I just found out about a spectacular game that I missed out on when it was released nearly 3 years ago. I had to rush this in before I went to bed, so I apologize if this isn't up to my usual caliber of writing.
Review: Indigo Prophecy (Fahrenheit)
Indigo Prophecy (known as Fahrenheit outside of the US and Canada) is an adventure/mystery game that uses interactive cut scenes combined with real-time adventure gameplay to tell a fantastic and riveting story. The game plays like you are watching a movie, only you decide what actions to make and how they occur, and your decisions have a large impact on how the game's storyline works out.
Indigo Prophecy has some of the most innovative gameplay that I've ever experienced, and it's only $9.99 on Steam.
The story starts out with the character Lucas murdering an innocent man in a bathroom, seemingly under the "control" of someone or something else, forcing him to commit the act. As the player, you switch between Lucas and the two detectives who are chasing him down.
Playing each character of the story gives you a unique outlook on the events and while you may find yourself rooting for certain characters over others at times, each character provides and intricate, lovable experience for the player.
The story is absolutely fantastic, it drew me in and I really legitimately cared about each and every character. As the plot thickened, I found myself more and more enticed and wanting to discover what happened next. I actually finished the whole game in one day because of this.
The only downside that I saw was that, near the end, there are some very random plot twists that don't seem to make sense. This was unfortunate since the story, up to that point, had been flawless. Despite this, the game was still spectacular.
So, the story is awesome, but what really sets Indigo Prophecy apart from the rest is the gameplay, it's totally unique and very well done. Specifically the way the game handles Dialog and Action Sequences.
Every dialog choice you make must be made in seconds, and every choice has an impact on how the storyline works out. Because of this, you are constantly on your toes and wondering what will happen next.
Most of the time, when a game has dialog, you can carefully chose what you want to say from a list, being sure to pick the "best" option. In Indigo Prophecy, you only have a few short seconds to chose your dialog, like you would in a real conversation. Since decisions must be made on-the-fly, at times you may make bad judgments that cost you later, but that's all part of the fun.
Speaking of dialog, the voice acting in this game is definitely above average, which added to how much I really connected with the characters as the story played out.
Even more uniquely crafted than the dialog are the action sequences. Rather than actually fighting or moving your character through the game world, you control what happens based on a series of color-matched circles that appear on screen, or a bar that moves left-to-right, controlled by alternating presses of certain keys.
As the action breaks out, the screen will flash "GET READY!" and you will then proceed to play a very crazy, cracked out version of the board-game "Simon" on your keyboard. It's extremely fun, addicting, and very well crafted.
The first time this happened in game, I was totally on the edge of my seat, screaming and hollering and "ooh'ing" and "aah'ing" all over myself, barely able to contain the enormous amount of glee that was within me. My room mate Seth actually had to come into my room and see if I was okay, haha. I haven't experienced that kind of joy-gasm from a game since the first time I played Half Life 2 or Portal.
Indigo Prophecy is an amazing game that is totally worth the $9.99 on Steam. Despite it's lack-luster writing towards the end of the story, the script is otherwise captivating throughout and the unique gameplay creates a fantastically adventurous and intriguing ride straight until the end.
It will certainly have you on the edge of your seat, I know I was.
