The Art of Heavy Rain (Part 5)

Gameplay

“Heavy Rain is a very dark thriller; it’s an experience that I think for the first time is going to put gamers into very different emotional states … I think it’s going to demonstrate that emotion is the key to any entertainment form.”

— Guillaume De Fondaumiere

Fun Fact:

There is a sheet inside the disk case players can fold into an origami figure (instructions on screen), during the 4GB game download.

ARI - Added Reality Interface

ARI is agent Norman Jayden’s FBI augmented reality interface accessed through his glasses and interacted with by his glove. It’s not only very cool but  highly useful in game; clues are scanned and highlighted through ARI by pressing the RB as the player searches. ARI also acts as an inventory system of files, clues and evidence found by the player can be compiled and clues can be put together.

“This … this is my office?”

ARI also allows the user to customize their view, choosing any theme from underwater, to no a mountain, in a forest and on planet mars. Much more exciting that the bleak, filthy room Norman was given.

Jayden can also die somehow by not closing ARI.

Theme

When Ethan goes out to play with his sons, they’re really excited and ask their father to lift them up. The player can choose which son he picks up first. When Ethan lifts Shaun up on his shoulders, the player must tilt the controller to “steer” Ethan as he walks around the backyard carrying a giggling Shaun.

When Ethan goes to lift Jason he grabs onto his hands and swings him around; the player has to rotate the right stick around repeatedly. After a dizzy Jason falls over, the two boys ask him to lift both of them up together, where the player must repeatedly tap the X button.

The boys clap and cheer and Ethan then hugs them. Jason picks up one of the toy swords on the ground and challenges his father to a duel. This sequence is a series of quick-time events and button taps. In this the player has the option of “defeating” Jason by hitting all of the QTEs or letting Jason win (or failing) by missing some buttons.

If Jason wins Shaun celebrates with his brother and Ethan looks genuinely disappointed. If Ethan wins, Jason falls over and dramatically utters “My life … has come to an end.” (an ill-fated omen.)

Grace calls them in for dinner.

Shaun goes upstairs right before the family is seated. Grace calls out to Shaun but he won’t come down. She asks Ethan to go get him. When the player walks upstairs they see Shaun kneeling down at the top of the stairs.

Ethan asks his son, “Shaun? What’s wrong?”  Shaun sniffs “Merlin’s dead and it’s all my fault.” as he stares at his bird Merlin. It is here Shaun is confronted with death for the first time.

Ethan consoles him, “Sometimes there are just things that just have to happen… even if you don’t want them to.”

Ethan’s response is one of resignation -- an admission of his own powerlessness when faced with death; a forerunner of what is to come.