Heavy Rain



"How far would you go to save someone you love?"

- Tagline

Heavy Rain is a cinematic psychological thriller from game developer Quantic Dream that was originally released for the PlayStation 3 in February 2010. Dealing with a range of adult themes, the game revolves around a plot and narrative threads that explore a moral proposition. You assume the role of multiple characters with very different backgrounds, motivations, and skills in a world where each player decision affects what will follow.

The game focuses on four different characters: Ethan Mars, a father and the main protagonist; Scott Shelby, a private eye; Norman Jayden, an FBI agent; and Madison Paige, a photojournalist. They are very different characters and do not know each other at the beginning of the game, but are all connected in the sense that they all have an interest in the game's main antagonist, the Origami Killer.

A remastered version of Heavy Rain for the PlayStation 4 was released on March 1, 2016, including graphics improvement. Beyond: Two Souls is also included in disc versions. On December 4, 2018, the PS4 versions of these two games and Detroit: Become Human were released as a compilation pack called the Quantic Dream Collection.

On March 20, 2019, Quantic Dream announced via Twitter that Heavy Rain, along with Beyond: Two Souls and Detroit: Become Human, would be released for PC later in the year via the Epic Games Store, where it would remain exclusive to for a year before being released elsewhere. A demo of Heavy Rain became available on May 24, 2019, and the full PC version of the game was released on June 24, 2019. On May 25, 2020, the demos of all three games became available on Steam. Quantic Dream announced via their YouTube channel that the full games would be available on Steam on June 18, 2020.

Setting
The game takes place over the course of several days in October 2011. The city that the game takes place in is never named, but signs on the highway in the chapter "Crime Scene" indicate that it is somewhere near New York. David Cage of Quantic Dream mentioned that the City is modeled after Philadelphia, and several clues throughout the game indicate that it takes place in that area:


 * One of the signs on the highway depicted in concept art for "Fugitive" indicates Philadelphia. The other indicates Plymouth Meeting, which is part of Plymouth, a township in Pennsylvania not far from Philadelphia.
 * The letter sent to Ethan Mars in "Father and Son" is addressed to Camden (presumably Camden, New Jersey, which is directly across the Delaware River from Philadelphia).
 * One of the footprints that Norman Jayden can analyze with ARI in "Crime Scene" belongs to a police officer who lives in Sharswood, a North Philadelphia neighborhood.
 * If Ethan turns on the TV in his room before opening the shoebox in "The Motel," Glenn Sanders reports that a child disappeared from the Stanton district, which is in North Philadelphia.
 * The letter that was sent to Lauren Winter's husband Allan the day their son disappeared is addressed to Springfield, Pennsylvania, as seen in "A Visitor."
 * Jackson "Mad Jack" Neville is shown to have a Pennsylvania identification card in "Jayden Blues," and both it and an ARI analysis in "Mad Jack" indicate that he lives in Southwest Philadelphia.
 * There is a map of Philadelphia in Scott Shelby's office.
 * When Scott drops Lauren off at the train station in "Goodbye Lauren," every listing on the arrival and departure boards includes Philadelphia.
 * The City is referred to as being on "the east coast."

Despite these clues, a cutscene at the beginning of "The Old Warehouse" (if Ethan arrives) shows a flashback to the scene from "The Mall" in which Scott witnessed Jason's death; the phone number for a store in the background of this scene has the area code "218," which is assigned to northern Minnesota. (Philadelphia's area code is 215.) However, "A Drop of Water" revealed that the Mars residence is not in the City and that Ethan moved to the City after Jason's death, making it possible that the mall is not located there either.

True Plot
This is the plot if all main characters survive and a perfect ending is awarded.

Ethan Mars is a successful architect living a happy life with his wife Grace and his sons Jason and Shaun. Sometime after Jason's tenth birthday, Ethan loses Jason in a crowd at the mall. Ethan frantically searches for Jason and finds that he has managed to cross the street. Relieved, Jason runs to his father as a car speeds toward him. Ethan attempts to protect Jason but is unsuccessful. Both are struck by the car in front of Grace and Shaun. Jason is killed in the accident and Ethan is left in a coma for six months.

