“Indigo Prophecy,” a new third-person adventure game for the Xbox, PlayStation2 and PC, almost takes more from the modern cinema than it does from modern video games. French development company Quantic Dream is devoted to telling a story, and it does so artfully. The strength of “Indigo Prophecy’s” story makes the game a compelling title.
Lucas Kane, an average young man, ritualistically kills a stranger in the restroom of a New York diner and has no idea why. Players take control of Kane right after he kills his unassuming victim, and they are tasked with hiding the body, cleaning up and getting out of the diner without being caught by the cop sipping coffee at the bar.
As players drag the body into one of the restroom’s stalls and mop up the blood, they begin to see how well the character interacts with the environment. When Kane picks up the body, players are asked tap the left and right triggers, the quicker the tapping the faster Kane moves. If a player takes too long to take care of the mess, the camera cuts to the cop getting up and then splits the screen. One camera is focused on Kane as the player controls him; the other follows the cop as he makes his way to use the restroom.
Once Kane gets away from the diner, the game introduces one of its most interesting elements – players will also control Carla Valenti and Tyler Miles, the detectives in charge of solving the bizarre murder. The games’ characters are nicely fleshed out; the voice acting is well done.
The game’s control system is subtle and intuitive. As players walk around environments with the left analog stick, an indicator at the top of the screen tells players when they are near something that they can interact with. A simple flick of the right stick in the specified direction initiates the action. During the game’s more action-packed moments, the players will play a mini-game that is a cross between a rhythm game and Simon.
The game’s graphics aren’t stellar, but the game makes the most of them. Occasionally the character animations are a little off, but they are generally believable. The game’s presentation is excellent.
“Indigo Prophecy” is not particularly difficult. There are a few challenging scenes, but overall the game is fairly simple. Players will not play the game for the challenge – they will play it for the story and for the experience. Anyone remotely interested in “Indigo Prophecy” should rent it; at the very least, it is an impressive experiment.

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