History VideoGame / HeavyRain

''Heavy Rain'' is the SpiritualSuccessor to Creator/QuanticDream's ''VideoGame/{{Fahrenheit}}'' (a.k.a. ''Indigo Prophecy''), an AdventureGame for the seventh generation of consoles. ''Heavy Rain'' itself is a UsefulNotes/PlayStation exclusive, and has been described by the creators as an Interactive Movie as well as a standard adventure game. In fact, doesn't that image [[{{Retraux}} look like a movie poster?]]

''Heavy Rain'' is the SpiritualSuccessor to Creator/QuanticDream's ''VideoGame/{{Fahrenheit}}'' (a.k.a. ''Indigo Prophecy''), an AdventureGame for the sixth generation of consoles. ''Heavy Rain'' itself is a UsefulNotes/PlayStation exclusive, and has been described by the creators as an Interactive Movie as well as a standard adventure game. In fact, doesn't that image [[{{Retraux}} look like a movie poster?]]

** When Blake is about to put handcuffs on Nathaniel, it looks like the latter is about to whip out a gun [[ShootHimHeHasAWallet but it turns out to be a cross]]. In the final chapter, should Madison be absent, [[spoiler:Ethan steps out of the warehouse and greets the police, and later reaches to his side because of his physical pain. Blake notices this, thinking he's reaching for a gun, and orders his men to open fire.]]

* ForWantOfANail: Whether [[spoiler:Scott]] wants to let [[spoiler:Ethan]] leave or kill him depends on who else is in the area.

** When Blake goes to arrest Nathaniel it looks like he's about to whip out a gun [[ShootHimHeHasAWallet but turns out to be a cross]]. In the final chapter should Madison be absent, [[spoiler:Ethan steps out of the warehouse and greets the police, and later reaches to his side because of his physical pain. Blake notices this, thinking he's reaching for a gun, and orders his men to open fire.]]

** A [[RewatchBonus replay bonus]], though you can notice it if you're really observant, is in the beginning credits. Several characters are shown which just seem to be random people in the rain, with no actual impact to the story, perhaps there to establish the mood of the game. You later realize they are anything but random: [[spoiler:one is the graveyard keeper who tells Scott and Lauren the story of John Sheppard, one is John Sheppard's (and the Origami Killer's) mother, and the children are the Origami Killer's prior victims]]. It also shows many of the places significant to the story, like the overpass crossing over the lot where the last victim is found, the playground, and the scrapyard.

** [[spoiler:The mystery Sheppard brother has a band aid on his right eyebrow, and Scott has a scar in exactly the same place.]]

The game focuses on choices and consequences, with actions taking place via a series of [[QuickTimeEvent Quick Time Events]] a la ''Fahrenheit.'' The developers stated prior to the game's release that almost all situations would have later consequences on the plot and that they are determined to let players follow through on their actions -- to the point that unless all four main characters die, the story will still continue with whoever is alive. The major themes of the game are love and the idea of what is good and what is evil (in regard to the TagLine on the poster to the right), according to the developers, who hoped to have players aim for a balance of the two rather than [[IncorruptiblePurePureness one extreme]] or another.

Similar to how ''Heavy Rain'' started off with a tech demo ''The Casting,'' ''Quantic Dream'' released a new tech demo ''WebVideo/{{Kara}}'' on March 7, 2012, hinting at their 2015 reveal of ''VideoGame/DetroitBecomeHuman''. Go [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0KTUysrwgQ watch it.]] At E3 2012, the spiritual successor to ''Heavy Rain'' was revealed as the supernatural drama ''Videogame/BeyondTwoSouls.'' Both games have received an UpdatedRerelease for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, although this port does not include the DLC chapter ''The Taxidermist.''

In March 2019, it was announced that the game would be coming to PC later that year, exclusively via the [[Creator/EpicGames Epic Games Store]] for the first 12 months; Quantic Dream is self-publishing this port.

''New Line Cinema'' and ''Quantic Dream'' have obtained rights for a movie adaptation.

'''Be warned: Since Heavy Rain is incredibly [[StoryToGameplayRatio plot heavy,]] expect''' '''''MAJOR''''' '''marked and unmarked spoilers below.'''

