Prologue

"Prologue" (often referred to as "the prologue") is the first and introductory chapter in Heavy Rain.

Overview
The player is first introduced to Ethan Mars, the main character/protagonist of the game. Ethan is an architect who is married to Grace and is the father of two boys, Jason and Shaun. This chapter serves two purposes: one, to be a gameplay tutorial; and two, to explain the basic premise of the storyline (before the story really starts in the next chapter).

This chapter is also meant to show Ethan's relationship with his sons before future events.

Description
Upon awakening, the player takes control of Ethan and is given several minutes to come to grips with character movement and how to interact with the environment in the Heavy Rain world.

Players can be as thorough or as cursory as they wish whilst guiding Ethan around the home. Keen players can engage Ethan in many activities, including brushing his teeth, showering, playing a radio, finishing an architectural concept drawing (required for the trophy of this chapter), playing with a remote controlled car, drinking coffee and orange juice, and getting dressed, whilst less enthusiastic players can simply await the return of Ethan's wife, Grace, and his two sons Shaun and Jason. The player's level of involvement in the activities available has no visible effect on the story.

Once Grace and the children arrive, it is up to the player to prepare for Jason's birthday by setting the table (which is required to earn a trophy). Afterward, the player can engage with Grace in a romantic moment and play with Jason and Shaun in the backyard.

The chapter ends when Grace calls her husband and sons to the table to eat lunch, only to discover that Shaun is missing. The player must guide Ethan upstairs to find Shaun huddled over Merlin, the family's pet who has died (quite recently, as it was singing and healthy when Ethan first awoke). Ethan attempts to comfort him and the chapter ends.

Characters

 * Ethan Mars – Playable character. The husband of Grace, and the father of Jason and Shaun.
 * Grace Mars – The wife of Ethan, and the mother of Jason and Shaun.
 * Jason Mars – The older son of Ethan and Grace, who is turning ten in this chapter.
 * Shaun Mars – The younger son of Ethan and Grace.

Trophies

 * Happy Birthday – Complete the drawing + Set the table + Play with kids
 * Interactive Drama – Thank you for supporting Interactive Drama

Trivia

 * Grace's note to Ethan says that she will pick up the kids from school, while moments earlier it is noted that it is a Saturday. (Note that Shaun and Jason have the afternoon free.)
 * This can be explained by the fact that Quantic Dream is a French studio, and it was once common for French schools to close for all or part of the day on Wednesday and have classes on Saturday. However, this practice was changed in 2008, and since this chapter takes place in 2009, Saturday classes would be anachronistic even if the game were set in France. This suggests that this plot element was added early in the game's development, but was not changed after France's educational reforms.
 * There is evidence that shows that players would be shown a full-frontal view of Ethan's shower scene. This was likely removed due to censorship. However, there are image stills online that state the full, uncensored cutscene may be obtainable via glitching or using the Debug Mode's free camera option.
 * This chapter has the first shower scene in the game.
 * This is the first and only chapter to feature a pet.
 * Grace and Ethan will have a humorous conversation if he plays with the remote control toy car while she is in the kitchen.
 * Grace: "I thought that was for the kids."
 * Ethan: "Oh, I'm just... checking if it works."
 * Grace: "Right..."
 * During Ethan's shower scene, an apparent glitch exposes his genitalia, which are usually obscured or cropped out.
 * If Ethan loses the sword fight with Jason, Shaun will run over to Ethan and check on him after he falls to the ground. He does the same thing again later on, should Ethan die in "The Old Warehouse."