Comments: 0 (Go to Comments)
Categories: Review
Tags: adventure, fahrenheit, pc, ps2, xbox, xbox 360, xbox original
Indigo Prophecy
Developer: Quantic Dream
Publisher: Atari
Platform: Xbox Original
Released: 12/07/2007
Originally released 12/20/2005
“…it really is impossible to explain Indigo Prophecy…” – David Cage, Indigo Prophecy’s writer and director. Postmortem: Indigo Prophecy
Indigo Prophecy is hard to explain. After a flyby of New York City, we descend upon a diner and witness a murder in the diner’s restroom. And then we’re in control of the murderer, Lucas Kane. Lucas doesn’t know who he’s killed or why, but he does know that if he’s caught with the body, he’ll be arrested.
There’s a lot for Lucas (and the player) to do in the restroom. The body can be hidden, the murder weapon concealed, blood cleaned up and the like. Every action Lucas takes to cover his tracks restores some of his composure, which is what the game uses in lieu of a health bar. Become too overwrought and the story ends. However, if you dally too long, a splitscreen shows cop at the counter heading to the restroom before he goes back on duty.
After Lucas leaves (or flees) the scene, two detectives are called to the crime scene: Carla Valenti and Tyler Miles. These two become the playable characters as they begin their investigation of the murder Lucas committed. This presents an interesting convergence. How hard did Lucas make things for the detectives? How good are they at their job? Did Lucas call anyone on the phone? How did he leave the diner?
And here’s why Indigo Prophecy is hard to explain to someone who hasn’t played it. Lucas, the supernaturally-motivated murderer, Carla, the tough detective, and Tyler, the cop torn between his job and his fiancée are playable characters, but they aren’t the main character. The story is the main character in Indigo Prophecy, and the player’s actions either develop the story or bring it to an early end.
As the story continues we learn that Lucas Kane had a childhood trauma which may have opened him up to psychic influences, we follow Carla as she connects the recent murder to cold cases, and we conduct investigations with Tyler while assuaging his fiancée Sam’s fears. The cast of characters expands, opening up new explorations of the main cast, while interpersonal relationships and plot lines are developed through the player’s actions and direction of conversation topics.
The game is played from a third-person perspective, navigating the characters around to hotspots. Use of the right analog stick to push open doors, pick up objects, and other actions adds to the immersion. The right-analog stick is also used to select conversation topics—and these are interactive, branching conversations.
The game also has action sequences—intense, physics-defying events—which are played out either by moving the analog sticks to correspond with flashing color wheels shown at the sides of the screen or by hammering on the left and right triggers. The action sequences are cinematic and would rely on a complicated control scheme for the player to actually play out (what would you push to jump to a helicopter, swing to a building which you then run along sideways?).
However, these action sequences, as impressive as they are, feel poorly implemented. They crudely insert action into adventure, forcing an arcade feel into an otherwise cinematic venture.
What works better are minigames which sprinkle the landscape. The frenetic analog stick action feels more at home during a casual sparring match between Carla and Tyler. The game’s quick sidestep to FPS during a shooting range sequence offers a nice change of events. And the careful control of Carla’s breathing during a power outage at an asylum brings the claustrophobic experience home.
Graphically, this game doesn’t set any new standards, but it has a distinctive look. Typical discussion of a game wouldn’t include terms like framing or composition, but this truly is a game which was directed. There’s a level of style and detail here, not texture per say, but actual set design which most games lack.
Strong voice acting, sound effects, and music choice round out the game’s movie like aspect. Replaying one scene where Tyler either argues with Sam or comforts her made me appreciate the depth of choice in the game and the range of the actors. It didn’t matter if I kissed Sam before heading to the precinct or slammed the door on my way out, either outcome felt natural and the emotional resonance was accurate.
Indigo Prophecy does suffer from a weak ending. Towards the end of the game, the story gets bigger than the characters and I felt rushed—dragged—across the finish line. There’s probably a 30-hour story crammed into a 10-hour game. Rather than wanting more, I would have liked a bit less.
I specifically wanted to review this older game since it was just released as an Xbox Original. I’m happy to report that the game and all the bonus content are completely stable. As far as gameplay, it’s the same as the other American versions (the rest of the world saw this game under the title Fahrenheit and saw a few more sex scenes). If you haven’t played it yet, you should, and I specifically recommend this game to gamers wowed by Mass Effect’s conversation wheel and characterization.