This year marks the tenth anniversary of Heavy Rain. The game launched on the PS3 on February 23, 2010. It actually shares a date with another cult classic, Deadly Premonition. The two have a lot more in common than the launch date, but let's leave that alone for now.
Ten years later this game holds up in some respects. It is still one of the most unique adventure games due the varying paths players can take the four protagonists down. Creating a game like this was ambitious, but it left Heavy Rain open to many plot holes and things that didn’t make sense in the end.
10 How Did Jason Die?
One of the central plot points to this game never made sense from day one. How did Jason die? In the scene where the car “hits him” it is shown that Ethan dives in front of the car, grabs Jason, shields him, and Ethan then takes the brunt of the damage to his back.
Fans have theorized that perhaps Ethan, in his valiant efforts, is actually the one that injured Jason beyond repair in his dive. That is the only thing that would make sense, which makes Ethan’s trauma all the more tragic.
9 Shaun Should Be Dead
Speaking of sons, Shaun should be dead. Forget about drowning, the real threat to Shaun would have been him staying in cold water for at least two if not more days. The victim doesn't need to drown if he's been soaking in freezing water to the point of hypothermia.
Food stuff aside, the cold would surely kill him given how young he is. If not getting hit by a car can kill one kid then surely cold rainwater should have killed the other.
8 Why Did Scott Wait So Long To Collect Evidence?
These murders have been going on for about two years now. Why does Scott wait until this case to go back and start collecting evidence from all of his victims? Does he plan to retire after Shaun as if he knows Ethan will win?
Going back to collect evidence now seems more risky and suspicious than just leaving it be. This is, of course, used to get the player to think he is a good guy, when this is actually a red herring, but one poorly executed.
7 Madison’s Dream
It was kind of weird how players are first introduced to Madison via a dream. A dream that starts with allowing players to wander aimlessly in her apartment before they are burgled. This goes nowhere. She has some line to Ethan later to the effect that she comes to the motel to get sleep every so often because it's a long story.
This so-called long story is never explained. However, as discovered by YouTube user Hero, there were plans to explore her backstory. This trauma was because she was a reporter in the Iraq war thus giving her insomnia. As it stands in the game now, her dream and overall exhaustion, doesn’t work due to this canceled content.
6 Madison Gets Fridged
Three aspects of Madison getting trapped in Scott's apartment doesn’t make sense. One, why didn't Scott just shoot her? Two, hiding in a fridge to escape an explosion seems crazy especially considering the building is still on fire after said explosion. How then did Madison escape the building to get back to the street?
If players exit out the fire escape instead of hiding in the fridge then this point is null and void. However, the final aspect is in regard to her choice of who to call: Ethan or Jayden. In any scenario chosen in the game, Madison will never talk to Jayden prior to this point. How does she have his number then?
5 The Press Are Blind
The press decides to camp outside Ethan's house after they find out his son is the next kidnapped victim of the Origami Killer. There are over a dozen people gathered there and yet no one thought of going in the backyard to wait for him to escape that way?
Also, no one is paying attention to a car parked outside his house that drives away. Boy, the members of the press in this city sure are dumb. Sounds like the media outlets need to start hiring some actual journalists.
4 Ann Sheppard Whispering
Ann Sheppard, Scott's mom, finally decides to tell Madison what the name of her son is after players question and play memory games with her. Ann will only tell her by having Madison come close so she can whisper the answer to her.
The only reason this is done is for players to not hear the answer. It doesn't make sense for someone to do this in reality. That is unless Ann thinks the government is listening to her conversations.
3 Scott Leaving Crime Scenes
If Scott is so concerned about coming across as a good guy trying to collect evidence for a case, why then does he leave crime scenes? First, he fights off Lauren’s client and is not concerned about him coming back. Okay, that is acceptable.
The second case involves him taking out a burglar for Hassan, the store clerk. He just leaves this guy lying on the floor with his gun? Then there is Ms. Bowles and her baby. Shouldn't he stay to make sure she doesn't commit suicide again? In order to fool these people and the players more, it would make sense for some kind of followthrough.
2 The Motel
There are two aspects of the motel that are questionable besides Madison’s sleeping habits. One, after the driving trial Ethan somehow makes it back there without a car. It seems like a long hike to do after he is injured.
Two, boy, that bathroom sure is stocked with some good drugs. What kind of budget does this rinky-dink motel have? Rooms must be crazy expensive. It's just awfully convenient that he was able to find everything he needed more or less.
1 Why Does Grace Suspect Ethan?
Even though players don't see Ethan and Grace split apart it is obvious the loss of Jason is the core of it. When a death happens in a family there is no way of knowing how said family can be taken apart.
Their relationship is rocky to say the least, but for her to go to the police suspecting Ethan to be the killer is a huge leap in logic. For that matter Ethan thinking he is the killer is equally crazy.