** Also, Scott and Lauren. Scott is 44 and Lauren is 35, making Scott 9 years older than her.

* AlmostKiss: Ethan and Madison come close, it's just up to the player if they go through with it.

** At a point in the game, you can either sleep with Madison, in which case she will spend the night with you, or refuse, in which case she will apologize and leave in a hurry. Whatever you choose, the cops will get there as soon as she leaves.

-->'''Concierge:''' Oh, one last thing, sir... You should be careful not to overindulge in... [[FantasticDrug You know what...]] It'll end up killing you if you're not careful... [[{{Understatement}} That would be most unfortunate, sir.]]
* AntagonistInMourning: The ending [[spoiler:"Ethan's Grave" shows Scott (if alive) hiding behind a tree, looking at Ethan's grave.]]

** In practice, two of the main characters actually have PlotArmor until the very end of the game, regardless of how badly you do in even their most insane QTE's.
* ApatheticCitizens: The citizens in the game don't seem to care what happens around them unless it impacts them personally:
** After Ethan and Jason get hit by a car, everyone at the mall do come out to see what's going on, but they just stare at them and Grace instead of calling for help.
** When Ethan is having a breakdown at the terminal due to his agoraphobia kicking in, everyone just walks around him and no one asks him if he is alright.
** When Madison escapes from [[spoiler: Scott Shelby's apartment, which he set on fire and had the propane tank explode from said fire]], several people gather to see what happened. Despite Madison coming out limping and coughing, not a single person asks her what happened.

** Kramer when he has his heart attack, not too long after having tried to [[spoiler:kill Shelby and Lauren.]] You can choose to save him.

** The drug dealer in the Shark trial is this [[spoiler:if Ethan chooses to kill him.]]
** The Origami Killer can count as this, considering the fact [[spoiler:he rants to whoever has come to confront him, and shows little remorse for what he’s done.]]

* BadCopIncompetentCop: Other than Jayden, just about every cop in the game is either corrupt or worthless. However, they display extreme levels of competence whenever it would mess things up for the main characters, [[spoiler:like setting up a roadblock mere minutes after Ethan begins the first trial.]] Simply, it's an inversion of BeAsUnhelpfulAsPossible.

* BattleInTheRain: [[spoiler:Jayden and the Origami Killer in "The Old Warehouse." Madison and the Origami Killer is more of a Chase in the Rain.]]

** [[spoiler:Jayden, if everything is done correctly, gets one when he swoops in on time to stop Shelby from shooting Ethan. Or Madison.]]
** [[spoiler:Madison also gets one if she warns Ethan about the police if all playable characters survive till the end.]]
** [[spoiler:Ethan also has one if only he and Madison are at the warehouse; provided she survives the fight with Shelby for long enough, he shows up right as she’s cornered and saves her.]]

** [[spoiler:"[[TheHeroDies Ethan's Grave]]" is either this or an outright DownerEnding, considering Shaun is alive, but has lost both his brother ''and'' his father.]]

** In "The Doctor", if Madison gets tied to the table, you can struggle against the restraints and scream, but it will be in vain, as you won't actually be able to free yourself until the doc leaves the room.

* DisappearedDad: As Shelby goes around visiting the families of the victims of the Origami Killer, the husbands of both Lauren Winters and Mrs. Susan Bowles have disappeared soon after their sons did. As much as this would seem as a standard case of DisappearedDad, you find out later that one father actually went out as Ethan Mars did to complete the trials to save his own son, but ended up dying in the power plant in the Butterfly chapter. This is similarly implied for the rest of the fathers... except for Reza's father, the shopkeeper. He didn't dare open the box. [[spoiler:Or he did, but ''didn't realize he was supposed to unfold the origami.'' In-Game GuideDamnIt!]]

* DramaticIrony: "A little rain never hurt nobody," said by John Sheppard in a game where children are drowned in rainwater, and [[spoiler:shortly before he himself drowns in the rain.]]
* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler:Ethan will have this if his son, Shaun, dies]] in three of the bad endings.

