David Cage, the founder of French company Quantic Dream, has shed some light on the studio’s upcoming PS3-exclusive Heavy Rain (working title). The game was first shown at E3 2006 in the form of an emotional tech demo (video) which impressed the hell out of most who saw it. Since, they’ve made some serious progress on the character rendering and even claim to have crossed the uncanny valley (video), which is of course debatable.

As the developers behind the highly praised Fahrenheit a.k.a. Indigo Prophecy (depending on what continent you live on), Quantic Dream wants to expand on what they started with that title: “With the release of Fahrenheit, we gave the adventure genre a new grammar. We brought new ways into the genre, new words if you want to see it like that, a new vocabulary. With Heavy Rain, we’re going to expand on that same grammar,” Cage told a Dutch gaming magazine.

They seem to go after portraying simple yet powerful emotions as the story focuses on ordinary people who find themselves in extraordinary situations. Cage explains: “I wanted a much more personal story. The first thing that came to my mind, as a father of two little boys, was that the main theme should simply be a father’s love for his son. This is not a game about saving the princess or the world. Its purely about a father’s love.”

“The main story will revolve around 4 different characters, and we’re putting the spotlight on their perceptions. The question ‘what is good and what is evil’ is the key here, that will be just a matter of viewpoint…I believe heavily in moral choices, I’m going to use them A LOT. They’re not about being good or bad, but about finding the right balance.”

When it comes to locations, Cage feels the flow of the story would be difficult to control in huge environments, so GTA-type free-roaming cities have been ruled out. But big sets like heavily populated malls and subways are definitely in. And expect these locations to be pretty, as Sony is apparently very happy with the visuals Quantic Dream has been able to pull off.

Cage believes people will be surprised when we next see the game and says Heavy Rain is going to be “a truly next-gen game”.

[See also: Heavy Rain gallery]