When the story continues, two years have passed. Ethan and Grace have separated and Shaun has grown into a distant and depressed child. Ethan and Grace have dual custody of Shaun and Ethan has him for a week. Ethan and Shaun's relationship is greatly strained and uncomfortable as seen in their interactions while at home. On that day, he receives a strange letter with no return address; he opens and reads it, but gives it little thought. After Ethan puts Shaun to bed, he blacks out and awakes to find himself on an unfamiliar street, holding a small origami dog in his hand.

Meanwhile, a retired police lieutenant named Scott Shelby is now working as a private investigator for the families of victims of the Origami Killer, a serial killer who kidnaps young boys and murders them. He seeks out Lauren Winter, a prostitute whose son Johnny was one of the Origami Killer's victims. She talks to Scott about her son and his death, but provides little information. While leaving the building, Scott has an asthma attack, but manages to contain it with his inhaler as he sees a man named Troy forcing his way into Lauren's apartment. Players then have the choice to leave or go back and fight Troy.

Early the next morning, Norman Jayden, an FBI profiler sent to assist in the Origami Killer investigation, arrives at the scene of his newest victim, a 10-year-old boy named Jeremy Bowles. There, he finds evidence including blood, orchid pollen, tire tracks, and footprints. He meets Lieutenant Carter Blake, who comes off as a rude individual. Many of the investigators follow Blake's lead, creating an environment of hostility toward Jayden that is apparent in all of his interactions with the local police force. After both are content with their investigations, they head off to the police station.

Later that day, Ethan takes Shaun to the park after school. After Ethan and his son spend some time together, Shaun asks to ride the carousel and Ethan purchases a ticket for him. He sees the carousel start to spin and blacks out, once again waking up hours later on an unfamiliar street. Ethan panics and begins frantically searching and calling for Shaun all over the neighborhood. He runs to the park where he had last seen Shaun and finds only Shaun's backpack next to the carousel.

Back at the police station, Norman meets with Captain Leighton Perry. Norman is given a small, unkempt office where he reviews the evidence he has collected via ARI (Added Reality Interface). After removing his ARI glasses and its accompanying specialized glove, Norman begins to shake and lose control of his body, going through many severe ailments. It is revealed that Norman is severely addicted to Triptocaine and is attempting to resist using the drug. Norman either folds and takes the Triptocaine or he manages to get to the restroom and wash his face, calming himself. At this time, Ethan is questioned by Blake and Ash about the events surrounding Shaun's disappearance. If Norman resists using Triptocaine, he joins in the questioning and asks about Ethan and Shaun's relationship and personal lives. Ethan asks Blake if Shaun's disappearance could be related to the Origami Killer. Blake provides little comfort, but says that it may be too early to know. Ethan then speaks to a panicked Grace, doing very little to calm her fears.

Detective Shelby goes to a small corner store and talks to the store's owner, Hassan, about his son Reza, another victim of the Origami Killer. Hassan refuses to talk about the circumstances surrounding his son's death no matter how Scott approaches the situation. Scott, knowing that Hassan will not talk, searches for an inhaler at the back of the store. At this point, a man named Andrew storms in and holds Hassan at gunpoint, demanding the money in the cash register. Scott either knocks out or reasons with Andrew to get him out of the shop. Hassan, feeling gratitude towards Scott for taking the risk to save him, informs Scott of what he knows and gives him a box filled with small origami figurines. He says that he received the box after his son's disappearance, but was unable to save him. Scott accepts the box and walks out of the store.

Meanwhile, Madison Paige wakes in her apartment and attempts to fight her chronic insomnia and go back to sleep by trying to find multiple distractions or sleep aids. Hearing noises, Madison searches the apartment and is attacked, and though she fights to her best ability, she is murdered by the masked intruders. She then awakes abruptly from her nightmare, realizing it was just a dream, but still frightened and deeply disturbed.

The following morning, Ethan reopens the letter he received before Shaun went missing. He finds a small ticket inside with the information and code of a locker at Lexington Station. He rushes to the train station only to find that it is crowded with people. He breaks down and suffers a severe anxiety attack due to his agoraphobia. Ethan begins to hallucinate that Jason is in the station with him, calling Ethan's name and searching for him through the crowds of people. Ethan tries to reach him, but every time he gets close, Jason disappears. When he manages to calm himself, Ethan finds the appropriate locker and opens it, finding a box much like the one Hassan gives to Scott.

