A dark, atmospheric thriller that felt more like a David Fincher movie than a video game, "Heavy Rain" seemed destined for the Hollywood treatment—and indeed, the search for the Origami Killer may soon make the leap to the silver screen.
"Deadwood" creator David Milch has signed on to adapt last year's PlayStation 3 exclusive, according to Variety, with developers from Quantum Dream (the company that designed Heavy Rain) slated to pitch in.
Of course, it's not like video games turning into movies is anything new, as anyone who's seen "Lara Croft:Tomb Raider," "Price of Persia: The Sands of Time," "Resident Evil," and "Max Payne" knows.
But "Heavy Rain" is something else—a game like no other game I've ever played. Indeed, the developers at Quantum Dream billed "Heavy Rain" (correctly, if you ask me) not as a video game, but an "interactive drama."
Rather than starting with a bang, "Heavy Rain" begins slowly—too slowly for some—with scenes of everyday family life, a father and son, and a marriage that's showing subtle signs of strain.
Instead of the typical heads-up display (HUD), floating icons prompt you to, say, get out of bed, brush your teeth, open the fridge, play catch with your son—or, later on, leap from one balcony to the next. You can also pull a trigger on the PS3's DualShock controller to see the thoughts swirling around in your character's head.
Yes, some found the experience dull and pointless (and no question, "Heavy Rain" is one of those games where it either works for you or it doesn't); for me, though, it became strangely engrossing, and by the time something finally does happen—in a Hitchcock-worthy set-piece in a shopping mall—I was totally hooked.
Besides its realistic, carefully rendered graphics, "Heavy Rain" boasted a quartet of compelling, sympathetic lead characters, top-notch voice acting (well, at least I thought so), a moody, Howard Shore-like soundtrack, and—best of all—a real page-turner of a plot.
Overall, playing "Heavy Rain" felt like watching—strike that, being in—a video game version of "Seven." Indeed, I had such a strong reaction to the game that I penned an open letter to Mr. "video games aren't art!" himself, Roger Ebert, about my experience. (Nope, I never heard back.)
So it comes as little surprise that Hollywood's come calling, although it's still curious (in a recursive kind of way) that a game so heavily influenced by the movies will now, if all goes according to plan, become a movie.
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