Heavy Rain
This decade-old psychological thriller is worth consideration.
Heavy Rain by Quantic Dream Games for Sony Entertainment (https://www.quanticdream.com/en), $14.99 on Steam, PlayStation and Microsoft Windows, ESRB Rating M, for Violence and Suggestive Themes. (Original release date: February 23, 2010 — Review Date: November 3, 2020) by Grace Reynoso.
How far will you go to save someone you love? This richly illustrated, intense psychological thriller serves up endless twists, turns, and outcomes as you try to save your loved ones.
But be warned. The plot will reel you in immediately, as you learn about a mysterious ‘origami killer’ who kills using rainfall to drown his victims.
After the opening introductory video, you become one of the characters. As you explore a town using the classic PlayStation navigation controls, you complete tasks, fight people and solve the mystery. Failure to complete certain tasks could be detrimental to your storyline, or lead you to different events and outcomes.
I loved all the possible endings in this game— It pulled me in, and I think that’s what will pull you in as well.
Visually, you can tell that the game was created several years ago, but nevertheless the dark, neutral tone vibe of the game compliments its plot, and there is almost always the sound of falling rain in the background during gameplay, which I think is a nice auditory touch.
Since this is a storyline game, there are no interactive elements, such as being able to play with friends online, but again, given that the game was made in 2010 it isn’t really expected to have that many interactive features.
In terms of engagement, I think Heavy Rain does a phenomenal job of grasping at your heart strings while also pulling you deeper and deeper into the plot. When I first started playing, every new detail and clue only made me want the delve further into the gameplay. I would say if you plan on checking out this game, definitely put aside a good few hours of your day for possibly a week or so to engross yourself in everything this game has to offer.
Overall, I found Heavy Rain to be extremely immersive and entertaining, and it really made me think. With any form of visual media, you know it’s good when you feel empty once you finish it. Heavy Rain most definitely sent me to my own imaginary reality, even if it was only for a little while. In comparison to a lot of more current decision-making games on the market, this one still stands out for me.
With its engaging character developments, countless possible outcomes, and gripping murder-mystery style plot, it is hard not to get sucked into this game.
I gave it a Satisfactory rating for its Visual Aesthetic (because it’s dated, but I love how the dark visuals compliment the storyline), a Moderate rating for its Functions, an Extraordinary rating for its Plot, a Satisfactory rating for its Interactiveness, and an Extraordinary rating for its Engagement.
Ratings
The bottom line
If you’re craving a thrilling psychological decision game that will have you til the very end, this is it.
About The Reviewer: Grace Reynoso is a Junior Communications Major with a Public/Mass Media track. She is originally from Ridgewood, New Jersey and has always been into all things art, beauty, and fashion. Grace also loves creating new looks on her makeup page! Follow her on Instagram: @grace.reynoso and @glossbygracie_