Meanwhile, Norman has a meeting with Captain Perry and Blake and presents a profile of the Origami Killer as well as a possible area where the killer may live. He compiles and presents his evidence to Perry and using ARI. Tempers flare and Norman's relationship with Blake becomes strained; however, Blake insists that Nathaniel Williams is a suspect and he and Jayden head off to his apartment. After finding that no one is home, Blake kicks in Nathaniel's door and they enter. From the moment they enter his apartment, Jayden knows that Nathaniel has nothing to do with the murders. Nathaniel is severely mentally ill, and Blake informs Norman that Nathaniel believes he is the Antichrist. Nathaniel returns home to find Jayden and Blake in his apartment. Blake verbally harasses Nathaniel, who pulls out a gun and threatens Blake. Jayden is able to calm Nathaniel down and he is arrested.

Scott, still on the trail of the Origami Killer, seeks out Susan Bowles in her home. He opens the door to find an infant girl crying, several empty beer bottles, and a suicide note. He finds Susan in the bathtub, bleeding to death from slit wrists, so he carries her to her bed and helps dress her wounds to stop the bleeding. Susan, regaining her senses, begs Scott to take care of her daughter, Emily, who has been crying. Susan tells Scott that she does not wish to leave Emily, but that she is deeply depressed and struggling to cope after her son Jeremy's death. After Scott sees to Emily, Susan reveals that her husband abandoned her without explanation the day after Jeremy disappeared and that the only odd thing he left behind was a cell phone she'd never seen before. She insists that Scott take it, as it might be of use to him. Susan agrees to call her mother for assistance, and Scott leaves with the cell phone in hand.

Meanwhile, Ethan checks into the Cross Road Motel and opens the box he found in the locker. Inside there are five origami figurines - a bear, butterfly, lizard, shark, and rat - as well as a gun, a cell phone, and a chip. He inserts the chip into the cell phone and sees Shaun in a well crying for help. He opens the bear figurine and is given an address to a mechanic's garage, and also receives a parking stub from the box. There, he is given the keys to a car by a man working on a van, who promptly tells him that the car is located on the third floor down. Ethan proceeds to the elevator and reaches his car. He opens the car and finds a GPS that directs him to his next destination and gives him the details of his first trial. He must drive for five miles into oncoming traffic on a busy highway and he must reach his destination in five minutes. Ethan manages to complete his first trial, though he is greatly injured and destroys the car in the process. He is given the first random set of letters to complete the hangman which will direct him to the location of his son.

Back at the Cross Road Motel, Madison checks in and is given a room key. While searching for her room, she comes across Ethan, who is doubled over in pain and leaning over the railing. She manages to help him get into his room and helps disinfect his wound and gives him a few painkillers. While Ethan showers, Madison and he talk in order to make sure he does not pass out from his injuries. They introduce themselves and she reveals that she is staying in the motel in order to sleep, as she is unable to in her apartment since she suffers from severe insomnia. They part ways and Ethan decides to continue on to the next trial.

Blake insists that he and Jayden search for and attempt to interview another man, Miroslav Korda, who runs through the covered market in an attempt to escape from Blake and Jayden. Norman manages to corner and arrest him.

Lauren Winter appears at Scott's apartment to give him new information. She presents an envelope, much like the one Ethan received on the day before Shaun's disappearance. Lauren tells Scott that her son's father, Allan Winter, received it after Johnny's disappearance and left after reading the letter that came in it. He was never seen again, much like Jeremy's father. Lauren wants to help Scott in his investigation and refuses to let him have the envelope unless he takes her on as a partner. Scott, having no other choice, agrees, and they head off to meet Gordi Kramer, who Scott believes may be the Origami Killer. Scott confronts Gordi, who was seen picking up Joseph Brown, a possible victim of the Origami Killer, in his limousine. Gordi jokingly admits to being the Origami Killer and has his bodyguards attack Scott, but he defeats them and then leaves.

