You use R2 to move the character forward and the left analog stick is used for moving the character in a particular direction. Like I said, it feels a bit weird at first but I can guarantee most gamers will get used to the control scheme within minutes.

You probably won’t be surprised to read this but after getting my hands on Heavy Rain, I must say that is one fantastic game. Even all the other members of the God is a Geek team were hugely impressed by it too hence we voted it our “game of the show”. However I think it will hit the same wall that Fahrenheit did, it will gain much critical acclaim but sadly the sales figures will be just about decent. Its “downfall” is that it is geared towards a certain type of gamer mainly because it offers a more mature/unique experience than any title currently available right now. It might not be a shooter or a racer but it is truly a wonderful gaming experience, one which I think all gamers should experience come March 2010.