Indigo Prophecy

The Good
Here it is 2 years after the release of Indigo Prophecy and I'm just now getting around to playing it. Why? I suppose that the adventure gamer side of me avoided it like a hot potato because of the purported "action" segments. Yes, I realize that all of the major gaming websites (even the adventure sites) gave it high marks, but that still didn't compel me to purchase the game. All the while the role-player in me was whispering to my subconscious "You should get this game" .. "Go ahead, what have you got to lose?" When I found it really cheap on eBay, I gave in and bought it several months ago. But still - I let it sit on my shelf, opting instead for other standard point-and-click style games. Now that I've gotten into it, I can write my biased opinions in this review. Was I sorry? Was it as good as everybody said? Read on.

First looks at the game can be intimidating and exciting at the same time. The story grabbed me during the introduction as I watched a man under the influence of a mind-controlling force committing a terribly bloody murder. Afterwards he is aghast as what he has done and extremely "dazed and confused." Since I had gone through the beginning tutorial (which I urge you to do), I helped my character perform the beginning actions to clean up the mess and proceed to getting away from the crime scene. Two more characters arrive to investigate the crime and I proceeded to guide each of them through their various tasks, looking for evidence, talking to witnesses and between themselves. Okay, I said to myself, this isn't so hard. I can do this!

Ultimately strong is Indigo Prophecy's storyline and character development. Set in the year 2009, it feels like a mix of CSI and the X-Files - criminology, science-fiction and the paranormal. While playing the four different characters, it's necessary to keep them healthy - in mind, mood as well as in body. So sleeping, eating, taking a shower, listening to music and other every day actions are part of the gameplay. For me, these simple things helped me identify with the characters and added to the realism factor. Listening to their thoughts also brought the characters to life.

Viewing scenes in split-screen is a bit disorienting at first because it's hard to look at all screens at once. But this is one of the things that the major review sites lauded as innovative.

I thoroughly loved the music which added so much to the feelings I had while playing. Those feelings included apprehension, excitement, shock and sympathy.

The Bad
Oh, this part is so very disappointing. I really wanted to love Indigo Prophecy as much as everyone else, but I just couldn't. It all boils down to my inability to get through the action segments. I tried - I really did - but I couldn't master the "flying fingers" technique of frantically punching keyboard keys in the proper order. I died and I died and I died again until my frustration led me to uninstall the game after 2 days of play. I played the game from the beginning in the Easy mode and still couldn't get it. I'd hate to think what it would be like for the color-blind.

In my opinion, this game should have been redesigned completely for the PC to allow mouse-only action. Leave the arrow keys for movement as an option, but take away the number pad entirely. As for the mouse control that exists, it's different to say the least. The drag-hold and drag back-and-forth quickly in various directions was not what I consider ease of control either.

The Bottom Line
As I said above, the story is absolutely the best part of the game. Graphics are good, too, especially those of the characters in motion. Mood-inspiring music, great character back story and top-notch voice acting are additional pluses.

Indigo Prophecy is a wonderful game, if you are adept with the keyboard and have good reflexes. Having a gamepad connected to your PC would be of major help here since many portions of the interface are console-like.

I'm upset that I can't finish the game. If you like action in your adventures, this might be the game for you. Point-and-click adventure fans may find it as frustrating as I did.

The Good
- Clever use of multiple view angles (à-la-24)
- very strong story start.
- good immersion,sense of urgency very present.
- Overall first 1/2 of game solid.


The Bad
Right about half point :

• False sense of choice
  (its either "game over" or go on, no branching tree story)
  
• You realize whatever you did in the past is irrelevant.
  
• Story quickly dwindles, you end up doing menial irrelevant things or just pushing buttons for the story to continue
  
• Ending is... well, very, very bad.

The Bottom Line
Ingenious design. Brilliant concept. Poorly executed.

Once you realize that nothing matters, it leaves a rather bitter taste.

The Good
One of the most impressive features of the game is its cinema-style presentation. You can basically shape the story based on the choices you make. Although the story itself deviates a little by your choices, it is still a great feature.

Personally, I was very impressed with this game when it first came out. I had very low expectations of this game at first since I really didn’t quite understand what all the fuss was about. After playing the first 10 minutes, I was blown away. I couldn’t believe how great the game was and I couldn’t stop playing it.

The game unfolds like a movie. So explaining the game mechanics is hard to explain without spoiling much of the fun. In other words, the game must be experienced, not heard about.

If I remembered correctly, you can play three different characters; with each character’s story intertwining each other.

The Bad
There are four things I really didn’t like in this game.

The first is the stress system. I don’t know if it’s actually called the stress system, but I think the name is appropriate. The stress system is basically your mental state throughout the game. Depending on what dialogue choices you make, actions you take, and things you see, your stress level can increase or decrease. If you’re happy and alert, you can handle certain things; however, if your stress level is very high, the game can end if you pick the wrong choices. For example, listening to music can make your stress level reduced. However, if you watch news reports about yourself, your stress can increase. If you are so stressed out, and you happen to do something that furthers increase your stress, the game ends.

The stress system is great, in my opinion. However, the problem with it involves what can increase and decrease your stress level. The game isn’t exactly clear on it and sometimes if your stress is really high, and the next scene involves your stress level increasing, your game can end.

The next thing I really didn’t like is the “plot twist.” Of course I won’t spoil it for anyone, but I think everyone who played the game thought to themselves, “Where the heck did that come from?!?!” The plot twist is really out of place and nothing seems to build upon it from previous dialogues and scenes. It made it appear as if the developers had an original story, then somewhere along the line they decided to throw in this plot twist without any time to fit it around the earlier scenes.

The next thing I really didn’t like was the interaction within the game. The game plays a bit of a “Simon Says,” where you have to move your left and right analog sticks according to what’s given on the screen. It’s alright, but it presents no challenge to the game. Basically, the two sure ways you can die in this game is by the stress level or missing a sequence to this “Simon Says” thing.

The final thing I didn’t like was the game’s length. The game was very short compared to other games. I think the game itself can be played in 4-6 hours.

The Bottom Line
I recommend this game to anyone who wants an interesting story, and a fantastic game. The game is very hard to explain in words and it’s best to just go out and play the game.