* EarnYourBadEnding: Most of the bad endings aren't too difficult to obtain, but "The Perfect Crime", the ending where [[TheBadGuyWins the Origami Killer gets away with everything]], requires taking very specific actions across 12 of the game's chapters, including killing five major characters (most of them [[TheHeroDies playable]]), and erasing ''all'' evidence of the Origami Killer's crimes. This is made even more complicated because [[spoiler:the Origami Killer himself is one of the playable characters, and the actions Scott needs to take his clear his name are quite specific. The ReturningToTheScene sequence in "Manfred" is particularly frustrating, as it needs to be done under a strict time limit]].

** The virtual environments created by ARI are also this. [[spoiler:In the scene in which it is possible for Jayden to die from ARI overuse, as his eyes start bleeding in the real world, the peaceful forest of the simulation slowly becomes colder and windier until it's basically storming inside. By this point, it's not exactly clear whether anything Jayden sees is reality, virtual reality, or the contents of his own drug-addled mind.]]

** Norman Jayden shares a lot of similarities with [[Series/TheXFiles Fox Mulder]]. Both are FBI profilers, who are good, honest cops who are widely disliked by fellow cops. His unorthodox methods and detective abilities also bring [[Series/TwinPeaks Dale Cooper]] to mind.
** Fans of ''Franchise/SilentHill'' will compare Shelby to [[VideoGame/SilentHill3 Douglas.]]

* FairPlayWhodunnit: ''Completely'' {{Averted|Trope}}. [[spoiler:''You play as the killer'' for considerable parts of the game and the game ''completely'' conceals this from you!]]

** Ethan can be seen without his shirt in his hotel room but it's possible for him to have many burns and lacerations on his chest.
** The sex scene between Ethan and Madison because of how absurdly contrived the circumstances for it are and how blatantly crowbarred-in it is for the sake of pure fanservice.

--> '''Ethan:''' [[spoiler:You're mad... you're completely FUCKING MAD!]]

The game has led to very polarized reactions among the gaming community, though critical reviews were mostly positive, praising the game's intricate story and unique control scheme. Despite the developers' meager sales expectations (200,000 copies), ''Heavy Rain'' sold like hotcakes, surpassing a whopping 2 million by 2011. One downloadable chapter, ''The Taxidermist,'' has been released. Others are planned but on [[http://tinyurl.com/hbtx4q6 indefinite hold.]]

* KillEmAll: Per MultipleEndings, below; [[spoiler:of the five "main" killable characters (Ethan, Madison, Norman, Scott, Lauren), it's impossible to have all five die in one run. You can have Lauren be the sole survivor, thus managing to kill all the ''playable'' characters.]]

* FinalDeath: And you can even get [[ItsAWonderfulFailure an ending]] [[KillEmAll where everyone dies]].

* InfantImmortality: Averted: the death of Ethan's eldest son Jason in the prologue, [[spoiler:and potentially Ethan's younger son Shaun in some of the endings]].

** [[spoiler: Ethan and Madison, if the player goes through with it. Ethan is 38 years old and Madison is 27, making Ethan 11 years older than her.]]
** [[spoiler: Also, Scott and Lauren. Scott is 44 and Lauren is 35, making Scott 9 years older than her.]]

** At a point in the game, you can either [[spoiler:sleep with Madison, in which case she will spend the night with you, or she can leave right away. Whatever you choose, the cops will get there as soon as she leaves your place.]]

* AntagonistInMourning: The ending [[spoiler:"Ethan's Grave" shows Scott hiding behind a tree, looking at Ethan's grave. If he's still alive by that point, anyway.]]

** [[spoiler:Especially with Jason's death, Ethan's DivingSave and taking the brunt of the hit still gets Jason killed.]]

* BoringButPractical: Ethan decides to do the Origami Killer's exciting, deadly trials to track down his son, (instead of simply bringing the origami figures to the police) Norman uses his psychology degree to slowly whittle down suspects until finally tracking down the killer's car after the former plan falls through, and Madison...simply does her research, having an informant track down information on who was renting out the buildings for the Lizard trial, which anyone could easily see was deliberately set up for the sole purpose of housing said trial. Turns out that following the paper trail actually tends to be quick and efficient; accounting for the fact she starts chasing the killer well over halfway into the game, Madison ''very'' quickly catches up with everyone else trying to find out who the Origami Killer is.

