holoz0r's A-Z of Steam: Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy

The year is 2005. Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy marks the birth of a highly unique genre, sometimes maligned, other times celebrated. It brings narrative, choice, and fairly accomplished writing to a game that is more like a film than it is a game.

The game opens with a potentially (but maybe not) fourth wall construction act, where a possessed protagonist takes the life of an ordinary man.

Thus, a manhunt begins, and you're on the run, all the while trying to figure out what ever twist and turn the game will throw at you next. Switching perspectives throughout the game, you get to see the narrative from multiple points of view, which helps deepen the emotional impact of events.

The formulae of excellent narrative design is plastered all over the game, with well thought out characters, decent pacing, and a unique plot fed by a healthy creative and inspirational diet.

Were it not for the success of Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy - we would've not seen David Cage move on to bigger and more ambitious projects. The titles that follow in the wake of this game are titles such as Heavy Rain and Detroit: Become Human.

While much maligned for the "quick time action sequence" - where success is governed by pressing buttons in a certain sequence with a certain timing - this serves to make the game accessible to as many as possible, without alienating those who are not hardcore gamers.

I come to games for the story and the presentation, and Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy has both.

The things it does not have, compared to modern titles, make the aforementioned accessibility a bit more difficult. Because David Cage was going for the "interactive movie" styling for this title, camera angles are often fixed and awkward to control. Combine this with the engine-influenced input lag of PlaySation 2 era title, and you don't quite have a responsive experience.

Back to story - it is immersive, it is bizarre, it is convincing, and it is tightly integrated to your choices. If you can get over the nuanced controls, and patina of fifteen years worth of technological advancement - you'll enjoy this game.