Ethan goes to the address written on the butterfly and finds an entrance to a tunnel within an old power plant. He must crawl through shards of broken glass until he reaches a room filled with electrical capacitors. Then he must navigate his way through these capacitors in order to reach the opposite side of the room, where he finds another chip with several more letters to complete the hangman. Back at the motel, Madison finds Ethan's door slightly ajar and helps clean the glass cuts on his arms as well as the burns on his chest. Ethan's fever is so high that he falls unconscious. When he awakes, he insists that Madison leave and turns to his next trial.

Back at the station, Korda admits to fleeing from the detectives because he had not reported to his parole officer. This confirms Jayden's suspicions that Korda is not the Origami Killer. Grace then comes forward and tells Blake about Ethan's blackouts and visions of drowning bodies. Norman and Blake head to Ethan's psychologist, who reveals the origami figure Ethan dropped in his office. At this point, Blake firmly believes Ethan is the Origami Killer.

Scott then meets with Charles Kramer, who attempts to bribe Scott into keeping away from his son and focusing his investigation elsewhere. Scott refuses and leaves.

Ethan goes to the address written within the lizard origami, a derelict apartment on Marble Street. Unbeknownst to Ethan, police follow him and surround the building. Inside the apartment, Ethan is instructed to cut off the last section of one of his fingers to get more letters for the hangman. He does this successfully and while recovering from the pain, Madison finds Ethan, alerts him, and assists in his escape from Blake and Norman. Upon returning to the motel, Ethan forces Madison to leave and opens the shark origami to discover the next trial.

After Ethan eludes capture, Jayden rests in his hotel room. Refusing to take the Triptocaine, he begins hallucinating and manages to calm himself with a cold shower.

Meanwhile, Scott and Lauren head up to Manfred's antique shop. Manfred is able to specify the model of typewriter used to type the address on the envelope sent to Lauren's husband. While searching through his office for a list of people who either purchased or had their machines repaired at his shop, Manfred is killed. Scott, believing that police interrogation would interfere with their investigation and lead to Shaun's death, wipes his and Lauren's fingerprints from every surface they touched in the shop. Then they leave.

Ethan arrives at drug dealer Brad Silver's home and must murder him to complete the Shark Trial. Though Ethan sympathizes with the drug dealer, who is also a father, he doesn't hesitate to pull the trigger. Ethan then takes a picture of the corpse and receives the next hangman letters before leaving the apartment.

At this time, Madison heads to Adrian Baker's house. As Baker owns the apartment on Marble Street, she believes that he may be or know something about the Origami Killer. Madison is knocked out, either by consuming the drugged drink offered to her or by blunt force. She wakes up tied to a makeshift surgery table and finds Baker caressing her and surrounded by bloody instruments. He attempts to harm her using a cordless drill but is interrupted by the doorbell. Madison is able to free herself from the ropes used to restrain her and a fight ensues. Madison kills Baker in self-defense and gets a business card from the Blue Lagoon to meet up with &quot;Paco,&quot; whose name was written on the back of the card.

Norman goes to Mad Jack's junkyard and confronts him, believing a car owned by the killer was stolen and sold to him by Jack. Mad Jack refuses to cooperate and insists that Norman leave. While snooping, Norman discovers a corpse in an acid bath. Mad Jack returns and they begin to fight. Norman defeats and arrests Jack.

Meanwhile, at Scott's apartment, Lauren reveals that she has stolen Manfred's list. They cross-reference the list from Manfred's shop with a list of local people who subscribed to origami magazines in the last 30 years. They find only one name on both lists: John Sheppard, a boy who died over 30 years ago at the age of ten. Lauren and Scott find John Sheppard's grave and are told that John drowned as his brother watched helplessly. Lauren suggests that the brother is the killer. As they leave the cemetery, Scott sees Charles Kramer placing flowers on John Sheppard's grave.

Madison goes to the Blue Lagoon and finds that Paco is the owner of the club. She manages to impress him by dancing seductively. They go to his office, where Paco forces her to perform a striptease for him. Madison is able to knock him out and holds him at gunpoint. At first, he refuses to admit any connections to the apartment on Marble Street, but Madison is able to discover that a man by the name of John Sheppard rents it. Madison leaves just as Jayden arrives. Upon entering Paco's office, Jayden finds him dead and fights his killer, who is able to escape.

