Let's Play A Movie
Ethan Mars is trying to save his son from being the next victim, while investigative journalist Madison Paige, FBI profiler Norman Jayden, and private detective Scott Shelby are each trying to track down clues to the Origami Killer's identity. The player interacts with the game by performing actions highlighted on screen related to motions on the controller, and in some cases, performing a series of quick time events during fast-paced action sequences. The player's decisions and actions during the game will affect the narrative. The main characters can be killed, and certain actions may lead to different scenes and endings.
Heavy Rain is an adventure game, requiring the player to move the character and have him or her interact with the objects or other non-player characters on the scene to progress the story. The game is divided into several scenes, each centering on one of four playable characters. The choices the player makes or the actions performed or not performed will affect later scenes in the game. For example, it is possible that a character dies or becomes detained, and will not be present in a later scene.There is no immediate "game over" in Heavy Rain; the game will progress to a number of different endings depending on the sum of the player's performance even if all the characters become incapacitated in some manner. However, once the game is complete, the player can return to earlier scenes and replay them, possibly altering the events as they play through other chapters.
About halfway through the game, the player takes control of a child in a flashback 34 years ago, where he and his brother are playing on a construction site; the child's brother, John Sheppard, falls into a broken pipe and calls for help. When his younger brother finds him he is unable to pull him out because his foot has gotten stuck in the pipe. With the heavy rain and the pipe filled almost to the brim with water, John is in danger of drowning before his brother's eyes. The flashback ends at this time, with the player naturally assuming that John's brother is the Origami Killer. Later in the game another flashback reveals that John's brother ran to their father for help, but being drunk his father neither believed him nor cared, leaving the child to return without help and witness his brother slowly drowning. This is what shaped the Origami Killer into kidnapping young children and trying to get their fathers to save them. This brother is revealed to be Scott Shelby, formerly Scott Sheppard.
The final chapter of the game, The Old Warehouse, is essentially where the final verdict of the game is decided. Each of the three players (Ethan, Madison and Norman) have different requirements for making it to the warehouse, saving Shaun and fighting the Origami Killer (Scott). There are a total of eight ways in which the events at the warehouse can unfold. For example, if Ethan goes alone, then he will save Shaun, kill or spare Scott, but will always get shot by the police if he exits. If all three characters make it, Ethan saves Shaun, Norman must fight the Origami Killer and Madison must warn Ethan of the oncoming police. After this chapter, five ending segments will occur; a news report, and then one ending for each character. A character's ending depends on multiple variables: whether the Origami Killer was apprehended, whether Shaun Mars was saved, and whether they lived or died. For example, the best ending shows Ethan, Madison and Shaun living happily together as a family, with Scott dead and Norman having been promoted and overcome his drug addiction but beginning to lose his hold on reality due to prolonged use of his ARI glasses. The worst ending shows Madison, Norman and Shaun dead, Ethan, framed as the killer, hanging himself in prison, and Scott getting away with everything. Ethan has seven endings (three of which show him committing suicide), including one joint ending with Madison; Madison has four endings (including the aforementioned joint ending with Ethan), Norman has four endings and Scott has four.