Let’s jump straight into it. What is art? Well, if my interpretation of the word has any meaning at all, art is any form of expression that the creator uses to project a certain impact onto its audience. Paintings are art, movies are art, your blog is art and video games must be art too, right? The main problem with this conclusion is that games just lack any form of narrative complexity to stir up any deep emotions with the player. 90% of the time you’re running around shooting things and a cutscene will tell you what you have to shoot next not why you’re on this brutal rampage in the first place.
I say this to introduce the subject of my first video game review: Fahrenheit, or Indigo Prophecy as it is known outside of Europe, is an action adventure game like no other. It breaks away from the conventional structure of the average game and in doing so creates undeniably one of the most intricate story arcs so far in interactive pixel form. Don’t believe me, huh? Let me put my rusty creative writing skills to the test and set the scene:
"My hands slap the chilling tiles of the floor. My head is pounding, a slow, deadly rhythm of flowing blood. I gradually regain my senses; touch, sound, taste, smell…the smell of dried blood surrounded and engulfed me. I snap my eyes wide open to find white, lifeless eyeballs staring back at me. I scramble to my feet, unable to take my eyes off the body lying on the floor in front of me. My legs can’t support my uncontrollable shuddering… I can’t feel my knees; the blood is draining away from me. I look down at myself in disbelief. I’m not capable of something like this. But as I hope I’m not, I see the dried blood on my clothes, and my sliced wrists with dripping red liquid. I was the killer. “What…what have I done?””
The opening scene of Indigo Prophecy/ Fahrenheit immediately plunges the gamer into the unfortunate and disturbing shoes of Lucas Kane, an ordinary New Yorker who wakes up from a sudden trance in the restroom of a diner, standing over a dead body… but you don’t remember anything about the murder…you don’t even know the man who lies motionless in front of you. But you have to act fast…you have to decide what you want to do because, sooner or later, someone is going to need to use the bathroom. It’s up to you how you play and what you do. But nearly every action has a consequence, no matter how small.
Developers have been talking for a long time about creating a cinematic experience but their games haven't exactly delivered on that promise…until now. Fahrenheit has taken the first steps down the long road to a truly new gaming experience that goes beyond that of any game before it.
It accomplishes this feat on a number of levels, but the foundation is in the conceptual approach. Where other games have been designed as just that, games - with cinematic aspirations - Fahrenheit has an undeniable sense of having begun life as a work of fiction; and one clearly capable of carrying a feature film at that. It's a dark story of ritualistic murders, the investigation of those acts and the mystical plans for subversion of the world they are tied to. But unlike most games, this isn't built for your 12 year old child who wants to blow up more coppers. The subject matter and game content isn’t just mature, it's genuinely disturbing -- not in the campy b-movie style of games like Resident Evil but in the mess-with-your-head sense of movies like Angel Heart… but only if you’re willing to be absorbed into the chaotic world of Lucas Kane.
The game follows the lives of three very different but lovable characters, from the distraught regular man, Lucas, to the funk loving, video game obsessed detective Tyler. And lets not forget the J-Lo look alike Detective Carla. As the story unravels we grow increasingly closer to these three characters and continue to play because we want to help them, not because we have to. This is mainly due to the fantastic work of the Voice Actors, making every sentence and phrase so meaningful that if you didn't feel any emotion at all, then it is safe to say your heart is made of concrete.
The story unfolds with the grace and elegance of a classic. Never are you forced down an avenue just to be the playable character, quite the opposite. Throughout the story you reach points where you must choose which side to play next. Ultimately you wind up seeing all the various pieces but their order and, to some degree, their impact is your call. Relationships are built with figures on different sides of the story. You know them; you care about them; and what connection you build with them is left entirely up to you.
That's not to say there isn't a game here. The individual pieces of gameplay will actually be familiar to anyone who's played games like Shenmue. But again, it's how they're used that's innovative. Quick-time events are woven into the very fabric of the experience. Tied to both the analogue sticks, two coloured rings flash patterns that must be quickly duplicated by pressing in the correct direction. Long strings, sometimes excruciatingly so, allow you to really get into the character's shoes -- working out with a punching bag or even playing guitar.
At other times you may be called on to frantically tap buttons to simulate an endurance test. Regardless the mechanism, the real magic is in how linked the action feels to what's going on in the game world. And in every case this is used to heighten your sense of emotional involvement with the game. It's one of the many techniques used to suspend your disbelief and allow you to get caught up in the moment.
In much the same way you'll find yourself going through sometimes mundane actions while exploring the game. If the phone rings you'll need to walk across the room to answer it; if you want to share a glass of champagne with your significant other, get out the glasses and start pouring. The dialogue portion of the adventure is equally involving. Your selections in the conversation trees are made by tracing a pattern indicated with the stick. The twist is that for each response you have a limited time to select your course. The fuse burning across the screen leads to some sweaty-palmed moments anxiously deciding whether to press one way or another.
Such is the intensity of the connection between game play and the action that it winds up detracting from the game at times. During some of the most dramatic moments all your attention must be focused on what becomes a difficult dexterity test. Getting into the zone to keep up leaves you all but oblivious to what is actually transpiring on screen as a result of your inputs. The desire to bring more traditional game elements into the story also led to two, rather weakly implemented, Metal Gear Solid-like stealth sections.
But the most remarkable thing about Fahrenheit is that these issues are secondary to the overall experience of the game. If it was a book you'd call it "a real page-turner". When all is said and done, as the credits roll you'll remember the poignant moments of the story, not the actions you took that caused them to be played out. And your regret will be that the final third of the game flashes by in what feels like a rushed job after the perfected pace of the rest. That there are opportunities for refinement only reinforces how truly pioneering Indigo Prophecy is.
And the real beauty of Fahrenheit is this: If you’re a gamer you can appreciate this game for what it is, if you’re a movie lover you can appreciate the movie for what it is and if you’re a book reader you can appreciate the story for what it is. It caters for everyone so if you have not played it, I would advise you head down to your local games store and buy a copy immediately!
