Indigo Prophecy: Or How Killing A Stranger can Reveal your Inner-Neo

Somewhere sometime after Myst was released and everyone realized that fps' were the way to go with gameplay the "Point and Click" Adventure genre started to slowly die. It wasn't to say the entire genre had was gone, there were still several valid entry's into the genre, including Funcom's The Longest Journey, LucasArt's Monkey Island Series, and The Adventure Company's Syberia. However, for the most part, the games were all very similar, with similar gameplay, similar puzzles, and ultimately they left the player feeling more insulted than satisfied.
While I won't go so far to say that Quantic Dream's Indigo Prophecy (known as Fahrenheit to you European folk) saved the P&C Adventure genre. Not by a long shot. However, it came closer to doing something different with it and seeing what happens when you morph the P&C and the longdead Interactive Movie genre.

The game, Quantic Dream's second entry into the business (their third, Heavy Rain: The Origami Killer, is hopefully hitting the PS3 this 4th quarter) and they played around a lot with both narrative and character. The game was far from perfect, especially considering its graphics were on par with a PS1 console when it was released for the PS2. Not that I'm complaining, as the game did a lot of things right, and what it does in particular that leaves the pasta sticking to the wall is its use of character.

Now I know there are those out there that will say, "but Joey C, what about Final Fantasy Eternal Sonata, and Legacy of Kain?" Well yes, fellow amateur, of course those did a lot for plot and character (and kudos to FF8 for actually having a dance sequence in the game), but there was something about playing Indigo Prophecy that felt that you were more playing a movie than playing a game.

What's perhaps the most interesting factor about Indigo Prophecy is its lack of archetypes. With the exception of antagonist and protagonist, and the occasional guardian, the game is almost completely devoid of them. Instead, the people at Quantic Dream decided to focus on creating realistic characters. Even after one of the games protagonists, Lucas Kane, assumes the role of the hero, he retains several qualities that make him realistic. While he may be the hero, he's not as cliched as superman and has many flaws and has a constant inner struggle as the world behind him falls apart.


The game opens with a cinematic with its protagonist, Lucas Kane, in a trance in a shady bathroom. Moments later, while still in this trance, he attacks another man in the bathroom and brutally murders him. After he snaps out of the trance, the game begins with you covered in blood, a body on the floor, and a cop approaching the bathroom. After your escape, you suddenly change roles and you find yourself in the positions of Carla and Tyler, two homicide detectives assigned to the case. This in it of itself is awkward, as the game continues with you trading protagonists, leading you into a cat and mouse game where your hunting yourself. This gets even more uncomfortable when you interrogate yourself in one scene. What's interesting is that you'd think these cops would slip into stereotype. However, they remain as human as Lucas. They may not be tortured by inner demons and discover they have certain inhuman abilities such as Lucas, but they are in a constant struggle to both work the case and deal with their personal troubles at home.

What's powerful about this is Quantic Dream creates an interesting character triangle. While the player is attached to Lucas Kane, sympathizing with him and wanting to help, they also bond with Carla and Tyler, as they are troubled as well. The question soon becomes, who will you help more?

That's not to say the game is not without its character types: the antagonist, the all power "Oracle", who for most of the game remains hidden in a black cloak, manipulating all around him as if he were some sort of puppet master. The trickster, played by an old woman who can read the future. However, the guardians, those who might simply play the guys you kill in a fps are almost completely devoid of this exception for a couple instances. For the most part you play the guardians, as you are the cops hot on Lucas' feet.

Something which I haven't found terribly common in video games is physical character development. One really outlandish example (from a movie) is Die Hard, by the end of every movie there is always physical development as John McClane goes from clean-shaven and well groomed to torn-up open shirt, somewhat grizzled, and covered in blood. While that's not necessarily character development, you'd think the guy who develop some how from that sort of physical transformation. What's different about Indigo Prophecy is the appearance of Lucas Kane, as he begins to understand his role in the world as well as discover the powers he possesses, his body under goes a physical transformation. He develops quicker reflexives, he appears to be more fit. Even his face; it appears longer, more gaunt, he's covered in facial hair and he almost resembles that of Neo at the end of the first Matrix movie. Furthermore, the game's interactions cause his "mental health" meter to change.

In the beginning he is depressed and cannot control himself. At the end, depending on the choices that you make, he may be more confident, more defiant, and more interested in protecting others than saving his own skin. It's a difficult task to illustrate character development in a video game. Marcus Fenix, as much as he's powerful and awesome, he does not follow the character arch and develop. Neither does Master Chief for that matter. He merely exists and is in constant "hero" mode. Something that should be remembered, most often in video games, if character development occurs, it happens during cutscenes. With Indigo Prophecy, the decisions you make cause your characters to change.

So does it stick? Hell yes, as far as character is concerned the game sticks to the wall for a solid amount of time. Now if I throw in graphics and some aspect of gameplay, it may slide a little bit. However, as far as the story and character is concerned, Indigo Prophecy can stick to the wall as long as it likes, and decide for itself when it wants to come down. games,