Indigo Prophecy

"Great Game, Great Experience"

You may have heard good things, you may have heard bad things, but whatever you heard about this game, it is worth experiencing for yourself what it holds. Now, I must warn you, this game is not for everyone. It's gameplay is unique and may not be in everyones tastes, and likewise, the story may not be your cup of tea. However, if you're a fan of point and click adventure games from days of yore, have an open mind, are looking for something different, or a combination of all three, you just may find Indigo Prophecies to be a fantastic game.

In Indigo Prophecies, you start the game as Lucas Kane, a man who doesn't have much in life but his job and his apartment. This all changes when Lucas finds himself the unwitting murderer of an innocent man. From that point on, Lucas enters a mystery to find out the true perpetrators of the murder, and this eventually unravels into a fight to save the world. The story also lets you play as several other characters, most notably Carla Valenti and Tyler Miles.

While the plot of the game is intriguing enough to begin with, you find it to be only half of what makes the game so great. Most of what makes it what it is are it's characters, which have some of the best development of any characters from any game in a long time. You get to know these characters well, and even though at times they might seem a bit exaggerated, they still feel real and well rounded. For example, there are times when, playing as Tyler, you will have to deal with his girlfriend. Instead of just brushing her off to the side as some minor character, you have to take action to comfort her. This in turn helps you to explore their relationship. Occassionally some characters seem to be out of their own behavior, such as Lucas kicking butt, but it's nothing thats too hard too believe that it takes away from the game.

Part of what helps build these kinds of characters and give you a feel for the whole game being slightly more realistic is the fact that the gameplay is completely intigrated into the game. There are no onscreen monitors or health bars. The only time anything appears is when you have to make an action or your mental health bar goes up or down. Otherwise, everything stays very cinematic. The controls are also very intuitive and easy to pick up. They range from simple functions like moving the right stick in a certain direction to complete an action to following a simon-like colored pattern during action sequences. The colored sequences are especially noticeable, because they take place mostly during some of the most exicting sequences in the game. One might think that there would be some trouble with these, but the placement of these patterns is in such a position that you can still watch the sequences while playing them out. This is certainly a good thing, because these contain some of the best choreography of any recent game, something you don't want to miss.

While these elements make it one of the best games in recent times, there are a few marring details. The story itself is a double edge sword. In the beginning, it is really interesting and good. Even the mundane tasks you're required to perform are somewhat interesting in that you wonder what the prize is after the task is completed. However, later in the game, there are so many elements that go unexplained, that before you can question them, something else is thrown at you. In the end, there are still many questions that go unanswered, and this may be reason enough to play through the game several times. Another element is that, while the game has several exciting sequences, it also lets itself down a bit. The ending can be quite anticlimatic, which is a bit unusual for how exciting most of the game is. Some of the characters also seem to be somewhat underused, and by the end, don't feel quite as important. Had the end been more dramatic, it might have seemed a bit more fulfilling.

All in all, Indigo is a great game for it's story, characters, and unique gameplay. It has some very memorable sequences that you actually feel you're in control of. If you want to check out something unique, give Indigo a try, you may find it to be one of your favorite new games.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 09/26/05