When I first heard about Heavy Rain, I didn't get it. When I watched a demo of one of the developers playing it, I still didn't get it. It wasn't until I got my hands on it that I fully comprehended the PlayStation title that development studio Quantum Dream had dubbed an “interactive drama” rather than a video game.

Heavy Rain has a strong story. Four people of different backgrounds investigate a string of murders by a serial killer known as the Origami Killer, so named because he leaves an origami figure in the hand of each of his victims. Each chapter follows one (or in some cases two) of the characters: either a man whose child is kidnapped, about to become the killer's next victim; a woman who encounters this man and decides to help him; a private investigator; or an FBI agent. The game is split up quite expertly, so the player is not stuck doing one thing for too long. Heavy Rain's story is as rich and twisted as any detective or thriller novel you've ever read. Sporting very mature themes and graphic violence, Heavy Rain is most definitely not intended for children, which honestly, is quite refreshing. Quantum Dream didn't water anything down in Heavy Rain to make it more accessible to a mainstream audience, and the result is a strong, focused game.

This is a game unlike anything you've ever played before. There's no user interface or HUD; these are eschewed in favour of quick button presses and controller movements prompted on-screen. While you do control the character's movements insofar as exploring your surroundings for things to interact with, you are not in direct control during action sequences. In many instances these button combos are executed in exceedingly complex ways, sometimes making you hold down several buttons at a time and moving the controller at the same time. This is done on purpose: the makers of the game want you to struggle with what you're doing just as much as your character in the game struggles with what he or she is doing. For example, at one part near the beginning of the game (this part is also in the demo), while trying to climb a slippery hill you end up holding down several of the face buttons and a shoulder button, which necessitated me using both hands on one side of the controller. It was awkward and uncomfortable, but I understood why that was.

The control system works, even though some of the motion control parts (quickly moving the controller in a certain direction) didn't always register. That said, this game uses motion control better than any other game on the system, or even the Wii. I've always felt like motion controls were a gimmick. A fad. I can see the appeal but I just wasn't into it. This game is the first game I've played where the motion control is done tastefully. It feels justified. The actions always correspond to something that's happening on-screen (opening a stuck cabinet by quickly jolting the controller to the right).

Being such a departure from any other game released lately, Heavy Rain is a breath of fresh air. It takes risks, it does new things, and its story is amongst the strongest I've ever encountered in a video game. Unfortunately the acting isn't as strong as it could be, and the voices are at times very obviously European actors attempting American accents, but its never distracting to the point that it detracts from the experience. If any of what I've written intrigues you, I encourage you, dear readers, to download the demo which is up on the PlayStation Network Store. It gives a good representation for what to expect from the full game. Heavy Rain is a PlayStation 3 exclusive title.