** Also, Shelby shares a name to a [[Film/{{Memento}} similarly conflicted protagonist.]]
** The Origami Killer's methods and trials are very similar the [[Franchise/{{Saw}} Jigsaw Killer]].

** One chapter is named [[Film/BladeRunner "Tears In The Rain"]]. The killer's usage of Origami figures is also a nod to the film, where Origami figures serve as a SignatureItemClue.

** If Madison is the one to take on the killer -- [[spoiler:he punches straight through a window to get at her.]]

** This can happen while Jayden's [[spoiler:trying to escape from the car crusher]]. If he turns on the radio, it starts playing jaunty, upbeat music.
* SplitPersonality: [[spoiler:Subverted. Ethan is suggested to have one, and certainly has a disturbing set of symptoms and an equally-concerned shrink. It turns out, however, that his other self is not the Origami Killer. These elements were originally part of a sub-plot where Shelby's presence at Ethan's accident led to an unexplained psychic link between the two, and Ethans blackouts DID coincide with the Killer's murders, leading to Ethan travelling to the place where Shelby's brother died, and causing him to unconsciously fold paper cranes at the same time Shelby did. This plot was dropped when it decided the supernatural element was unneeded.]]

* ThisIsGonnaSuck: Norman's face says it all [[spoiler:if he tries to save Shaun, but Scott finds him, he fails to fend him off and Scott prepares to shoot him.]]

* TooHappyToLive: The opening of the game introduces the player to Ethan Mars, who has a successful job, is HappilyMarried, and a proud father of two boys whom he loves dearly. It's all smiles and laughter [[spoiler:up until the accident that costs Jason his life.]]

** Should Madison die, her tombstone will put her date of birth at 1980, which means she would be 30 years old at the time of the game's events. Yet when she signs into the hotel her age is said to be 27. Scott Shelby has a similarly inconsistent age given. [[spoiler:Should he die, the news report about his death and the date on his tombstone both give different ages, either 44 or 48 depending on which one you believe.]]
* WrongfulAccusationInsurance: Ethan and Madison commit multiple felonies over the course of the adventure to save Shaun / catch the Origami Killer, including several acts of breaking and entering, multiple assaults, and one premeditated first degree murder (if you chose to carry it out). It seems that a city that would tolerate a cop as obviously psychotic and unhinged as Lt. Blake has a soft spot for vigilante action.

* ForegoneConclusion: Since it's a prequel starring Madison Paige, the canon ending is obviously one where she survives.
* GroinAttack: If Leland spots Madison, this is involved in one means of escape. [[spoiler:One ending has her escape into the garage, only to start the chainsaw and push it through Leland's crotch into his gut.]]
* HuntingTheMostDangerousGame: As a result of Leland's [[spoiler: insanity and his work drying up, he now traps and pursues women before stuffing their corpses.]]

** ''[[BittersweetEnding "Sacrificed in the Name of Truth"]]'' -- [[spoiler:Madison calls the police, but is killed escaping. The police arrest Leland.]]
** ''[[DownerEnding "Where is Madison Paige?"]]'' -- [[spoiler:Leland kills Madison, and she didn't get to phone Sam. She's declared missing, and Leland isn't caught.]]
** ''[[GoodEnding "The End of Anguish"]]'' -- [[spoiler:Madison calls Sam, who sends the police to the house while she hides. The police eventually arrive and save her and Leland is arrested.]]
** ''[[GoldenEnding "In the Middle of the Horror"]]'' -- [[spoiler:Madison escapes unseen and unharmed; as a result she gets her scoop and Leland is arrested.]]
** ''[[PyrrhicVictory "The End of a Nightmare"]]'' -- [[spoiler:Madison is found and barely escapes with her life. Madison will be chased to the garage, where she can either kill Leland with a chainsaw or simply escape on her motorcycle, in which case he commits suicide.]]

* PlayingThePlayer: [[spoiler:Shelby's thoughts don't have any obvious hints about how he's the killer, at least the first time you play through.]]

