Indigo Prophecy

"It's not great, but definitely worth playing"

This game sort of went unnoticed, mostly everyone I know never heard of it, nor had they played it. It got largely good reviews, and it's got an interesting story, good gameplay, and some pretty good looking visuals. So what happened? Why was this game mostly un-played by the majority of gamers out there? I don't know, I assume that maybe it was ignored due to the fact it was released in the winter season, when there's usually such a large glut of games that those without piles upon piles of hype, ads, and so on they die to obscurity. Or was that Psychonauts I was thinking of ? Point being, Indigo Prophecy (Fahrenheit in Europe) is a game that is well worth playing through at least once. Is it a great game? No, not really, but it is most definitely worth playing.

The storyline in Indigo Prophecy starts out interestingly enough. It starts out with the main character Lucas Kane sitting in a toilet stall in a restaurant in New York. After the introductory exposition he proceeds to murder another man in the bathroom while in a trance. When the deed is done Lucas snaps out of his trance to see the crime he'd just committed. Ingeniously after the initial scene (the murder and then fleeing the restaurant) the game throws you into the roles of detectives Carla Valenti, and Tyler Miles. I don't know why they really needed to have two detective characters instead of just the one, they could've easily meshed the two's character traits together. But that's not the point, both of the detectives are quite charismatic, and I suppose that maybe it was a good thing to have the two be separate instead of an amalgamation of them. At any rate Carla and Tyler are trying to find and arrest Lucas for the murder. The game tells its story quite well, and is good. However late in the game it seems to take its story, viciously beat it with a blunt object and just tack on some rather bafflingly stupid ideas that seem quite arbitrary. I won't go into specifics, if you play the game I'm sure you'll know what I mean pretty quick. Maybe they were pressed for time when it came to the final portions of the game, but after roughly the second third it takes an abrupt turn for the absurd. Still though, I suppose it gets points for originality.

Graphically the game is good. The environments look neat, and I like the sheer amount of snow that the game blows around. I like the fact that frost and snow actually adheres to the cars, buildings, etc. and actually looks natural, and it's not just the graphics designer half-assed that segment of the games graphics. The characters also look quite nice. Their facial expressions are pretty neat. However there's one thing that I don't like about the characters, maybe this is just a aesthetic quibble but what was up with their hands? They looked like breadsticks. Maybe it was because the graphics engine wasn't quite up to that task, or maybe I'm just being picky about graphics from a two year old game. Still the graphics look quite nice, and hold up quite well today.

Audio-wise the game is superb. It has got terrific voice acting, and an undeniably great soundtrack. Everything about the audio in this game is done perfectly. The voice actors for Lucas, Carla, and Tyler are positively great. I can think of only one instance where there was terrible voice acting, however to avoid spoiling the plot I won't say. The music is what really steals the show, in my opinion. The licensed songs they got in it are pretty good, although admittedly I'd never listened to Theory of a Deadman before. They fit the theme of the game quite nicely. Even the cheerful upbeat tunes (classic stuff, but hey it's good), fits in when it plays. The orchestral score is better though, by leaps and bounds. It's just so wondrously cinematic in that regard. Throughout the game it uses the ingenious score to it's advantage. Using dramatic musical stabs when necessary, or being a smooth calm, almost subtle thing when it has to. I honestly can't sing the praises of the audio work in this game enough. But then again I suppose I just have a thing for wonderfully atmospheric soundtracks.

There's really not a lot of games to compare Indigo Prophecy too. I suppose if I had to I'd compare it to something of the point and click adventure games of yore, and a cross of Shenmue. That's really the only game I can think to compare it too. It plays like an adventure game in the sense that there's virtually no action, and you're just trying to solve the mystery (for Lucas, who did this to you, and who killed the guy for the detectives), and letting the plot play out for you. However the game then plays like a Shenmue game when it throws these sequences where you have to press a specific combination of buttons in a short time limit. I don't have a problem with these sequences at all. I enjoyed them in Shenmue and I enjoy them here. I only have a couple of problems with these sequences. One, a majority of the time (and maybe this is just a problem with my computer, I don't know) the game wouldn't seem to acknowledge the fact that I pressed that one specific button and make me fail it. The only problem I have with these is the fact that the game seems content to throw these at you every possible chance it gets. You're not even safe from these little buggers during the cut scenes. The game will slyly throw them in there when you're not paying attention (to wit: during a cinematic, it threw one in there and proceeded to say that I failed), it's a tad frustrating, also detracts from the immersion the game goes to great lengths to set up. Also the game occasionally throws these button mash-athons at you. Where you'll have to press left and right very quickly. These happen too often, most of the time tossing them at you after doing one of those QTE (Quick Time Events, and yes I know in this they're called PARs in this) sequences, so it catches you off guard. Then when you just happen to fail to not press the buttons quickly enough to get the little meter to where it needs to be, you fail. At which point you promptly have to do the entire sequence again. It's particularly frustrating when you've gotten almost to the end then suddenly the game decides that even though you've more than adequately succeeded in the Track and Field left and right button jamming sessions that in fact you did fail, do it again. The game is quite merciless in that regard. Succeed, but fail anyway. It seems like it's just getting it's jollies from being sadistic to you. Also, one of the more confusing things that the game has in it is the inclusion of stealth missions. Yes, stealth missions. It just crowbars them in there for no adequate reason. These are exercises in frustration, you have to go on a very strict and linear path. Basically these are just a unnecessary exercises in trial and error. Fortunately though the game keeps them to a blissful minimum. The game is also relatively lengthy, it's not the longest game to beat, nor is it short. It also lengthens the game with the branching conversation options and the multiple endings.

Overall Indigo Prophecy is a decent enough game. I don't hate it, it was good enough to make want to play it to completion. The story is interesting and imaginative, if not undeniably stupid towards the end. I really wanted to love this game. However the games over reliance upon the Shenmue style Simon Says button pressing sequence and frequent Track and Field style button mashing really drags the game down. I do however highly suggest playing the game, if not to play something different in the current market of random generic sci-fi military shooter filled games, and equally insipid Japanese RPGs. It certainly is worth playing through at least once.

Graphics: 8/10
Sound: 10/10
Story: 6/10 (I marked it down for the last quarter of the game)
Gameplay: 6/10

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 12/14/07

Game Release: Indigo Prophecy (US, 10/02/05)