Amazing characters, a superb orchestral score, and a solid story make this adventure game one you shouldn't miss.
The Bad: Camera can be annoying
The Ugly: Never really totally part of the action, only acting out predetermined steps
Indigo Prophecy caught my eye as a game that would be able to bring a great story down to earth by illustrating believable, lifelike characters that can interact with a story that unfolds around them. When I had completed the game, I realized it had done exactly that. This game makes an unbelievable story believable thanks to amazing storytelling, superb characters, and great voice acting. Sure, the other aspects are solid, but these aspects really set the game apart from everything else out there.
The purpose of the graphics in Indigo Prophecy, in my opinion, were not really to impress, but rather to immerse. Instead of wowing us with flashing lights and pretty effects, this game decided to bring us as close to real life as possible, and it shows. While all textures aren't top notch, what really matters in this game, character design, is. The game makes you feel right at home with its modern yet realistic design. It doesn't have to have any outstanding artistic qualities, because modern day-to-day life doesn't have any.
Similar to the graphics, gameplay in Indigo Prophecy feels a good bit like a detective game; the purpose is to either commit your action and leave no traces during your escape or to find the piece left behind from the escape and fit them together into a cohesive story. One key original mechanic introduced in this game is somewhat similar to a survival system. Functioning like a mood meter from the Sims, your character has a disposition, from neutral to stressed to wrecked to even committing suicide. Yes, your character will commit suicide if his bar reaches the bottom. The choices you make during the game directly affect his mood, and it can get pretty stressful to the player (not to mention the character) when the bottom of the meter nears. When you actually have control of a character, the game allows you to explore the area you're in through interaction with the mouse. You're allowed to move with the keyboard, but you interact with the world through the mouse in a unique manner. When you interact with characters, you are given multiple choices as responses in dialogue. However, the key is that you have a limited time to respond; there will be no dawdling around weighing your options while the characters awkwardly stand around waiting on you. This is actually a very effective system; for example, you can be given three or four seconds to respond during regular conversation with your coworker, but when you're being interrogated you may be only given two seconds. The process of dialogue is more stressful than you would normally think, especially when the next innovative gameplay mechanic is implemented. Often times, during not only dialogue but also during most of the very frequent movie scenes of the game, you will be forced to play a button-matching minigame during the action, whether it be during dialogue to read the other's mind or during combat to block your opponent's next attack. This is a unique and interesting system, and best of all, it fits with the style of the game. My only complaint is it happens too much; you never actually get to perform any of the action yourself, mainly because the keyboard controls wouldn't allow for it. You will always act out any action sequence in a movie scene through this minigame. It's not really that bad, but it's noticeable that you never truly get to do anything yourself. It is literally just like watching a movie; only this time around you get to choose what happens.
The story is one of the stronger points of the game, with tons of intrigue and mystery, yet also drama and action. It is all so immersive I literally sat down and beat the entire 9-10 hours of the game in a single day, straight through. It is so engaging, you'll barely even realize you spent a whole day on it. For the majority of the game, the world actually feels alive; characters go to work, have hobbies, have friends and relationships, and even personality quirks. All of this fits together so perfectly, you barely even notice it's a game. Of course, the latter half of the title suggests delving into the supernatural, so obviously it's not entirely believable, but everyone just reacts so realistically that when the game is brought right down to your level, you begin to wonder if this really isn't possible. The plot thrusts you into the position of a normal man who by chance is chosen for some very peculiar activities. It is his job to unwrap the mystery that has forced itself upon him. You can also play a few other characters, who will be involved in the story from another perspective. Whereas your protagonist is trying to figure out what is going on, you can also play as the detectives that are hunting down your protagonist. Everything comes together at the end, and it's all very satisfying to know that you controlled pretty much the main characters in the game, leading up to this very point. But once again, the best part about this game is its characters. They actually have lives outside of being awesome. They have truly unique personalities that make them come alive in the game, and there are some genuinely heartfelt moments throughout the course of the game. The game is interestingly and fittingly enough presented to you in the form of a movie. Heck, you even get to have a chat with the "real" director at the beginning. When you pause the screen, you even get the computer game version of a dvd pause screen: play, stop, options, quit (power off?).
The sound is another superb part of this gripping adventure game. Sound effects sound appropriate, filling the spaces with ambient noise sometimes, and when needed the dead silence can really creep you out. The soundtrack is amazingly somber and dramatic, rivaling the best music I've heard in a game for a long while. The final aspect of note in this category is the voice acting, which is stellar. Everything is performed so convincingly, I seriously might have remembered once during the entire game that I was actually hearing actors talk and that these character were not actually conversing with one another.
In the way of value, the story is just barely complex enough to warrant another playthrough, but you can pass with only one. However, dialogue is fairly (or at least seemingly) nonlinear, so a second playthrough would allow you to explore different options and maybe some different outcomes. And not only is the game valuable enough to deserve another playthrough, there are also bonus cards that you can find that remind this is only a game. These cards unlock exactly what you think they'd unlock: artwork, movie scenes, etc., but it's just some added extras.
Graphics: 8/10
Gameplay: 8.5/10
Story: 9/10
Sound: 9/10
Presentation: 8.5/10
Value: 8/10
Tilt: 9/10
Overall, Indigo Prophecy provides an experience that should not be reasonably missed by any respectable lover of adventure games. This one really just hits the top notch mark in all the right places. Thumbs up!