As you should know by now, the Heavy Rain demo is available for download (you just have to jump through some hoops). I've given the demo a thorough playthrough, so I thought I'd give my impressions. It's a very interesting game, and one that's definitely worth a close and careful examination.
The first thing I noticed was that the graphics were even more impressive than what we've seen in the videos. Are they better than Uncharted 2's visuals? In some respects, yes. It has a much "softer" look, so it appears more realistic. Of course, this isn't a surprise because we've seen all the trailers, and we knew what to expect -- the game will be a looker.
After taking in the pretty aesthetics, it was time to actually jump in and play. Controls take a little lot getting used to. The way Heavy Rain is played is completely unparalleled. You have to hold a button down to walk, and players are given visual cues to make actions in-game. I found the sequences where you had to shake the controller to perform an action to be gimmicky and, quite frankly, annoying. Maybe it's just me, but that's not my thing (if this is what the future of gaming is, so help me God).
The demo puts players in the shoes of private investigator Scott Shelby and FBI agent Norman Jayden. You start off as Shelby, trying to find a lead on the apparent abduction of a little boy. This leads to the first real dialog encounter. As we've seen in the videos, the dialog system in Heavy Rain works exceedingly well. I also liked how, if I didn't select a dialog option in an appropriate amount of time, the character I was speaking with asked me "Are you deaf or something?" The voice acting, however, is not entirely impressive, particularly agent Jayden's. That said, it's not enough to detract from the game in any significant way.
The combat sequences were impressive. You are prompted with a series of controller actions. If you hit the right button, then your character will effectively attack your opponent. If you miss the mark, you'll be greeted with a fist to the face or something equally enjoyable. It's essentially like controlling a cinematic, which is really what most of the game is. Another interesting thing to point out is that the damage you receive in fights is realistically portrayed on your character in the form of bruises, cuts, scars, etc.
The second scene in the game has players investigating a crime scene. Basically, you don a fancy set of sunglasses that allow you to notice pieces of potential evidence. While there wasn't enough crime-scene investigating to give a real verdict on that particular gameplay aspect, it does seems like an intriguing feature.
The overall atmosphere of the game is absolute class -- from the music to the character animations. It's a really fresh experience -- definitely a big gamble by Sony, but from what I've seen so far, I think it will pay off. It's adventure. It's drama. It's mystery. But most important, it's unprecedented. If the demo is any indication of what the final game will be, then I think we've got a real winner on our hands. Much kudos to the people over at Quantic Dream.
