Before returning to the adventure itself, let's look at the specifics of this PC port. First, it takes advantage of the power of computers to be able to shoot in 4K and 60 frames per second, which neither the PS3 version nor the PS4 version allowed. The game also offers a multitude of graphic options (quality of textures, details of decorations, quality of shadows, anti-aliasing, ambient occlusion, quality of reflections, etc.), so that everyone can find the best compromise according to the power of his machine. Do not panic, for most players it will be possible to push everything to the limit. We are therefore quite simply entitled to the most beautiful version of Heavy Rain that has ever seen the light of day. But make no mistake, we are not dealing with a remake, or even a remaster. Originally released in 2010, the game wasn't really born yesterday and, despite the various graphical improvements, it shows. The facial animations that were impressive at the time have become much more mundane, while the body modeling and animations have taken on a bit of a dated look. Nothing catastrophic, but their rigidity and the awkwardness of certain interactions can lessen the emotional aspect of certain scenes.
Originally designed for the PS3 controller and its Sixaxis motion recognition system, the gameplay has been reworked in order to be suitable for standard controllers (including those from the Xbox ecosystem), for example by replacing the joystick shake by shaking the right stick. The keyboard / mouse couple has not been left out either, the QTEs being achievable thanks to the ZQSD keys and mouse clicks and movements. The game has the good taste to instantly switch between displaying joystick or keyboard/mouse controls as soon as you touch one of the two types of controllers. In any case, the camera and movement system is far from ideal. Because the camera angles imposed by the game, associated with an absolute rather than a relative movement system, lead to the famous problem of "I enter a room by pushing the stick in a given direction, the camera angle changes and... . I involuntarily leave the room". We thought the problems of this kind solved since the first Resident Evil… Bad point also with regard to the absence of the downloadable content “The Taxidermist”, released nine years ago on PS3 but not found in this PC version. Fortunately, its lifespan not exceeding half an hour, it is a relatively anecdotal DLC. In the category of small details that give pleasure, we can on the other hand mention the possibility of finely personalizing the linguistic experience, since the languages used by the audio, the subtitles and the menus, can be configured independently of each other. (forward to the VOST!). Finally, this PC version is released exclusively on the Epic Games Store, and is therefore deprived of a Steam-style success system, while there were fifty-seven trophies to unlock on the PS3 version. It may seem trivial, but in a branching game, successes are a significant motivation to test the different paths.
Originally designed for the PS3 controller and its Sixaxis motion recognition system, the gameplay has been reworked in order to be suitable for standard controllers (including those from the Xbox ecosystem), for example by replacing the joystick shake by shaking the right stick.
Because from this point of view, Heavy Rain has lost none of its strength. With seventeen different endings, and some sequences that change completely depending on past events, the game has all the assets of an interactive movie, in a good way. Moreover, the atmosphere of modern crime fiction is largely inspired by cinema, Seven in mind. Remember that the story features a serial killer who kidnaps children, lets them drown in rainwater, and stages their corpses, placing an origami in their hand and an orchid on their chest. The scenario is very classic, with the little twist that goes well, but its effectiveness is undeniable. The production also borrows from the seventh art, since it does not hesitate to use cinematographic angles and split-screen type effects. The player's involvement is reinforced by the possibility of alternately embodying four different characters, each of whom has their own motivations for taking an interest in the hunt for the serial killer: Scott Shelby is a private detective, Ethan Mars is the father of one of the abducted children, Madison Paige is a journalist, and Norman Jayden is an FBI agent. The latter offers us an additional touch of gameplay, because his virtual reality glasses allow him to discover clues at crime scenes and then analyze them in a virtual office of the most beautiful effect. For the rest, it's very simple: almost everything is done through QTEs! We can from time to time choose between two options of action or dialogue, but most of the gameplay uses the famous (and often decried) "quick time events".
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With Heavy Rain, Quantic Dream pushed the concept to the extreme, trying somehow to match the movements of the controller to those of the characters, and especially by applying them to everything and anything. If this system makes it possible to offer finely choreographed combat sequences (thanks to motion capture), it seems superfluous at many times. Was it really necessary to impose QTEs to open cupboards, wash hands, cook an egg, or change a baby's diaper? On the other hand, we can salute the game for the audacity of the possible branches, since all the main characters are likely to die at one time or another, which explains in particular the high number of different endings. And these deaths may as well be due to a bad decision (it's fair game) or a failed QTE (this is immediately more debatable). In the end, this PC version comes a little too late to establish itself as a must, because we have seen many other games of the same genre since 2010, in particular the many Telltale productions. But his presence remains welcome, if only to enrich the video game culture of PC users!
