May 30, 2009 Build

This is a sub-page of Proto:Heavy Rain (PlayStation 3).

A build of Heavy Rain, which was used for the E3 2009 demo. Normally, it would include two chapters: Mad Jax and Sexy Girl, however, when changing DemoMode from 1 to 0 in runtime.ini, the build will launch in a hidden state numbered 5.0.74 SP12. This reveals an internal build which not only contains an entirely different main menu, but also several more chapters that are present in the build. They are all fully playable, but the chapters in the hidden build are in a more raw state, with incomplete camera angles, scripts and animations.

To do:
Extract more things from the build's files if possible, such as the early placeholder music.

The chapters included in the build are:

The Mall

Father and Son (includes one of Ethan's scrapped blackout sequences)

Sleazy Place

Hassan's Shop

Sleepless Night

The Lizard

Mad Jack

Sexy Girl

Fish Tank

Early Main Menu#

The internal build shows an entirely different menu compared to the one shown in the demo mode, which already has the same design and location as the one in the final game. The prototype menu is much more surreal, utilizing the same imagery shown in Ethan's scrapped blackout sequences. The menu was likely changed to make the menu less supernatural and more grounded - something that would also lead to the supernatural elements of the game being removed entirely later.

The prototype menu doesn't have the game's title in it, but when using free gamera, it is possible to find a title in the same room out of view. It is likely that the camera would've moved to reveal it either when starting the game or when starting a new story.

Protrotype Menu	Final Game Menu

Early Videos#

HR_0403_UNDERWATER	HR_0701_UNDERWATER-CLOSEUP	HR_4801_JAYDEN_WATCH	HR_4903_LAUREN_LETTER	HR_4903_SHELBY_HASSAN_ALIVE
HeavyRainProto_HR_0403_UNDERWATER.mp4	HeavyRainProto_HR_0701_UNDERWATER-CLOSEUP.mp4	HeavyRainProto_HR_4801_JAYDEN_WATCH.mp4	HeavyRainProto_HR_4903_LAUREN_LETTER.mp4	HeavyRainProto_HR_4903_SHELBY_HASSAN_ALIVE.mp4

HR_4903_SHELBY_HASSAN_DEAD	HR_4903_SHELBY_HOSPITA	HR_4903_SHELBY_MANFRED	HR_4903_SHELBY_PACO	HR_4903_SUSAN_PHONE	HR_5201_SHELBY_MALL
HeavyRainProto_HR_4903_SHELBY_HASSAN_DEAD.mp4	HeavyRainProto_HR_4903_SHELBY_HOSPITAL.mp4	HeavyRainProto_HR_4903_SHELBY_MANFRED.mp4	HeavyRainProto_HR_4903_SHELBY_PACO.mp4	HeavyRainProto_HR_4903_SUSAN_PHONE.mp4	HeavyRainProto_HR_5201_SHELBY_MALL.mp4

There are several .bik video files for verious pre-rendered scenes in the game. Some of them contain a placeholder image with a description of the scene, but some made it to the later stages of animation, lacking only polish, camera angles and lighting to be completed.

One file in particular, SHELBY_HOSPITAL, shows the original version of the scene, in which Shelby was going to kill Anne Sheppard in her hospital bed. The two files named UNDERWATER and UNDERWATER-CLOSEUP were meant to be played during Father and Sun, as Ethan interacts with the newspaper and recognizes the victim from his visions. Another one of note is LAUREN_LETTER which shows a different model for Lauren which ended up having different cloths in the final game.

Placeholder Music Tracks#

To do:
Extract music tracks from the files and add them below.

The original soundtrack was likely not completed yet when the build was made, as there are placeholder tracks or complete silence throughout the chapters in the build. Interestingly, the track that place in the second fight with Mad Jax is the only track from this stage of development that made it all the way to the final game.