Indigo Prophecy

As unassuming everyman IT manager Lucas Kane, you’re royally screwed. You’ve woken up in a bathroom stall only to discover that you killed some random guy. From this point on, you’re dead set on avoiding the clink by finding out what the heck happened. How you travel that twisting path is the entirety of Indigo Prophecy, which manages to mix conventional with unconventional in everything from storytelling to gameplay.

Indigo is, at its heart, an adventure game from the same school as, say, Grim Fandango – except it evolves the genre by mixing in hefty doses of simple but intense action. For instance, in one episode, you’ll play as detective Carla Valenti, who’s severely claustrophobic. So when she’s sent down to the basement to rustle up old files, you’ll have to use the L and R triggers to steady her breathing. Fail, and it’s hyperventilation city. 

As Lucas in his apartment, you’ll need to use the two analog sticks to play a cracked-out version of Simon Says in order to duck and dodge flying furniture (don’t ask). As hokey as it sounds on paper, in practice it’s sweaty-palm intense – if you flub up too much, it’s often game over (in some areas you may just be redirected down a new story path).

But this gameplay originality only serves to intensify Indigo’s well-wrought thriller plot. And this is both the game’s ultimate strength and weakness. Excellent voice acting brings the game’s main characters to life (Lucas Kane and detectives Carla and Tyler), breathing credibility into Indigo’s paranormal hijinks. And with a mystery whodunit at the heart of the game, you’ll feel compelled to keep busting through its five- to 10-hour run in order to solve the mystery. But (and this is a huge “but”) at some point, Indigo literally loses the plot. We won’t be dealing out any spoilers, but seriously…we were scratching our heads at some of the twists and turns the story took much later in the game. And with such a brilliant build-up until that point, Indigo’s strongest suit feels its most unbalanced as you get more involved in Lucas’ plight.

But that’s not enough to discourage anyone willing to try a game that dares to be a little left of center. Don’t expect Indigo to placate cheap-thrill seekers, but if you’re looking for a satisfyingly good yarn, this is much too clever and unique to pass up.