Indigo Prophecy

"Finally, an adventure game that successfully transitions into the current gen of gaming"

I keep hearing people say it seems like sequels are the only games getting all the attention, and how there is a lack of fresh new, games available. If that is the case, listen up and put away that copy of the latest Grand Theft Auto and Madden, because this is a game you can sink your teeth into. Indigo Prophecy is a one of a kind cinematic adventure game with an enticing story that had me eagerly playing to the very end as I watched it unfold.

Indigo Prophecy has a unique aspect to it where you control primarily three characters throughout its story. The main character is Lucas Kane. The story starts off in a New York diner where a civilian is minding his own business at a restroom, which also happens to be where Lucas is awakening from a trance. He stabs the man to death, but awakens from his trance right after the murder in shock, and has no recollection of just committing the fatality.

A cop is also at the diner and will soon answer the call to nature, so Lucas only has moments before deciding what to do next. Does he run out of the building covered in blood and try to make a clumsy escape, or does he stash the body, clean up, and pay his bill as he casually walks out of the diner? Lucas will then make a run for it outside and the cop will start towards the restroom as the camera brilliantly splits up the action a lot like the same manner as the interlaced scenes in the hit TV series, 24. As the cop discovers the crime, you will get one of several cutscenes depending upon how Lucas made his exit from the diner.

Next, you control the fates of two NYPD detectives: Carla Valenti and Tyler Miles. Both of them will try to put together the case by going over evidence and gathering clues in a very CSI-esque manner. As I played through the game as both Lucas and with the detectives is where Indigo Prophecy got really intriguing. In an early part of the game, the waitress from the aforementioned diner is being asked for details on what the suspect looks like for a sketch artist. Should I purposely lie about his sketch and try to help protect Lucas's cover and buy him some time, or should I give an honest description and land him in jail ASAP?

The developers at Quantic Dream classify Indigo Prophecy as an “interactive movie.” And indeed it feels like one, even from the get go as the menus are designed like one straight from a DVD movie with options aptly named “Start Movie,” “Select a Scene,” and “Bonus Material.” The interactive part of the classification is also rightly justified by the scenarios I described above. Each and every one of your decisions will have some kind of effect on the scene. Although the plot will lead you down a set path following a main overall story arch, you can have an impact in many ways on how you lead up there and control the fates of several characters.

Instead of relying on a needlessly complex set of controls in most current action games, this one doesn't ever require the use of any of the main face buttons on the Xbox controller (with the exception of holding down the A button to run with a character). The only actual gameplay technique is from a couple of mini-games that occur in-game. The main one is a system that feels like a combination of Simon Says and the QTE games from Shenmue. Two grids appear that represent both control sticks, and lights will flash in a certain direction on each stick, you must successfully press the corresponding button in order to progress gameplay. This is a simple, yet effective way of completing various escape and fight scenes throughout the story.

The other mini-game is a meter controlled by alternately pressing the L & R triggers. Sometimes you'll have to press them rapidly to fill the meter the highest in order to perform a certain feat like making a long jump. Another clever way it was incorporated into gameplay was there are a couple of scenes where Carla has bouts of claustrophobia. In order to control her fear she must balance the meter while she makes her way through a corridor in a blackout. Instead of being overwhelmed by an inaccessible set of controls, Indigo's laid back control scheme made the adventure a pleasure to play through. My only gripe is that the camera was a bit tricky to maneuver in some instances, and it resulted in making the few stealth scenes a royal pain to play through.

The story has many hooks and twists and turns as you meet up with Lucas's brother Marcus, his ex-girlfriend, and some characters that look like they came straight out of the X-Files. It all combines to be one exciting sci-fi thriller, and if that kind of story is right up your alley than you are definitely going to enjoy Indigo Prophecy's storyline. However, without giving too much away, about 80-85% through the story takes a major turn into the ‘wtf' department with some very questionable plot twists and put a little bit of a damper on the overall experience.

Indigo Prophecy takes about 12-14 hours to complete, and I recommend playing through it twice to revisit some scenes and see if they could have played out any differently. There is some bonus material that is worth unlocking like concept art, soundtrack songs, and a few of the memorable scenes in the movie to replay, but I felt if this was really going for a movie type feel there should have maybe been a few more extra features. A behind-the-scenes retrospective would have been ideal to see how the creators came up with the settings and story.

Indigo doesn't have the most groundbreaking aesthetics. You can tell that the current generation of consoles are reaching their limits and just can't perform like we want them to anymore. The character models could have used a little more detail which result in them feeling somewhat inanimate at times. The same can be said for the stage design, other than a few areas that stand out with some added special effects mostly everything looks run of the mill and doesn't leave a lasting impression. The motion-capture makes up for a lot of these drawbacks. The fight and chase scenes look amazing, whoever was in charge of the motion capture gets major kudos from me.

I also got to give some major props to the developers for a superb audio presentation all around. It has an immersive original score that kicks in at just the right moments to grip you into the story, and even contains some licensed tracks from artists like Theory of a Deadman that kick in at proper moments too. The voice acting is what stands out the most aurally, the developers hired a lot of experienced voice talent (no big Hollywood names, but do an imdb.com search for this game and you will find some credible voice acting talents). Their hard work is readily apparent and it only further helps complement one of the best stories to grace a video game in quite some time.

Games like Indigo Prophecy do not come around that often. I cannot stress enough how engrossing the story is. Granted, it does have some plot holes but what story doesn't? Quantic Deams has crafted a non-stop thrill ride that everyone should check out. Since Indigo Prophecy has already been out for several months, it has already been marked down to $20 at most major outlets and is more than worth that price to have in your collection.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/15/06