Heavy Rain is "interactive drama" - Sony

By Robert Purchese Published 9 December, 2008

Played more with heads than pads.

Sony Worldwide Studios bigwig Michael Denny has described Heavy Rain as an "interactive drama" that will be played in people's heads more than it is on control pads.

Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, Denny revealed that the game had been made to appeal both to core and casual gamers, using mature content and situations with real consequences.

"Looking forward to next year, a game like Heavy Rain, it's trying to do something very new, whether you call that the adventure genre, action adventure, we're calling it interactive drama, and it's about trying to create an emotional connection with the game," said Denny.

"We have a hope for that product that both core and casual can get into it. It's a game that when you look about and when you understand it, it's really not played on the control pad, as much as in your head. It's about making choices and consequences, it's not about twitch gaming and how good you are.

"We feel that the mature nature of the content can appeal to the core and then the consequence-based gameplay can appeal to a newer audience, a more casual audience as well," he added.

French developer Quantic Dream is making Heavy Rain exclusively for the PlayStation 3. The studio has had success in the adventure game genre with Fahrenheit and Omikron.

Heavy Rain was announced proper during the Leipzig Games Convention this August, in which a trailer showed a lady pull up on a motorbike and enter a suburban house. Some shocking discoveries later, and Madison - the woman - was desperately looking for a hiding place as an ominous figure approached.

Context-sensitive controls will be central to this cinematic and emotional experience, as will Quick Time Events. But Madison, apparently, will not be. The trailer shows a separate and unrelated story, which left us all a bit confused.

And we still are, as concrete details on Heavy Rain - due late next year - remain scarce.

We hope to uncover a few of those secrets for you very soon. Until then, head over to our Heavy Rain preview from August to find out more.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

You may also like...

Comments (52) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • menage #1 3 years ago

    Well, that was pretty clear from the preview already I think.
    Still this does seem a bit unncessary to point out.
    Didn't expect it to rival Gears or something.
    Edited by 1 at 09/12/08 @ 12:24

  • space_ace #2 3 years ago

    heavy hype

  • Britesparc Verified Creative, ITV #3 3 years ago

    So it's going to be Dragon's Lair as directed by Sam Mendes? Hmmmm. Intrigued, though not optimistic.

  • Widge #4 3 years ago

    You know what, I've not played an adventure game since the classic Lucasarts ones really, never got round to having a go at the Broken Sword series. Hopefully this will fill that gap.

  • LazyDan #5 3 years ago

    Trying to be everything, to everyone + QTEs.

    6 or 7/10 written all over it.

  • Widge #6 3 years ago

    or 5 or 8 or 4 or 9

  • Petulant_Radish #7 3 years ago

    This now sounds a bit hmmmmmmm.

    On the other hand, I want a new, good, Monkey Island. One that plays on a 286 as well. Maybe. Put it on PSN and XBL with Mouse support. Brilliant.

  • Petulant_Radish #8 3 years ago

    Twatattack!

  • mcwildcard #9 3 years ago

    Don't be silly, it'll be nothing like Dragon's Lair.
    More like Night Trap.

    But seriously, a game like this could work if enough thought was put into it and the plot was really decent.
    However, I get the feeling it'll be a bunch of tech demos tenously tacked together.

    I'd love to be proved wrong though.

  • Farfarer #10 3 years ago

    Good to see this sort of thing being boasted about by big companies like Sony.

    Hopefully we'll see more of Heavy Rain/Fahrenheit's ilk in the future. Games need more grown-up, story and character-led content and less Gears of War/Halo.
    Edited by 1 at 09/12/08 @ 13:11

  • BlueDot #11 3 years ago

    "interactive drama", oh dear.

  • andijames #12 3 years ago

    If i'm correct you do use the pad in the "game"? You don't just sit there watching it.

    Either way i'm looking forward to this one. Looks very promising!

  • paulf #13 3 years ago

    well if it is a true interactive drama, ie. it has branching narrative paths and decisions change the nature of the story, rather than if you press the wrong button you die, it could be interesting

  • metalnut #14 3 years ago

    Certainly sounds a lot like Shenmue. Which bored the tits off me a lot of the the time, despite having some nice moments.

    Why does everyone assume 'mature' means 'less interactive'? It IS possible to do good, mature stories without lancing the gameplay out and making a QTE-driven movie.

    But whatever floats their boat.

  • Dizzy #15 3 years ago

    "Hopefully we'll see more of Heavy Rain/Fahrenheit's ilk in the future. Games need more grown-up, story and character-led content and less Gears of War/Halo. "

    Quite the opposite IMHO. games need more gameplay and procedural generated content and less QTs and pre-defined nonsense.

    If I want amazing stories I will read a book. Gameplay is king.
    Edited by 2 at 09/12/08 @ 13:22

  • patchbox360 #16 3 years ago

    talk is cheap

  • IneptPercy #17 3 years ago

    I am interested in this, it may well be added to my 'games to buy a PS3 for' list.

