Tiny Diggers – An iPad Construction Truck Game for Kids Age 2-5

Heavy Rain was lauded across the Internets from all of the gaming press, including our own Aeropodcast, where the four of our participants felt that the game sat somewhere between 4.0 and 4.5 on the rating scale.  But after the main game, what are you left with?  Yes, there are multiple endings, but for some, they crave a new experience, and the Heavy Rain Chronicles planned DLC should fit that bill.  The first of these DLC packs, The Taxidermist, has hit the Playstation Network, and while it tries to keep the unique interface style of the original game, it feels unfinished and rushed, with most gamers finishing the addition before the funds are actually subtracted from their account.

In the Taxidermist, you play as Madison Paige, the reporter from Heavy Rain.  Being that this is a prequel to the full title, you are chasing down a story that might lead to the identity of the Origami killer, now pronounced correctly.  As Madison starts her investigation, she slowly finds that this gentleman may not be the Origami killer, but instead, he might be far more disturbing in his secrets.  The story still plays as the high note to this DLC pack, with Madison slowly learning the macabre nature of The Taxidermist, until the reveal shocks you.

One complaint from Heavy Rain that is fixed up here is dialog.  It appears that this might have been content created before the actual game was created, kind of like a B-roll of footage for testing, so the voice over work is done by a different actress, and it is really good.   We also get new mannerisms that add to the tension that Madison feels while moving through the Taxidermist’s house.  There is a point where she starts fumbling with her hands, like a nervous person would do.  Or the slight chatter in her voice from the feel of terror in her throat.  I felt this was a far better performance for the Madison character than any of her segments in the main game.

The story does provide several different endings, and in a new twist, the DLC tells you what ending you received, and shows you the names of the other endings, and even picks several checkpoints from the DLC for you to pick up the action and try different things.  This was a complete about face from the Heavy Rain release doctrine which told people to play it through once and then move on to something else.  With The Taxidermist, you are now prodded to go back for more of the endings, and to try different things.

All of this prodding to replay comes from the ending fact that the DLC is remarkably short.  I breezed through the DLC in probably less time than it took to download the file.  I might have put in 15-20 minutes of gameplay max, and for $5.00, I expect a bit more for my gaming dollar.  It feels rushed, like the development team felt the need to get something else to keep this off the used game shelf at GameStop.  It is interesting content, but it felt like it should have been free, or maybe a $2.00 at most.  I was actually shocked when I got the ending credits, asking myself, “Was that it?”

If you enjoyed Heavy Rain, I can see you wanting to get this DLC to expand on the universe, but all the content is self contained and really does not add anything to the main game.  The storyline is cool, and the payoff shot towards the end is chilling to the bone, but at the same time, it is a hard sell for such a short experience.  If you are a huge fan of the main game, to the point of replaying it several times, I would say get The Taxidermist, otherwise, just save your five bucks for a rainy day.  Heavy Rain Chronicles: The Taxidermist gets a 2 out of 5 Aeropausonauts.