10 Things You Didn't Know About Heavy Rain
2. The Origami Figures Used In The Trials All Carry Significant Meanings
Clearly inspired by their use throughout Ridley Scott's masterpiece Blade Runner, origami figures are a central motif that runs throughout Heavy Rain. Upon waking up from his fugue states, Ethan is clutching them and is presented with them when faced with one of the many trials he must undergo to save Shaun. However, these figures have not simply been chosen at random - they're all entirely relevant to Ethan's upcoming experience.
The bear, presented before the first trial, represents the violent nature and weight of the creature as Ethan is forced to drive the wrong way down a freeway into oncoming traffic. The lizard symbolises the creature's ability to remove its own tail to escape from danger - presented to Ethan when he is forced to remove one of his own fingers to save Shaun. The rat, historically a symbol of disease, is presented when Ethan must drink a potentially lethal poison.
The list goes on, with the shark representing further violence, the butterfly representing fragility and the oft-seen dog possibly representing the "sniffing out" of clues - it's nice to know that the use of origami was more than a surface-level aesthetic choice.