    But I can see how many may not like it.

  • _Hayko #18 3 years ago

    Oh god this is going to flop. No, not because it will be crap, but because most of the people will say "If I want to read a book or watch a movie I'll do that."
    Edited by 1 at 09/12/08 @ 13:27

  • Evolution #19 3 years ago

    Was Fahrenheit a flop? I bought it and enjoyed it, except for the ridiculous endgame.

  • BiscuitBase #20 3 years ago

    Games that want to be movies will fail always as both

  • Grayvern #21 3 years ago

    Fahrenheit was annoying. Too many qte's that required retries and a stroy you could only see the best of if you did everthying right the only way of knowing how to do that being to read a guide.

  • cyacomini #22 3 years ago

    Wasn't the same said about "D" when it arrived on 3DO & Saturn?

    [link url=http://en.wikipedia.o rg/wiki/D_(video_game)
    ]http://en.wikipedia.o rg/wiki/D_(video_ga...[/link]

    It was slated on release but I actually quite enjoyed it..

  • JahB #23 3 years ago

    Heavy Rain is "interactive drama"

    so it's another mgs game then?

  • Negotiator #24 3 years ago

    May get a PS3 for this, looked very good on its last showing. I just feel it could end up being a let down.

  • Genome #25 3 years ago

    "Interactive dramas" weren't that great back in the 90s (with games like Voyeur and its ilk hanging around on the CD-ROM Multimedia Entertainment scene), why would you want to bring that shit back?

  • TipTop #26 3 years ago

    Variety is the spice of life. I don't understand the hate. At the end of the day if it is an old style interactive movie then it isn't made to the detriment of any other games. You have the choice not to play it. Surely we want more variety and less crap and not a laser focus on FPS.

  • woodnotes #27 3 years ago

    Sounds like early damage control to me.

  • spiny #28 3 years ago

    Hopefully we'll see more of Heavy Rain/Fahrenheit ilk in the future. Games need more grown-up, story and character-led content and less Gears of War/Halo.

    I agree, especially if games are to become more emotionally engaging and mature as an art form.

  • metalnut #29 3 years ago

    "Surely we want more variety and less crap and not a laser focus on FPS. "

    Newsflash - not liking interactive movies doesn't mean an obsession with FPS's. Why do people think that?

    Gaming is a very broad church, but the key linchpin really is interactivity. Anything that pairs down the interactivity is less of a game, IMHO. I've gamed for approaching 30 years now and have played a lot of genres, I'm definitely not an FPS nut (although I play them on occasion), but I can't stand games that rely on QTEs. I don't want to watch a movie interspersed with the occasional button press or joystick waggle, no matter how 'emotionally involving' it is. Gaming is all about control, whether that's first-person, jumping a little guy around, driving, directing troops, whatever. I just don't think reducing the range of expressions a player has in favour of driving up the movie qualities enhances the core experience I come to games for. YMMV.

  • noller #30 3 years ago

    If I want amazing stories I will read a book.

    Yep. And pioneers of the movies, such as Murnau, de Mille, Eisenstein, John Ford and Alfred Hitchcock, had also better told us to read books instead of trying to define the story-telling potential of their new media. As we all know, that endeavour was an incredible waste of time and led to nothing.

    Gameplay is king
    So 'gameplay' and 'story' are mutually exclusive then?

    Seriously. I like the idea that someone is trying to create an emotional connection to the game characters. Whether they use QTEs or 'procedural generated content' is irrelevant, as long as they succeed.

    IMHO

  • noller #31 3 years ago

    It's easy enough to make a story-based game which you actually play without resorting to such cheap and pointless mechanics as QTE's, and endless cutscenes.

    You don't own the console. You don't need to buy it. Nobody is forcing you to play it. End of story.

  • schnide #32 3 years ago

    Sounds like early damage control to me.

    Seconded.

  • Razzajazz #33 3 years ago

    If this game is really so awesome, why can't it shine on its own merits? All I keep hearing is about how the game is going to be revolutionary, and redefine everything, but they're just setting themselves up for a fall. It's like Sony and the people close to them have learned nothing from the fate of LBP. That was also a great game hyped up to a point it could no longer sustain, and inevitably disappoints, which in turn attaches a negative perspective that shouldn't be there.

    That's my two-penneth (not adjusted for 15% VAT) worth, anyway. :)

  • andijames #34 3 years ago

    Farticus you have actually got some good points sometimes but people won't listen to them if you carry on being really flippant and cocky with them.

  • Les #35 3 years ago

    Don't really believe in strong story telling within games because the graphics, animation, AI, controls and glitches will always scream that you're just playing a game and detract from the immersion. I do like the idea of context sensitive controls though, as controls are the biggest limitation on gaming and any new ways are to be encouraged, whether they're successful or not. At the least they'll contribute to the evolution of better control mechanisms.