* CoatHatMask: Used by the Origami Killer when "visiting" Paco.

* ControllableHelplessness:
** In "The Doctor", if Madison gets tied to the table, you can struggle against the restraints and scream, but it will be in vain, as you won't actually be able to free yourself until the doc leaves the room.
** To a lesser extent, [[spoiler:Scott's flashback scenes]]. ''Especially'' when [[spoiler:you can't pull John out to save him from drowning]].

* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment: Madison has this painful line.
-->'''Madison:''' It's a painkiller. It'll help reduce the pain.

* DrivingQuestion: The Origami Killer's identity.

* GogglesDoSomethingUnusual: The ARI display crime scenes and games in augmented reality.

* HealItWithFire: The player has the option to cauterize Ethan's wound after he chops off part of his finger.
* HereWeGoAgain: One of Madison's endings has a new serial killer introduce himself to her, setting the start of a new investigation.
* HeroicSacrifice: Ethan tries a remarkably unsuccessful one in the beginning to save Jason. (Set grim tone for the rest of the game: check.)
* HiddenVillain

* IHaveAFamily: The drug dealer tries this when Ethan threatens him with a gun.
* IJustWantToBeNormal: In one of the endings, [[spoiler:Norman gives up the ARI]].

** You would think the fact that the fathers of the victims of the Origami killer have disappearing after their sons are found dead would be a major part of the police investigation. But it's barely even an afterthought. It's barely ever mentioned by the cops, and it never plays a role in their investigation.

* KillEmAll: Per MultipleEndings, below; spoiler:of the five "main" killable characters (Ethan, Madison, Norman, Scott, Lauren), it's impossible to have all five die in one run. You can have Lauren be the sole survivor, thus managing to kill all the ''playable'' characters.

* {{Leitmotif}}: Each playable character (and Lauren) has one. Ethan's motif, Painful Memories, is probably the most memorable one as it also serves as the game's main theme and sees the most use. It also doubles as a...
** LonelyPianoPiece, [[TheWoobie tellingly]].

* MsFanservice: Madison Paige, frequently seen in skimpy clothing.

* MorningRoutine

* OffhandBackhand: In Face to Face, after Shelby gets out of his car, the first thing he does is shoot a Mook without even bothering to look at him.
* OffscreenTeleportation: The game abuses this quite a bit. [[spoiler:In a typical version of the warehouse scene, it will show the empty warehouse, you walk up to save Shaun, and the killer appears right behind you. Then, another character runs out of nowhere to save you. Also, Manfred's killing, done without Lauren noticing, even though she's in the adjacent room. Also, Norman's ghost, although that's one's justified by it being inside virtual reality]].

* OohMeAccentsSlipping: Jayden is played by a British actor who seems to be attempting a Boston accent given some of his pronunciations, but it's incomplete.

* '''SinsOfOurFathers''': [[spoiler:Scott Shelby's brother drowned because of their uncaring and alcoholic father. And now Scott is repeating the sins of his negligence by abducting the boys of other families and leaving them to drown in the hopes that they would be saved by their own fathers]].

* SoundtrackDissonance: The prologue: It's Jason Mars's birthday, everyone's happy, but one of the game's [[LonelyPianoPiece Lonely Piano Pieces]] is already playing.

* ToTheTuneOf: Listen to the main theme, especially the melody that comes in until around 0:25 and at 3:00. Then "The Other Side" from the ''Film/{{Gattaca}}'' soundtrack. Notice any similarities?

* VideoGameCaringPotential: You might grow attached to these characters and want to ensure they'll get through their trials successfully and with as little pain as possible, because goddammit, a lot of what they go through physically and emotionally just looks ''painful''.

** Norman Jayden shares a lot of similarities with [[Series/TheXFiles Fox Mulder]]. Both are FBI profilers, who are good, honest cops who are widely disliked by fellow cops.

* MonsterSobStory: [[spoiler:Scott Shelby burning up the evidence, with tears rolling down his face.]]