Madison and Ethan return to the motel and eventually make love. While dressing, Ethan finds Madison's cell phone and notepad and discovers that she's a journalist. He becomes furious with her. Madison begs for his forgiveness and Ethan, believing that she is sincere, forgives her. The police arrive at the motel while Madison goes out for food. She is able to call Ethan's room, allowing him to escape and continue on to the last trial.

Upon returning to his apartment, Scott finds Lauren taken hostage by Charles Kramer and is knocked out. He wakes up and finds they are trapped in his car, which is now at the bottom of a lake. Scott is able to free himself, and depending on the player's actions, either frees Lauren or leaves her to drown. If he frees her, both are able to safely exit the car. Scott, desperate for revenge, returns to Kramer's mansion, killing his bodyguards. Scott finds Charles, who admits that his son Gordi killed Joseph Brown as a copycat crime to get some sort of sick thrill, but was genuinely remorseful. Charles insists that this murder was a one-time event and that Gordi is not the Origami Killer. Kramer has a heart attack and Scott has the choice to save him. After that, he leaves.

Madison then pays a visit to Ann Sheppard, John's mother, in the geriatrics ward of a hospital where she is suffering from Alzheimer's. She eventually reveals her other son's name to Madison, who leaves quickly. Meanwhile, Ethan follows the instructions to the address within the Rat Trial. There, he is given the option to drink a vial filled with poison that will kill him in 60 minutes. This will give him enough time to find and save his son and say goodbye. Ethan drinks the poison and is given the last letters to the address: 852 Theodore Roosevelt Road.

Back in his office, Norman is busy attempting to piece together the final clues to the Origami Killer's identity. He reviews the video his ARI glasses recorded during his altercation with Paco's killer and finds that the killer has a gold watch much like the one given to lieutenants in the police department. He pieces together the geolocation information and discovers the identity of the killer. He rushes quickly out the door and Blake takes notice, following him with the police.

A cutscene returns to the fateful day of John Sheppard's death to reveal that his brother attempted to get their father to assist him and save John, but he refused to come. In his last breaths, Johnny calls out to his brother and reveals that his name is Scottie. Returning to the present, Scott Shelby is in his apartment burning all of the evidence he has gathered connecting him to the crimes, revealing himself as the Origami Killer.

Madison, having realized that Scott is the killer, goes to Scott's apartment where she finds a trash can filled with burnt evidence. She snoops through his apartment and finds a secret room where Scott grows the orchids the Origami Killer places on victims' chests. Scott finds Madison in his apartment and traps her in the secret room. He sets the apartment on fire and leaves a propane tank to explode on his desk. Madison manages to escape the secret room and hide in his refrigerator, surviving the blast.

Ethan manages to get to Shaun at the warehouse (after correctly deducing where it is with the clues he has) and is confronted by Scott, who reveals the motives for his crime. He had seen Ethan attempt to save Jason and had been moved to find a father (unlike his) who would risk everything to save his son. While Ethan attempts to break open the lock to get Shaun out, Scott raises his gun to shoot him, but Jayden tackles him and begins a fight in which Jayden chases Scott on a conveyor belt and Scott eventually falls into the grinder, dying. Ethan gets Shaun out of the well and successfully revives him. Madison arrives at the warehouse and evades the police, who refuse to listen to her evidence of Ethan's innocence. She enters the warehouse and together, she, Ethan, and Shaun leave the warehouse unharmed.

Ethan, Madison, and Shaun later move into a new house to start a new life. Madison and Ethan share a kiss and they live as a family. Norman is promoted and makes the rounds on TV talk shows for successfully locating and dispatching the Origami Killer. He is seen sitting in the bathroom holding a vial of Triptocaine, which he flushes down the toilet. Then he is shown working with ARI in his new office, where he sees small hallucinatory tanks rolling across his desk as ARI and Triptocaine use take their toll. If Lauren survived, she will be seen at the cemetery she and Scott visited earlier in the game, standing over his grave and spitting on it in anger at him for killing her son and deceiving her. At the end of these scenes, the credits roll.

