For the most part, I liked Quantic Dream’s other game in this vein, Indigo Prophecy (2005). The story was engaging, if it did fall apart a bit in the later chapters. The characters were well drawn. And some of the set pieces were extremely engaging. But I always felt as though some of the gameplay mechanics just didn’t fit the fiction very well. The on-screen interfaces and cues were intrusive, drawing attention away from the action.

In the example below, you can see what I mean. In addition, the “Simon Says”-style button sequence never seemed to have even an abstract connection to the action. I always found myself feeling frustrated because the action kept pushing me in one emotional direction while the mechanics kept pushing me in another.

Their rhythmic patterns don’t even really mesh in any recognizable way. I’m hoping Heavy Rain better synthesizes some of these systems into a more involving experience. The sequence above makes me think games like God of War (2005) have a better idea of how players relate to action sequences via standard controllers. I’m not sure how you’d design a Wii-mote into this experience and maintain its tone.

I’m very happy David Cage and Quantic Dream are willing to risk this kind of experimentation on a highly touted game played on a major home console. Very few other companies are willing to try this sort of high-concept kind of experience.