Heavy Rain
I know, I know. I’m going to catch some flak for this one. The motion controls in Heavy Rain sucked, and it was just a massive QTE, but the storytelling aspect, especially in regards to the ways you could alter and change how the story played out, was amazing, and it was hard not to get invested in it all. But as cool and mentally exhausting as the whole game was, the twist ending was like a punch to the jaw.
Here’s a quick recap for those who don’t know what went down. In Heavy Rain, you play as multiple characters, and the main plot centers around a dad who is trying to find his son, who is being kept alive (barely) by a man named the Origami Killer. You also play as a detective who is also lurking around trying to find clues about who the murderer is and what his motives are.
Then, in one moment near the end of the game, you figure out that the detective you have been playing as is really the killer and the one who has been putting your other player through the insane trials they had to face throughout the game. The twist is made even more compelling by the fact that you find out the backstory of why he is doing what is he is doing and it is really quite heartbreaking. It’s completely shocking and finding out that you’ve played half the game as the villain was definitely something memorable (even though it’s been done before).
