Sleazy Place

"Sleazy Place" is the fourth chapter in Heavy Rain. It and the next chapter are the only chapters featured in the game's demo.

Overview[]

The chapter introduces the player to the second of the game's four playable characters, Scott Shelby. It also introduces the player to QTEs (quick time events).

Description[]

Scott enters a run-down extended-stay motel in search of Lauren Winter, a prostitute and the mother of Johnny Winter, a victim of the Origami Killer. He bribes the property manager to find out which room she's in. Shelby can knock on three different apartment doors other than Lauren's: one in which a woman orgasms (so it is occupied due to "private business"), one that leads to an apartment with no one inside, and one in which a man is coughing.

Once the player knocks on Lauren's door, she tells him to put his money on her table, believing Scott to be a customer. She begins to take off her robe, but notices Shelby just standing there and tells him to take his clothes off. Shelby tells her that he's not a customer; he is a private investigator and wishes to inquire about the circumstances under which Johnny disappeared, in the hope it will provide some clue in unmasking the identity of the Origami Killer.

The player must work strategically in order to successfully convince Lauren to divulge information, as she is distressed and not readily willing to help Scott. She mentions that her son lived with her and that he was best thing that ever happened to her. She wanted to stop turning tricks, but she needs the money to move out of the place where she is living. Depending on the player's decisions, this chapter can have several outcomes, but ultimately Lauren tells Scott to get out. He leaves Lauren's apartment, has an asthma attack, and sees a man barge into the apartment after using his inhaler; soon after, Lauren cries out as the man presumably starts abusing her.

This chapter also introduces QTEs, a new interaction sequence style that requires the player to mimic commands displayed on the screen quickly and accurately in a sort of visual "Simon Says." It pitches the decision to the player to intervene and stop Troy from abusing Lauren, or to not get involved and walk away.

If the player decides to intervene, there will be a fight scene between Scott and Troy which can either be won or lost, though it doesn't really affect the overall storyline of the game.

If the player should have Shelby win the fight against Troy, before the latter leaves, he makes an empty threat to the former when he promises he'll see him again.

However, regardless of the player's choices, the chapter ends with Scott leaving Lauren's apartment after leaving his business card on her kitchen table in the hope that she will contact him.

Walkthrough[]

Main article: /Walkthrough

Transcript[]

Main article: /Transcript

Characters[]

Scott Shelby
Unnamed property manager
Lauren Winter
Troy
Johnny Winter (mentioned)
Allan Winter (mentioned)

Trophies[]

White Knight – Beat Troy.
Private Eye – Lead Lauren to talk about her son.

Trivia[]

This chapter introduces both Scott Shelby and Lauren Winter.
After Scott pays Lauren for her "services," she sets a timer to go off after ten minutes. In reality, however, it goes off after five.
Giving Lauren the $50 or not doesn't have any noticeable effect on the questions or answers while talking to her.
After talking with Lauren, Scott can leave without giving her the business card. It doesn't affect the story, and Lauren will still appear in the chapter "A Visitor."
This is the first chapter to be featured in the Heavy Rain demo.
This is the first chapter without Ethan Mars.
The outcome of the fight with Troy does not affect the storyline in any way whatsoever; however, Lauren may appear at Shelby's apartment during "A Visitor" with a black eye if Shelby lost the fight or left without intervening.
If the player waits long enough before entering Lauren's apartment to confront Troy, she will have a black eye.
Troy will leave Lauren's apartment regardless of whether Scott wins or loses the fight. If Scott loses, he will compliment Troy, saying he has "a good right hook."
The time of day is displayed as "00:06 AM" instead of "12:06 AM" at the beginning of this chapter. Writing times in the first hour of the day this way is a convention of British English.^[1]
There are three glitches that may occur in this chapter:
- Rarely, Lauren will appear to move backwards without walking, through the walls and back to normal through the wall, and so forth. There is no way to fix this until the chapter is over, when it automatically stops.
- On some occasions, Troy will remain at the top of the stairs when walking towards Lauren's apartment. Players faced with this problem can either leave or restart the chapter.
- On rare occasions, after Lauren asks Scott if he wants a cigarette and he declines, the cigarette that Lauren is smoking will be frozen in midair as Scott questions her. It is not known what causes this weird glitch.