While fascinating and unique, Indigo Prophecy has several holes in plot and story that are hard to ignore.
The indigo prophecy is a compelling game with unique gameplay and interface that's sure to hold your attention until the end. However, there are backdraws to the way that the game is executed as well as some problems with the writing of the plot that one simply cannot ignore. Never the less, it's a worthy game that will surely remain in this reviewer's collection.
This movie gives reality to the term "cinematic gameplay". You play Lucas, the murderer and two NYPD Detectives hot on his trail. Generally, the game play swtiches off between moving around, usually 3rd person, in apartments, the police department and a few other settings and interacting with the environment. There are many things to do, from investigating a few murder scenes to playing yo-yo. The action of the game is ran by requiring to follow sequences on your two analog sticks. If you fail, you get nailed by whatever baddie you are up against or can't quite accomplish whatever task it is before you, if you succeed, the story goes on. While the uniqueness of this system is refreshing and combines a relatively intricate plot with a simple style of gameplay, there are problems. First of all, the sequences are lengthy and shown right in the middle of your screen. When Lucas gets all matrix on some baddies after some hidden power is released within him, the player simply can't watch, for he is too focused on the center of the screen and the sequences he needs to follow. Any game whose whole intent is to be cinematic should allow the player to watch.
Furthermore, there are several sequences that aren't action, but feats of concentration and the like, and you have to follow a mind-numbingly slow combination in order to keep concentratin in game. This quickly becomes a bore, especially because one can't immerse onself in the thickly developing plot of the game.
Indigo prophecy scores big points for the fact that there is a mental health system in the game. In a world where video game characters stoically or unbeliebably respond to the desolation and insanity around them, it's refreshing to have a game that actually considers psychology. Certain events and actions will hurt your character's mental health, others will help. If your character gets too down and depressed, they'll simply kill themselves or quit their job (the detectives come to mind here), effecting ending the game. While it's certainly hard to quantify and execute such a system, Indigo Prophecy does a fine job of it and you find yourself being cautious with what you make your character do. The logic driving the gains and losses is solid, too. In one case, you can make Lucas drink some liquor. A little bit helps him, but keep drinking and he'll get so depressed he jumps out of a window.
Indigo Prophecy does things with conversations options that no other game does that this reviewer has seen. It gives you a short amount of time to choose the next conversation topic when you are talking to someone in game. In fact, game will give you short amounts of time to make a lot of decisions, many of which simply effect the game one or way or another. Some wrong choices will cause you to lose the game. Naturally, any time you make a bonehead choice while playing Lucas that results in the cops arresting you, the game is over.
The plot continues and one discovers that there is magic and an ancient circle of powerful being that have been controlling the world. While there is potential for this sort of twist in the plot to be cheaply done, the game does a good job with this part, and takes the time to flesh things out for you, and it takes quite a while before you have much of an idea of why Lucas murdered someone against his will. Unfortunately, what starts out as a compelling and dramatic plot ends up with a bit of cheese shoved in just for kicks.
There are also significant problems with the plot. While everything starts as mysterious and alluring, some aspects of the plot become cheap. As you begin to discover who is behind everything that occurs in the first half of the game, you come across a sci-fi element in the game that brings to mind over-caffeinated writers up late trying to find something, anything to add to the story. There is also something huge that happens to Lucas that is simply left unresolved, even forgotten at the end. Furthermore, the ending that this reviewer received was reminiscent of something out of a teletebbies eiposide in design and was completely incongruent with the forlorn, brooding plot.
These holes are, utimately, forgivable if not ignorable given the game's overall strengths. Indigo Prophecy is a captivating and moving title that is a definite must for any fan of adventure games with an edge.