When was the last time you actually played a game where you cared about what happened to the characters, where you actually wanted to find out what happens next? If you're sick of generic shooters and reflex based games where high scores and headshots rule supreme, you'll definitely find solace in Quantic Dream's Indigo Prophecy. If you have a favorite chair or comfortable couch, this is the perfect game to sit down and play while wrapped in a gigantic, fluffy blanket and sipping hot cocoa with mini-marshmallows.
Right off the bat, you'll discover Indigo Prophecy to be a dark, brooding experience, as the opening sequence is definitely disturbing. Set in snow-covered New York City, the game continues to get darker as you progress and more sinister facts are revealed. Perhaps the most telling feature of how grim the game can get is the character mood gauge, which, when completely full, says your character is in a "neutral" state, whereas at empty your character is "wrecked." In between are varying shades of depression. Despite the sometimes dismal, gripping nature of the storyline and atmosphere, it still remains an entirely engaging experience.
As a videogame trying to act like a movie, Indigo Prophecy really succeeds. In the game, you get to see sides of your three main characters you would never really expect to see outside of a theatre. You'll wake up, drink milk, lift weights, play basketball, dance with your girlfriend, play guitar, get dressed, wash your hands; the list goes on and on. You control almost every decision your character will make, right down to throwing dirty clothing in the dryer. While these details may turn some off, also know there are intricate twitch action sequences that play out like a Simon Says memory game on steroids.
Through Indigo Prophecy you'll mainly control three characters, the mentally ravaged Lucas Kane, icy detective Carla Vincent, and Carla's upbeat partner, Tyler Miles. Occasionally, you'll also control Markus Kane, a devout priest and Lucas' brother. Even though Tyler, Carla, and Lucas are the three main characters, it tends to be Lucas and Carla's storylines that are the most vital to the plot. Tyler, on the other hand, seems to have a more tangential relationship to the story, focusing mostly on his relationship to his girlfriend, the strain caused by his job, and also a basketball sequence with a coworker.
