Heavy Rain Chronicles: The Taxidermist

So there's no correct way to rummage through the taxidermist's belongings, or to disguise your presence. There is a script though, of course, and it kicks into gear when Madison stumbles upon a few unusual house guests, and then gets trapped in the house with their landlord, the taxidermist, who arrives home unexpectedly.

Perhaps because this scene was designed to stand alone and showcase the game's approach, there's a strong and diverse range of possibilities. You can confront the man and get into a frantic chase to escape the house before he murders you; you can hide in various places and try to outmanoeuvre him without his realising; or you can bring the scene to several other outcomes.

Once it's over and the credits have rolled, the final screen reveals that there are five possible conclusions, giving them names that hint at how to reach them, and encourages you to begin again from one of the three save points it registered along the way. Playing through a few times to see three of the five reveals that they are impressively distinct from one another.

Overall, though, The Taxidermist is more interesting for its historical significance - I didn't get to play the gamescom build in 2008, and I doubt you did either - than its content, although the latter is nevertheless extremely polished.

Is it worth buying the Special Edition version because of it? The question is probably whether you can buy the Special Edition, since it seems to have sold out judging by its absence from HMV's website.

Google caching suggests it cost five quid more than the regular version, a price difference that presumably also reflects the special rain-effect packaging, and the fact the redeemable code that downloads it also provides a new dynamic theme and a copy of the original soundtrack.

Something that has been apparent for a while now with digital downloads and "value added" content is that the less you charge for something, the greater the impact minor price differences have on the review score. And sadly, since we don't know how The Taxidermist will be packaged on PSN, and at what price, we're in the same position we were with Mass Effect 2's Cerberus Network add-on. We can't score it until the facts are in.

As for what it tells us about Madison, the Taxidermist scene has relatives in the main adventure. It's very similar in content and style to Madison's visit to a retired doctor, and to some extent Norman Jayden's encounter with Mad Jack. It's exciting, and makes it interesting to explore the possibilities, but it doesn't really teach you anything: we already knew Madison was bold to the point of recklessness.

The greatest similarity to those scenes, however, is that the taxidermist himself is a weak villain, and his lines and particularly their delivery puncture the atmosphere like a white-hot needle through flesh, leaving too much damage in their wake. That, for once, is not evidence of Heavy Rain being held to a higher standard: it's just a rather disappointing truth.

As for the episode itself, it's rather like the game's camera: it lingers on things that catch your attention, but you can't really read too much into it.