Heavy Rain is a 2010 action-adventure video game developed by Quantic Dream and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3.

Interaction with the environment is done by pressing on-screen, context-sensitive prompts, using the right analogue stick, and performing Sixaxis control movements with the DualShock 3 or 4.

After he wakes from the coma, Ethan, blaming himself for Jason's death, separates from his wife Grace and moves into a small suburban duplex while experiencing mental trauma and blackouts.

Norman Jayden (Leon Ockenden),[12] an FBI profiler struggling with addiction to a drug called Triptocaine, investigates the death of another Origami Killer victim and concludes that he died the same day as a violent rainstorm, which flooded the cell where he was kept.

The tests include driving against traffic at speed on the highway, crawling through broken glass and active electrical pylons, cutting off one of his fingers, murdering drug dealer Brad Silver, and drinking poison on camera.

Jayden and his partner Lieutenant Carter Blake investigate suspects, but nothing pans out until Grace arrives at the station, fearing that her estranged husband is involved in Shaun's disappearance.

After Ethan's psychiatrist, Clarence Dupré, reveals that his patient has a history of blackouts, Blake and his superiors put out a warrant for his arrest.

Meanwhile, private investigator Scott Shelby (Sam Douglas)[12] meets the families of the Origami Killer's victims, collecting the letters and other items they received when their loved ones were abducted.

Their investigation leads them to Gordi Kramer, who claims to be the killer, but when they attempt to question him, they are knocked out and wake up in a car sinking to the bottom of a lake.

After either saving or failing to rescue Lauren, Scott tracks down Gordi's father, Charles, and forces him to confess that his son was responsible for an earlier incident in which a boy was killed.

The first occurs 34 years earlier, with twin brothers playing on a construction site after being forced out of their trailer by their abusive alcoholic father.

The most positive shows Ethan and his son starting a new life with Madison, Norman retiring from the FBI to focus on treating his addiction or being hailed as a hero for saving Shaun, and Lauren spitting on Scott's grave after cursing his memory.

[15] Impressed by actress Aurélie Bancilhon's performances, writer and director David Cage gave her the part of Lauren Winter.

[46] During the March 2019 Game Developers Conference, it was announced that Quantic Dream would publish Heavy Rain along with Beyond: Two Souls and Detroit: Become Human for Windows.

[47][48] The Heavy Rain Chronicles, initially planned as downloadable content with multiple scenes, only produced one featuring Madison Paige called The Taxidermist, first showcased at E3 2008.

[28][49] The rest were cancelled due to the PlayStation Move edition,[50] which was released in October 2010, and included The Taxidermist, three dynamic themes, the soundtrack, and nine making-of videos.

[30] David Ellis of 1UP.com praised the quality and detail of the sets as "spectacular", noting that the world felt "lived-in and genuine"; the characters were said to have a similar "gritty realness".

[9] Edge staff complimented Heavy Rain on its unmatched "compulsive pull", writing that the "gruesome curiosity" of the challenges was reminiscent to that of the Saw franchise.

The realism, "aptly conjured" with quality lighting, and "filmic cliché", only considered effective for its sparse use, were observed as treading a "fine line".

[7] Eurogamer's Tom Bramwell saw the writing as full of "compassion and bravery" and commented that it was a game "where pulling the trigger makes you really feel something".

[56] Lark Anderson, writing for GameSpot, termed Heavy Rain an "absorbing experience" that showed, in meticulous fashion, the characters' tension, urgency, surprise, and tragedy.

Gallegos said the quick time events were of intuitive value and gave credit to Quantic Dream for making "incredible-looking character models".

[57] Chris Roper of IGN found the control mechanics praiseworthy, citing the choice and influence of the button prompts as a "key element" to how it distinguished itself from other games.

[58][71][72] Conversely, Ellis thought the "cumbersome" control scheme was the least appealing aspect,[9] a complaint repeated by Edge staff, who also found the scene structure to be confusing.

[7] Bramwell mentioned that the writing occasionally lacked "poetry or restraint", noticing a trend of clichés in the dialogue as well as broken English from the voice actors.

[57] Roper disparaged the graphics of clothes, hands, and objects for not being as detailed as hoped, and followed in the view that non-American accents from American characters sounded "weird".

[58][71][72] Heavy Rain debuted in Japan in sixth place, selling 27,000 units,[73] and topped the UK charts the same week.

Shaye and Lynne purchased the film rights with their own funds despite having a "first-look deal" in place at Warner Bros., which had bought New Line prior to their departure.