Indigo Prophecy

After being passed around like a hot potato from publisher to publisher, undergoing a somewhat inexplicable name change from Fahrenheit to Indigo Prophecy in the United States, and being shamefully overlooked by the majority of the gaming press, Quantic Dream��s reinterpretation of the adventure genre ultimately turns out to be a remarkable experience. Indigo delivers on the promise of the ��interactive movie�� (more than 10 years after the term was originally coined), and does so by relying on strong characters, an intelligent and well-written story, and a singular vision from game director David Cage.

Cage cites his primary creative influences as David Fincher��s visual sensibility in Se7en, Adrian Lyne��s methods of warping reality in Jacob��s Ladder, and Alan Parker��s character development in Angel Heart. These influences remain clear throughout Indigo, and a discernible level of tension perseveres during the game��s eight-plus hours of play. This is a mature story in the truest sense of the word��nothing about it comes off as gratuitous or sensational; rather, the experience is aimed squarely at adults, with a focus on relationships, introspection, and beautifully constructed horror-fantasy.

Whodunit?

The opening scene sets the tone extremely well. Cast as a murderer caught in a deranged act of violence, you quickly realize that the plot revolves around trying to figure out exactly what the hell is going on. As soon as you start to develop sympathy for this character, the focus suddenly shifts��and you��re cast as a homicide detective who��s investigating the aforementioned murder alongside her partner. From here, the story line splits and splits again, gradually weaving together the lives of these three protagonists.

Because of Indigo��s narrative-driven structure, the actual game itself feels almost passive at times. The story unfolds via expertly directed scenes, with your interaction limited to simple operations that fall into two categories: The traditional adventure-game-style play has you interacting with detailed environments and characters, while a Simon Says�Cstyle rhythm exercise fuels the action sequences. It��s an incredibly simple yet effective mechanic, and you��ll probably have to train yourself to focus more on the simple circles of color than on the amazing scenery��but once you get in the zone, it��s quite rewarding. The mechanics soon become transparent in their simplicity, which allows you to completely immerse yourself in the story.

Deus Ex Machina

The only major fault stems from the same problem that we see in many films: After a thoughtful and tense first and second act, the third romps toward its conclusion at such an accelerated lick that you start to wonder if you missed something. What starts off as a spooky detective story eventually becomes something resembling The Matrix. Entire factions rise in significance out of nowhere, and motivations seem to appear purely for the convenience of reaching the conclusion faster.

Thanks to its branching nature and multiple story paths, different gamers will see the same scenes in different lights��and this really adds to the way you��re going to feel about the game at the end. Indigo Prophecy marks a tremendous rebirth for a very stagnant genre. Let��s hope its mature style serves as an inspiration for other developers.

Behind the Curtain

Quantic Dream CEO and game director David Cage has assembled a comprehensive Indigo Prophecy postmortem developer��s diary, which you can read online at indigopost.1UP.com.

The triumphant return of the interactive movie.

Verdict: 4.5 stars

Publisher: Atari Developer: Quantic Dream genre: Adventure esrb rating: M Required: 800MHz CPU, 256MB RAM, 2GB hard drive space Recommended: 2GHz CPU, 512MB RAM, 128MB videocard, gamepad Multiplayer: None

Copyright © 2005 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Originally appearing in Computer Gaming World.