Development
Director David Cage described Heavy Rain as "a very dark film noir with mature themes" without any supernatural elements, and that "the real message [of the game] is about how far you're willing to go to save someone you love."

In an interview with Belgian magazine Chief in 2008, Cage gave a brief overview of Heavy Rain ' s narrative and ambitions. A translation was then made on Kotaku, as follows:

"'Heavy Rain is about normal people who have landed in extraordinary situations. I wanted a much more personal story. The first thing that came to my mind, as a father of two little boys, was that the main theme should simply be a father's love for his son. This is not a game about saving the princess or the world. Its [sic] purely about a father's love. The main story will revolve around four different characters, and we're putting the spotlight on their perceptions. The question 'what is good and what is evil' is the key here, that will be just a matter of viewpoint...I believe heavily in moral choices, I'm going to use them A LOT. They're not about being good or bad, but about finding the right balance.'"

In the same interview, Cage commented on the setting by saying "I don't want to do a big free-roaming city like GTA, because the flow of the story will then be hard to control. Nevertheless, I do want to incorporate big sets, with a crowd, heavy populated areas like a mall and a subway are going to be in there. Of course, the gameplay has got to make use of that aspect too." The main characters are looking for a serial killer known as the Origami Killer.

Cage has also stated that "I would like people to play it once…because that's life. Life you can only play once...I would like people to have this experience that way." He goes on to say, "I'm fine with [reloading to avoid a bad result], but the right way to enjoy Heavy Rain is really to make one thing because it's going to be your story. It's going to be unique to you. It's really the story you decided to write...I think playing it several times is also a way to kill the magic of it."

Gameplay
Action sequences, such as when the player is being attacked, play out as quick time events. Players are presented with various symbols, requiring them to either press buttons, move the right analogue stick in a certain way, or shake or tilt the controller. Failure to execute these commands takes the story along a different path, and certain mistakes can lead to a character's death. For example, in one scene, Norman Jayden is interrogating a suspect named Mad Jack when he starts to suffer from withdrawal symptoms and button prompts will show up. If he fails to take his drugs, he will be taken to a scenario in which he will have to escape from his car before it is thrown into a crusher, killing him. In scenes like these, a "timer" scene (a portion of the screen that is devoted to showing the player how long he or she has until time runs out, or another event is scripted to occur, which is shown through several different camera angles) is shown at the bottom of the screen, indicating how long the player has to escape from his or her predicament. If a character dies, the game does not end, and play control switches to another character, with the events of the previous character's death affecting the story. In the event that all four characters die, there is a proper conclusion to the story and the game ends.

Downloadable Content
Quantic Dream planned the release of Heavy Rain Chronicles, a series of downloadable content that concern the four playable characters before the events of Shaun Mars' abduction by the Origami Killer. However, only one episode was released before suspending production on the series to focus on PlayStation Move compatibility. According to game director David Cage, "Sony wanted more AAA adult games to support the Move and they thought that Heavy Rain was the perfect fit. For me, there was really a choice to make, because I did not want to postpone the work on our next projects spending one more year on Heavy Rain, and given the time and attention we put in developing our games, this is what it would have meant."

The Taxidermist was the first and only episode published, featuring Madison Paige on a past case as she seeks out a killer and is given a lead on a local taxidermist who was stuffing women after killing them. It was originally planned to be released at the same time as the full game, but was re-scheduled for March 4th in the U.S. In Europe, however, it was released on the launch date with the Special Edition of the game, but due to issues with the soundtrack on PSN, customers were advised to wait until March 4, 2010 before redeeming their code. The DLC's general release of the Taxidermist episode was on April 1, 2010, for $4.99/£2.50 on the PSN. It is also currently available in the U.S. as the Heavy Rain: Director's Cut. The DLC was not included in the PS4 remaster; however, players can play the episode on their PS4 system using the PlayStation Now feature, which allows users to play PS3 games on the PS4. It is also absent from the PC release.