[[folder:A-F]]

* BrokenHeel: During the Covered Market chase scene, if the player fails a QTE prompt they'll slip on an obstacle. One [=YouTuber=] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-L-G1q_0L8 intentionally failed all prompts]], making the sequence [[https://www.reddit.com/r/ContagiousLaughter/comments/3j2xqj/gaming_guy_fails_every_heavy_rain_qte/ unintentionally hilarious]].

** Scott Shelby can attempt to bribe Gordi Kramer's guards with a hundred at the party. They don't budge
** He also has the option of giving a five to the receptionist at a motel to tell him which room Lauren Winter's in. What's even funnier is that it ''works''.

** Technically Conduction Smonduction. During The Lizard Episode, Ethan can heat an iron rod to cauterise his wounded finger; not only does he grip a hot metal rod with his bare hands, but he puts said metal rod on a wooden desk. He neither burns his hand nor does the desk ignite.

* CreditsMontage: The credits include a montage of several scenes through out the game.

** If Shaun dies [[spoiler:Ethan will kill himself in ''every'' ending where it occurs.]]

*** Ethan takes shower in the beginning and is viewed a lot from behind.

* FinGore: At one point Ethan is challenged to cut off the end of his pinky.

-> '''Ethan:''' [[spoiler:You're mad... you're completely FUCKING MAD!]]

* HeroicSacrifice: Ethan tried a remarkably unsuccessful one in the beginning to save Jason. (Set grim tone for the rest of the game: check.)

* HoistByHisOwnPetard: [[spoiler:Scott Shelby (almost) drowning to death in his car. It's possible he did drown in one of the possibilities for the endgame. When Ethan/Jayden shoot Shelby in the back while saving Madison, Shelby falls into a cargo tanker full of water. He might have died from drowning instead of the gunshot wound.]]

* InfantImmortality: Averted: the death of Ethan's eldest son [[MemeticMutation JASOOOON!]] in the prologue, [[spoiler:and potentially Ethan's younger son Shaun in some of the endings]].

--->'''Brad Silver:''' I said a thousand times that I don’t want any junkies at my door. You wanna score, man, you gotta fucking call first.

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Nice move, Grace Mars, for giving Blake a hint that your ex-husband is the Origami Killer.

* NiceJobFixingItVillain: Way to go releasing Scott, Blake, [[spoiler:without knowing he is the Origami Killer]].

** Also, Norman's reaction to seeing [[spoiler:tiny virtual desk tanks in the "Case Closed" ending]]

* OffscreenTeleportation: Heavy Rain abuses this quite a bit. [[spoiler:In a typical version of the warehouse scene, it will show the empty warehouse, you walk up to save Shaun, and the killer appears right behind you. Then, another character runs out of nowhere to save you. Also, Manfred's killing, done without Lauren noticing, even though she's in the adjacent room. Also, Norman's ghost, although that's one's justified by it being inside virtual reality]].

* RisingWaterRisingTension: The villain kidnaps young boys and holds them inside a flood drain during the rain season, which slowly fills with water over several days. This means that when a new victim is kidnapped, the police and, particularly, the victim\'s father (who receives hints from the killer) have only limited time before the boy drowns, with the dramatic tension rising accordingly.

** Ethan famously spends half a scene shouting "JASON!"

*** Another possible ''Franchise/IndianaJones'' reference occurs in the last chapter with a fight atop a conveyer belt that ends in a deadly grinder. Like in ''[[Film/IndianaJonesAndTheTempleOfDoom The Temple of Doom]]'', the villain can die by reaching the end of the conveyer.

** The scene where Madison is forced to do a striptease at gunpoint plays out like a darker version of a similar scene from ''Film/TrueLies''
* ShowerScene:

* {{Speedrun}}: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iekx8K8S2K4 Believe it or not!]]

* TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture: Released in early 2010, set in late 2011.

* TurnInYourBadge: [[spoiler:Blake and his boss, Perry, are getting this if the former kills Ethan while Jayden is alive]].

* UnreliableNarrator: [[spoiler:Every single chapter you play as Scott Shelby before TheReveal. Not only is he not really a private eye, but he was the Origami Killer the entire time. The only reason he had for investigating the case was to gather any evidence he had left so he could dispose of it.]]