The first downloadable content to the highly acclaimed Heavy Rain will be hitting the PlayStation Store on April 1st and I finally had a chance to sit down to play through it. I love Heavy Rain due to the fact that I can play it over and over again because there is more than one ending that can be seen. The Taxidermist is no different as the episode offers more than one ending as well. The episode features a short story of Madison Paige as she tries to investigate a Taxidermist that could potentially be the Origami Killer.
Quantic Dream and Sony Computer Entertainment will be releasing a series of episodes for Heavy Rain Chronicles. The episodes will focus on the characters found in Heavy Rain before the events of finding out who the real Origami Killer is. Basically the episodes we will be expecting are prequels and most likely let us know more about the characters’ life before their lives got complicated leading into solving the Origami killer case.
For the price of $4.99, fans who played Heavy Rain will be wondering if purchasing this first piece of DLC would be worth it? I can’t exactly say for sure since I have mixed emotions to it. Let’s take a look on the HOTs and the NOTs:
HOT
Interesting Short Story of Madison Paige
I’ve always wondered what kind of journalist Madison Paige is. We clearly did not see much of Madison’s life before she got involved with the characters finding out who the Origami Killer is in Heavy Rain. In the Taxidermist DLC, we get to see what it really takes to get a scoop even though it risking her own life. Finding out the motives of the Taxidermist is indeed a dangerous business and there is a lot of suspense that you can expect in this DLC.
One of the best scenes that really got my attention in this episode is when the Taxidermist found out that I was at his house. My heart was pounding so fast trying not to get caught by the Taxidermist. Since there are a lot possibilities in the game, I tried fighting him and since I wasn’t expecting a quick QTE, i failed pressing a button at the right time and that led to Madison’s death! Whoops!
More than one Ending
There is more than one ending that can be unlocked in the game. As always, the interactive drama plays a role in this game. Your decision and the things you do in your environment will have a serious effect in the end. Madison Paige will be investigating the house of the Taxidermist. What she touches while investigating will be reflected in the outcome of the game. This is one of the things I really love about Quantic Dream, the possibilities to change the events. Expect around five endings.
Decent Voice Acting & Soundtrack
As always, the biggest factor that makes Heavy Rain so great is the decent voice actors that brings the character to life. There are only two characters that will be featured in this game; Madison Paige and Leland White, the Taxidermist. Their voices contribute a lot to build the emotions we are looking for. The suspense and thrill can once again be felt in this short story of Madison Paige as the soundtrack will build up the emotion that we want to feel.
NOT
Very Short!
The Taxidermist can be finished around fifteen to thirty minutes depending if you want to see all endings. For just one playthrough, you can finish it at ten to fifteen minutes at the most. There is only three save points in the game and the last one that you will have can be played to see the different ending; no need to start over!
No Trophies
For trophy-whores out there, I am sad to report that the Taxidermist will not be offering any additional trophies. Since the game is very short, I really don’t see a point of including trophies.
VERDICT
Fans who enjoyed playing through the suspense and drama found in Heavy Rain will really have to get this DLC despite its very short gameplay. I don’t think the DLC is worth $4.99 because the experience I’ve gotten from it wasn’t enough. The fifteen minute gameplay won’t suffice for the $4.99. I guess if you’re just interested to just find out what really happened in this episode, I’ll just go with Youtube. If you’re a fan, then it’s really a must get.