Further episodes were said to deal with how Norman Jayden acquired the scar on his right cheek and his addiction to Triptocaine as well as how Madison Paige began to suffer insomnia. Speculations on episodes that include either Ethan Mars or Scott Shelby were not released, though there had been news that you would be able to take the role of the Origami Killer. David Cage later confirmed that there had been an episode planned for Scott Shelby in a Reddit AMA after the release of Detroit: Become Human.

Awards

 * Golden Joystick Awards 2010 - Nominated for Action Game of the Year, Soundtrack of the Year, and Ultimate Game of the Year
 * Living Games Festival Award (LIGA) 2010 in Germany.
 * Develop Awards 2010 - Heavy Rain was nominated for 3 awards: Best New IP, Best Visual Arts, and Technological Innovation. Heavy Rain won the Best New IP award. Quantic Dream won the award for Best Independent Studio.
 * LARA German Videogame Awards - Heavy Rain won the LARA Youth Category Award.

Trivia

 * During the initial installation, there are step-by-step instructions to make the Origami Murder Birds as seen on the game cover and posters.
 * The European version of the game contains more content than the American version. Also, the European box art for the game only features an origami bird, while the American box art shows all four protagonists behind the bird.
 * On any version below Version 2.00, the main menu of the PS3 version of the game was different than the PS4 remastered version, showing the warehouse instead of the origami bird. However, after the Version 2.00 update, both main menu screens show the origami bird.
 * There is a commonly triggered glitch on the PS3 version that causes music, sound effects, and voice lines to randomly cut out and not be heard.
 * The Japanese box art shows Ethan drowning in rainwater, a reference to the original concept of his blackouts.
 * Heavy Rain was announced at E3 2006, where a tech demo entitled The Casting was presented to the media and general public.
 * The graphical user interface of Heavy Rain was created with the middleware Menus Master by Omegame. The software was also used for Jayden's ARI glasses, placing a 3D interface within the game world.
 * Nearly all characters (one of a few exceptions is the role of Madison) were modeled after the actors who lent their voices to their respective characters - some actors were French while others were English. They also performed their own motion capturing, a technology that allows character movement to look more realistic.
 * The most featured gun used by characters is a Beretta 90-Two.
 * Heavy Rain consists of almost 20,000 motion capture animations. There were 10 animators working on it.
 * David Cage plans on making a film based on the game. Nothing about it has been confirmed yet, but the IMDb lists it as being "in development."
 * Quantic Dream made a short video called "Thanks a Million" to thank all of the players for buying the game. The video consists of opinions and reviews from all over the world.
 * Since each character is trying to save Shaun (halfway with Scott), they all suffer in their own way if they can't find him (Scott with not finding a good father who can save his son, Norman with overdosing on Triptocaine, Madison with her chronic insomnia worsened and Ethan committing suicide).
 * Sony asked Quantic Dream to stop a bit with the nudity, because of the high maturity level in the game.
 * When first announced at E3 2006 the game was intended to be multi-platform (PC, PS3 and Xbox 360). However, the initial tech demo at E3 was done on Sony's PS3 development kits. The E3 crowd was so impressed by the real-time cinematic on Sony's hardware, it won best of show by some critics and generated a lot of buzz for the PS3. Sony eventually got exclusive rights to publishing the game.
 * 90 actors were cast for the game, which uses motion capture to produce lifelike animation.
 * The soundtrack was recorded by a full orchestra at Abbey Road Studios in London.
 * David Cage wrote 2000 pages of script for Heavy Rain, when the scripts for the movies usually take about 120 pages.
 * In 2006 when the first trailer came out, people had mistaken it for Indigo Prophecy 2, but as more information was released, it was known as Heavy Rain.
 * All playable characters in Heavy Rain display a physical or mental illness: Ethan's blackouts, PTSD, and agoraphobia; Scott's asthma; Norman's addiction to Triptocaine; and Madison's insomnia.
 * It is impossible for all four characters to be alive after all the endings in the game.
 * The ages of all four playable characters, in order from oldest to youngest, are as follows: Scott - 44, Ethan - 38, Norman - 34, Madison - 27.
 * All playable characters in Heavy Rain eventually recruit a partner. Ethan partners with Madison, Madison partners with Ethan (and her contact Sam, who is heard by phone), Norman partners with Blake, and Scott partners with Lauren.