Hands-On With Heavy Rain DLC

Now that PS3 owners have had some time to play (and replay) Heavy Rain, Sony is giving gamers an incentive to dive back into Quantic Dream's haunting and atmospheric world with The Taxidermist, the first episode in a planned series of downloadable content. While the game's main story unravels the mystery surrounding the Origami Killer, this prequel chapters follows Madison Paige through an ordeal prior to the beginning of Heavy Rain.

The Taxidermist episode has been available for a few weeks to those who pre-ordered the game,  but today everyone else can pick it up at the PlayStation Store for $4.99. You may also be familiar with it if you followed Heavy Rain prior to its release; The Taxidermist was the first major piece of gameplay showcased by Quantic Dream, and the sequence was shown in its entirety at E3 and Leipzig's Games Convention in 2008.

In case you managed to avoid learning about The Taxidermist's set-up through those avenues, here are the basics: As a reporter looking for a scoop, Madison – who is strangely voiced by a different actress – is investigating the Origami Killer. Following up on a lead on the killer's identity, she finds herself outside the home of taxidermist Leland White. This is where the gameplay picks up; players are tasked with exploring the area, finding a way into the house, and determining whether or not White is the killer.

I won't spoil exactly what happens from there, but Madison uncovers some disturbing stuff inside. The story fits well with the dark tone of the Heavy Rain universe, and ostensibly explains why Madison has so much trouble sleeping when players first meet her in the core game. If you enjoyed your time with Heavy Rain as much as I did, you'll probably like The Taxidermist as long as you know what you're getting into.

While I'd recommend the DLC to hardcore fans, I have to acknowledge that it isn't a spectacular value for five bucks. My first playthrough took about 20 minutes, and even then I felt like I was taking it pretty slow. You get some replayability in the form of five endings, but you can see those just by loading the final checkpoint and doing a few things differently in the closing sequence. Don't expect anything like the core game, where the scenario can split in multiple directions. You'll just see some slight variations in the action followed by a newspaper clipping explaining the ultimate resolution.

Part of what I liked about Heavy Rain was seeing how the game reacted to my decisions, but that doesn't happen here. Not that I was expecting anything elaborate, but I found myself less compelled by the content when I knew that my actions weren't really changing anything. As a standalone episode, your choices in The Taxidermist aren't represented in the main game, either. It's a cool scene with a creepy vibe, and I appreciate the chance to be able to play more Heavy Rain no matter the form it takes. As a free pre-order bonus, it's awesome. As a paid piece of content, however, The Taxidermist leaves something to be desired.