Cert: 18+
Platform: PS3
Genre: Adventure
Quantic Dream's last title, 2002's Fahrenheit, received a relatively modest audience considering it was an innovative, compelling adventure that bridged the gap between film and videogames in way we had never seen before. Now, after a long, long time of waiting, its successor has finally arrived in the form of Heavy Rain.
The story see's the player taking the role of four main characters, each, in some way, affected by the elusive Origami Killer. Each character is stunningly rendered, and they inhabit a world that's both noir and mod – it could easily be a narrative from a film by David Fincher or Christopher Nolan - with the ominously dark, cinematic score that constantly plays over the gameplay reminding us of why Fahrenheit was so enjoyable all those years ago.
And the gameplay itself is in some ways where this game shines and fails in some parts. To make your character interact with the world around them, various button presses appear on screen – hold L1 to take a drink, rotate the right analog stick forty-five degrees to open a car door – and it's incredibly easy to pick up from the start and some of the button combos are fun to pull off, but it's also why it's probably the game's main drawback in that it's a bit too easy. If you fail to press a button in time, you'll get another chance a second later, or simply move on without a need to retry. Some may say this is another plus, in the sense that failure to succeed in one spot will branch the story down a different route (there are a number of possible endings to game), but there are times that the simple button presses teeter on the monotonous. But these times are scarce, because the story, the characters and the world are just so engaging; it can't be anything other than a five-star experience.
One of the most atmospheric and hopefully, trendsetting, titles to grace a next-gen console. Quantic Dream, just don't take so long next time.
Stunning.
Rent or Buy: Buy
Graphics: 5/5
Gameplay: 5/5
Replay Value: 5/5
Overall: 5/5
Reviewed By: Simon Rubbathan
