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| Game: |
Fahrenheit |
| Genre: |
n/a |
| Developer: |
Quantic Dream |
| Publisher: |
Vivendi Universal |
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| Related Links: |
Coming Soon. |
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Fahrenheit is a paranormal thriller set in a winter New York City which has been stunned by a series of mysterious murders which seem to all follow the same pattern of ordinary people being killed by absolute strangers in public areas. Lucas Kane becomes another one of these murderers when he suddenly kills a stranger in a men's bathroom in an East End diner. Covered in blood, Lucas regains consciousness with no recollection as to why he has committed murder other than he was in some sort of trance possessed almost. Hunted by police, Lucas must solve the mystery before being incarcerated for life.
Having eagerly awaited this game, it came as great news to find that a demo for the PC was available which I quickly downloaded. The demo is only a small section of the opening scene of the game but is enough to show players what to expect with the way the game plays in general. From the offset it is clear that the cinematic direction is of a high standard especially as you get a personal introduction from one of the development team using the in game engine.
Starting the demo you are thrust into the shoes of Lucas Kane as he is possessed in the toilet. The scene switches between him and some creepy hooded figure. As Lucas gets up from the toilet he heads towards a man washing his hands at the sinks, his victim. It seems like Lucas is possessed as he moves with the mannerisms of zombie. His soon to be dead victim is seen casually washing his hands unaware of his impeding fate. As soon as the scene begins it is over because Lucas plunges a knife deep into the flesh of his victim. No sooner has the victim gasped his last breath does Lucas regained some sort of cohesion and then the realization of what he has just committed; from here the player takes control of the game.
Well the demo is extremely short indeed and can end in seconds or minutes depending on your actions. What the demo does clearly show is the way in which the game can be played with a multitude of variety. For example as you are left in the grimy toilet with a body, a knife at your feet and blood all over you what is your next move? You could try and cover up the murder by hiding the body, mopping up the blood off the floor and then discarding the murder weapon as a possible scenario (it is obvious that the police officer in the diner is going to come in to the washroom at some point). Or simply ignore the whole process and dash out of the door and into the streets hopefully escaping before anyone notices. There are quite a number of ways to accomplish the task of escaping the murder scene including being all casual, paying your bill maybe turning on the jukebox or watching TV before leaving.
What is clever is the way in which the camera will switch to a multi view whereby if you hang around the washroom for too long a second screen will appear showing the cop getting up and making his way to the washroom. Alternatively if you are outside of the washroom the second screen will show the cop inside discovering the body.
Fahrenheit aims to offer multiple choice game play where perhaps no two games are the same or at least can be played differently many times over. With the game play switching the story from the viewpoint of the cops trying to solve the murders to the unwitting anti hero Lucas the scent of intrigue and mystery within the story is set to be paramount to the game’s success.
Fahrenheit allows players to choose one of four characters which include the lead character Lucas Kane, Detective Carla Valenti, Detective Tyler Miles (Carla's partner) and Lucas' brother Marcus Kane. The story will take you through a total of 44 chilling acts whereby the player will have to manage the mental health of each main character by choosing the correct course of action and maintaining their psychological balance. Fahrenheit uses a Motion Physical Action Reaction (MPAR) interface which allows the player to make the same movement as his character on screen so for example when using the mop on the bloody floor you will actually use the motions on the controller as if you were doing the mopping yourself; the aim being to create a physical identification between the player and his character. A Physical Action Reaction (PAR) interface is used during mini-game action sequences where the player has to move the analogue control sticks in the proper direction in order to succeed.
Fahrenheit sounds like an impressive adventure thriller and from the short scene that I’ve played in the demo looks like it could be something totally unique and some thing very interesting to play when it’s released on Xbox in September of this year.
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