Indigo Prophecy

Video-game storytelling has come a long way. Stories in games started in simple text, then with accompanying graphics, and eventually animated cutscenes. FMV was experimented with – and largely unremarkable, as “interactive movies” like Night Trap led people to believe that maybe movies and games just aren't supposed to mix. With the success of Sony's CD format, however, developers were left plenty of room for FMV cutscenes – though developers generally decided to leave these scattered between gameplay, not the game itself.

Of course, cutscenes in games have improved greatly in recent years – The Metal Gear Solid series, for example, sports brilliantly directed, emotionally-arousing, well-acted scenes that greatly improve the overall experience. But these are still just cinema scenes. David Cage and his team, Quantic Dream, wanted to take things a step farther. Indigo Prophecy is what they've come up with.

The game starts off with an introduction from the director David Cage himself. He explains that this game will be like playing in a movie with digital actors and actresses, and even shows off a (digital) motion capture person in a green-screen environment. This game is something unique.

The game kicks off with an eerie murder scene. The killer, one Lucas Kane, is in the bathroom of a friendly little downtown diner. He seems to be in a trance, and he's got a steak knife – and before he knows it, he's stabbing a poor old man who was just attempting to relieve himself. After the grisly murder, Lucas hops up and can't believe his eyes; it's as if he was possessed the whole time.

Here the game starts. You will find that you have much freedom in deciding what to do in any given situation. Here, Lucas can move the body into a stall, attempt to mop up the blood, clean himself up, or hide the steak knife, to name a few things – and virtually everything you can choose to do will affect Lucas in one way or another. And then what? Do you try to dash out of the diner and cause a ruckus, or calmly sit down, finish eating, pay for your dinner, and quietly leave?  In a way, it's almost like Choose-Your-Own-Adventure, in video game form.

Indigo Prophecy contains a unique mental health meter which can have profound results in Lucas. Doing things that relax him boost the meter – be it something like hiding the murder weapon, or something simple like urinating. Other things, like realizing he's stuck in a dangerous position, or being reminded of something bad, will lower the meter.

The game also proves to be interesting when the game switches off from Lucas to that of the two detectives assigned to the murder case, Carla Valenti and Tyler Miles. The two detectives must put their minds together in order to uncover clues and make progress on the case. In addition to this, they have their own lives to worry about, with their coworkers and personal relationships, as well as their own friendship.

The player develops a sympathy for the “innocent” Lucas, while also connecting with Carla and Tyler – without spoiling anything else, one can see how the storyline can only get more twisted and exciting.

The game controls well with an innovative control scheme that mostly work great. The current character is controlled with the keyboard, and the camera can be moved with the mouse. Actions, when available, are noted by an icon at the top of the screen, and can be activated via a sort of mouse gesture. For example, standing next to a sink will cause a faucet icon to pop up, with a red dot that signals an upward moving motion. Holding the mouse button and moving the mouse up will let the character then use the faucet. While the developers could have just as easily used keys to perform actions, the mouse gestures are a nice way to keep things immersive, as they often correspond with the individual actions. For example, sliding a closet door to the left will be a gesture to the left.

Indigo Prophecy also provides a little action with its action scenes. These are much like the action bits in Shenmue or Resident Evil 4 where the player is often caught offguard and must press the proper set of keys quickly. You'll often have to perform long strings of commands while the action unfolds onscreen – while it can become a little tedious, it keeps things interesting, and doesn't happen all too often.

The graphics in the game are quite nice. Characters are well modeled and textured, capable of expressing much emotion in their faces and gestures; the animation is superb. Everything is crisp and smooth, and while this is no Half-Life 2, it looks above-average and doesn't require a terribly high-end computer, either. 

Quantic Dream hasn't skimped in delivering a wonderful audio experience, either. The game features an haunting, original score by the esteemed Angelo Badalamenti. There are a few other licensed songs that Lucas can listen to on his stereo by the band Theory of a Dead Man, as well. Sound effects are fine, and the voice acting ranges from above average to excellent – there's really no downright-bad voice work at all.

Is Indigo Prophecy perfect? No. On occasion, the game's camera shifts get in the way – nothing major, but a minor annoyance. And although the game has six different endings, it doesn't truly branch off into different paths, despite the massive number of ways to play out each scene; you'll be following the same basic story no matter what. But that isn't really a flaw. The story is great, and the game is like none other. It's one of the coolest fusions of gaming and movies yet, and it's definitely worth your time.

Gameplay: 9.0
We've come a long way from Night Trap. Indigo Prophecy is a fun, engaging, cinematic experience.

Graphics: 8.0
Not overly impressive, but certainly good enough, Indigo Prophecy features nicely modeled characters and environments, with impressive, smooth animation.

Sound: 9.5
There's nothing to complain about here. As always, Angelo Badalamenti creates the perfect mood with his music, and the character voices are all very well done. 

Concept: 9.5
Sure, it's been envisioned before, but this is as close to the real deal as we've come yet. This is the most interactive “interactive movie” yet, and it's a whole lot of fun.

Difficulty: Medium
Although Indigo Prophecy does have a few rather challenging parts, it is not too difficult to progress.

Overall: 9.3
Indigo Prophecy is one of those rare gems that claims to do something and then actually does it. It's not a terribly big budget epic; it's like that smaller, incredibly well-done indie movie that raises the bar with a great core concept and striking attention to detail throughout. Don't let this one go unnoticed.