  • PlugMonkey #36 3 years ago

    "Hopefully we'll see more of Heavy Rain/Fahrenheit's ilk in the future. Games need more grown-up, story and character-led content and less Gears of War/Halo."

    "I agree, especially if games are to become more emotionally engaging and mature as an art form. "

    Fahrenheit was lots of things, but grown up? I'm not so sure. And by the end of it I was about as emotionally disengaged as I've ever been from anything. I mean "an artificial intelligence that became self-aware on the 'net back in the '80s" as a last minute plot 'twist'? Pull the other one. Grown up? Emotionally engaging?

  • zombies #37 3 years ago

    Oh dear...

    I think I hear expectations being shattered!


  • ronuds #38 3 years ago

    The game could very well end up being good, but why already with the "never-been-done" label? It's not a particularly good one to put on a game, as it creates unrealistic expectations. Sony loves to do this and I think when it doesn't pan out how everyone envisioned, it ends up just pissing people off.

    It's been done...just talk about how you're going to do it.

  • evilboo #39 3 years ago

    This now sounds rubbish .. which is a shame. If it's now a 'drama' then it's going to need some really good writing to make it work and I can't remember the last game I played that had proper, mature dialogue and writing (anyone?). Even something good like Fallout still suffers from a clunky script and very average voice work.

    And even if it managed those things anything labelled 'interactive' is crap. Thus:



    [link url=http://uk.y outube.com/watch?v=_lN6UQWN_Hk
    ]http://uk.y outube.com/watch?v=_lN6UQWN_Hk
    [/link]

    </a>

    Edited by 2 at 09/12/08 @ 18:13

  • Widge #40 3 years ago

    Eternal Darkness had some excellent writing. Wonderful plot to that game. More stuff like that please.
    Oh and Soul Reaver 2, heavy on dialogue but quality all the way through to the dramatic finale.
    If I want to have a "just pure gameplay" game, I'll slap on Warhawk or Wipeout, otherwise woohoo for variety and not churning out the same bollocks over and over.

  • J.C #41 3 years ago

    French developer Quantic Dream is making Heavy Rain exclusively for the PlayStation 3.

    And this is were it will fail the most imo. not developing a 360 version, is quite stupid these days.
    They do want to make money on this right?

  • Markusdragon #42 3 years ago

    I just want the first few scenes of Fahrenheit over and over again.

  • mattigan #43 3 years ago

    Games should require a modicum of actual skill to complete, whether the skill is learning the nuances of the control scheme and game mechanics, or an iquisitive mind able to solve puzzles and sniff out secret areas or even just good hand eye coordination, it's what makes games fun!

    This simple idea seems to be being ignored by developers in favour of catering to the 'casual' gamer making games easier and easier until there is no incentive for the player to even try to beat the game, it just becomes trial and error or a grind to get to the end.

    QTEs are the very epitomy of what I hate about this type of lazy game development.

    I look forward to a game that manages to do both skill and casual gameplay if that's possible.

  • Knot #44 3 years ago

    ... and it was just made clear that the game won't have any Quick Time Events.

    You walk your character around in realtime 3D and then onscreen icons will make your character interact with variables/objects in a context sensitive manner in realtime.

    Given the situation parameters at hand - combat or otherwise - the actual, action - might differ.

    The final game might be a lot less 'scripted' than some people think, given their allergy to see onscreen icons and assuming them to be Quick Time Events in the classic sense they know & hate them.
    Edited by 1 at 09/12/08 @ 20:53

  • Waldo #45 3 years ago

    GET READY!

  • Knot #46 3 years ago

    FIGHT !

    ...


    RING OUT !
    Edited by 1 at 09/12/08 @ 21:31

  • HermitArcader #47 3 years ago

    Post deleted at 09:17:39 22-12-2011

  • Bitkari #48 3 years ago

    I really was hoping that they'd learned from Fahrenheit that QTEs are horrible, horrible things.

    This is living?

  • Slipstream #49 3 years ago

    This much was obvious.

  • Ryze #50 3 years ago

    So, will there be any ads for this, or will this be another invisible Sony release?

  • HuggyAtHome #51 3 years ago

    Linger in Rain or Heavy Shadows

  • sneetch #52 3 years ago

    @farticusmaximus
    "PoP removed the need for any kind of skill and also removed dying, this destroyed the game."

    Just a note on this: it didn't destroy it, the game is fun (obviously, ymmv). I, personally, would have preferred if Elika had 5 "charges" that regenerated whenever she was standing on solid ground and not in combat and that she brought you back to the object you leapt to your death from rather than the last sold ground. This would mean that she could become exhausted from saving your worthless ass and unable to help you if you keep falling but the game works as is. The "rules" have changed but the fun remains.
    Edited by 2 at 10/12/08 @ 11:58