I was shocked when I learnt that earlier this year that the decade-old game “Indigo Prophecy” (“Fahrenheit” outside North America) had been remastered for a release on Steam. The game which would lead to the developers’ later hits “Heavy Rain” and, to a lesser extent, “Beyond: Two Souls”, was one I believed to have been forgotten as they moved on to bigger and better things. Of course, now knowing this, let me tell you about one of the weirdest and most insane gaming experiencing you will ever have.
‘Indigo Prophecy’ is arguably the first in this modern style of adventure games, which can be seen in the developers’ other works as well as in the likes of Telltale Games. The point of the gameplay is less about combat or facing off enemies and instead on exploring various environments to find items, engaging in (poorly written) dialogue and going through quick time events. These are the only forms of gameplay found in this title, and while they work well enough it may not be interesting enough to carry you through. There is a stunning lack of urgency, especially in comparison to later games of this genre, with small choices feeling like they have too much impact and little to no pressure in the decisions you make. As time goes on, you realize how much was sacrificed for the sake of story, which makes the gameplay of this game mediocre at best.
You would then think that the weak gameplay in “Indigo Prophecy” would be made up for in its story. However, it’s a mixed bag. Despite a solid and interesting set up, the story falls apart towards the end. The story starts off with what appears to be a murder mystery in which you control both the police and the criminal, and just goes crazy from there. It was halfway through when the protagonist started performing Matrix-style flips and jumps for no established reason that I realized just how bizarre the storyline was becoming. Out of place concepts such as magic, new characters coming out of nowhere, and a completely random sex scene make the latter half of this game memorable if anything.
This is honestly one of the weirdest games I have ever played, and the numerous problems within the story and gameplay stop it from being anywhere close to good. Yet I can’t help but recommend it, just so that you experience the craziness that goes down in this odd title. Some of this wackiness has to be seen to be believed.
Indigo Prophecy is available on the Playstation 2, Xbox and PC.
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