The Average Gamer

Heavy Rain – Not So Moving

HeavyRain_PlayStationMoveAfter a couple of days struggling through the Move update to Heavy Rain, I’ve finally figured why it annoys me so.

I had really high hopes for this Move Edition. Years and years ago when I played Fahrenheit (Indigo Prophecy), I liked what Quantic Dream they were trying to achieve with the interface – i.e. to feel what your character feels – and Move seemed like the perfect way to break free from the tyranny of QTEs.

Sadly, this implementation is a far inferior experience.

It boils down to a couple of things.

  1. Too much motion. A lot of the minor interactions like switching on a light have been heavily Move-ified to the point where you have the hold the trigger, reach out then pull back. Now, if I’m turning on a real light, I reach out, grab and then pull. Their push-pull implementation feels wrong and this happens in a number of places.
  2. Camera angles. They are confusing me. When I’m twiddling a joystick, I’m not that bothered if it doesn’t match the on-screen action. When I’m swinging a right hook, I get confused when Madison swings a leftie. I can understand the limitations of trying to do full-body combat with a one-armed controller but it breaks the immersion just a little too much for me.

What do you think? Am I being too harsh?