Fahrenheit

It is another cold late night in the city of New York. An old man gets up from his seat to go to the bathroom. In the near distance, in one of the bathroom's many booths, Lucas Kane is sitting on the stool holding a knife, cutting through his arms, carving a strange symbol. The old man then goes towards the water tap to wash his hands. In the mean time, Lucas gets up, gets out of the booth and, as if he was possessed, he suddenly walks behind the old man and makes three strikes through his heart killing him. A couple of seconds later Lucas returns to the reality he lives in. Conveniently enough it is time for you to control Lucas.

Fahrenheit, or Indigo Prophecies as it was called in the release to the United States, is a cinematographic adventure action game. It was directed and written by David Cage, the founder of Quantic Dream. Fahrenheit features realistic controls similar to real life, with the ability of using your mouse or keyboard to mimic real life interactive actions with the environment. However, fans of the Fahrenheit movie should not mix the two up, as this by no means relate to the 9/11 movie.

The game starts off with the scene explained in the opening paragraph. It is now up to you as Lucas Kane to see how you are going to deal with this situation. Are you going to leave everything behind and just run? Are you going to hide anything in particular? It is your choice. The game basically allows you to control four different characters with Lucas being the lead. There is Lucas' brother, Marcus Kane, a priest in a church who hasn’t seen his brother in the past three years. Then there is both Carla Valenti and Tyler Miles, both of whom are responsible for the investigation going on with the mysterious murder that Lucas committed.

Controlling each character you have different goals and perspectives. For instance, while controlling Lucas, you will always try to clear your name from what you have done. On the other hand, while playing with the detectives (Carla and Tyler), you are tasked with gathering clues to solve the mystery of the murder and possibly capture Lucas. The confusion however arises once you change sides. For an example, after you hide the knife you used to kill the old man in the first scene, you are supposed to find it when controlling Tyler or Carla. This sometimes gets confusing, since you sometimes don't know what you are exactly supposed to do.

The controls of the game are simple enough: you use either a gamepad with analog sticks or the keyboard and mouse standard combination, using the keyboard for movement and mouse to change camera or look around you. However, the controls change in "tight" situations or interactive ones. In tight situations or any that might threaten your life, the character is fully controlled by the AI, however you are given two circles on the screen displaying four colours in four directions. You need to mimic the colours with your controls fast as a test of reflexes, much like the system in Resident Evil 4.

Then there is the physical feat situation. When you are trying to move a heavy object or control your breathing (in Carla's situation as she is claustrophobic), you will need to tab between the Left and Right buttons repeatedly and as rapid as the situation requires. Another notable control is the mouse; you choose options in conversations with clicking the Left Mouse Button and then moving the mouse left, right, up or down, and you are often timed in your decision. Also, you can use it in interactive situations where, for example, you try to open a door, or maybe play with a yoyo. Then the mouse will be used to almost exactly mimic the real life move.

Opposed to the Health Bar found on your HUD in many games, there is a Stress Meter. This meter will increase and decrease according to different actions and reactions in game. If you talk to someone and the answer would be helpful or cheerful for example, your status will increase where you have a neutral character that isn't stressed. However, if you keep getting the wrong impressions or failing in a test or a feat, you will lose stress points that might ultimately lead to a wrecked mind state and a game over. Throughout the game you may find bonus points that will increase your meter. At the end of the game you will be given a chance to use all the bonus points you have collected along with any excess points you gained when you are in neutral state, to unlock some of the extra materials, which involve cut-scenes, music, and art-work.

Considering its age, the game graphics are quite healthy. The scenery seems to be detailed enough to feel your surroundings and allow you to immerse yourself in the settings more. With the ambient and background sounds that play in different situations and according to the scenery you are in, you can't escape the feeling that you are controlling a real life character rather than just a game. The change in music from one scene to another or from a situation to the other is done appropriately so that you barely notice the change.

You will find some cinematic features are displayed in an orderly and helpful manner that will increase your ability to enjoy the game. One of those features is the split-screen scenes – when you see different angles of the same scene played out on the same screen. These normally leads to a tight situation, or a physical feat. In those moments you will really understand how the designers put so much work to synchronise the whole game to fit your play-style and that you don't miss out on the experience.

Fahrenheit is a very versatile game; it houses many controls and features which come together effectively. If you are an adventure or an action game fan, this is a game for you. The story is good, and while the last quarter feels rushed and seems a little out of the scheme, it isn't so badly done that it meddles with the fun flavour the game adds. Players in the United States and Canada might miss out on some of the explicit content, as the director has ordered to cut out some inappropriate scenes.

As general advice, this game will keep you stuck on your chair for hours, not because the puzzles are hard to solve or from frustration of trying to find a needle in a haystack, but from pure enjoyment and the curiosity of what might happen next.