Adventure games come in all shapes and sizes nowadays and its becoming harder to distinguish between a true adventure title and an action game. The old school point and click adventures were very clearly non action orientated and required a fair amount of brainpower to suss out the fiendish puzzles contained. Well these games are pretty much a thing of the past or have evolved with the likes of Broken Sword being one example. I think Myst still retains the old point and click formula best but I guess developers are keen to come up with more immersive adventuring for gamers. Well this is where Quantic Dream’s game Fahrenheit or Indigo Prophecy as it is known stateside comes in as not only does it re-write the rules somewhat it retains that magical immersive element and then some. Fahrenheit Tells the tale of Lucas Kane, who at the very start of the game becomes possessed and murders an innocent man in the toilets of a diner. This leads to mystery and intrigue as the gamer takes control with the aim of working out what has happened here.

Gameplay

Fahrenheit is a third person thorough bred adventure game that features no guns no running around killing lots of enemies and is very much requiring some brain exercise as well as some exploration elements. If you are into games that are more a fast paced extravaganza then perhaps Fahrenheit isn’t for you. As mentioned earlier the game starts off with an eerie opening sequence featuring a wintry New York. You really do feel the cold vibes the game gives off as you sit and watch the opening. When the opening murder scene is over and it’s time to take control for the first time then the real fun starts; it becomes clear that Fahrenheit is no ordinary game. What drives Fahrenheit is the story element as this is told in the way of a narrative where you will her Lucas’s thoughts at key points in the game. What is also unique is the fact that during the course of the game you will switch characters and control the detectives leading the investigation into the mysterious murder. This brings a whole new spin on the game as not only do you have to figure out the fiendish plot from the perspective of the murderer but also from his pursuers which is a first as far as I can tell. On top of this early on in the game Lucas calls for assistance from his holy brother Marcus and therefore he also becomes entwined in the thick of the plot, so at times you will be controlling his actions as well.

The cops come in the forms of sassy detective Carla Valenti and streetwise partner Tyler Miles who seems to be at odds with his girlfriend despite having a healthy sexual relationship! To put the cops’ role into perspective; after Lucas escapes from the opening murder scene, Carla and Tyler turn up to do the investigation and look for clues, even though as the player we know what has happened because we were there playing it. This twist of perspective has been thought out well and plays perfectly. Conversations have multiple paths and with a timer that counts down you have to be quick to decide how you are going to steer the conversation and what questions you are going to ask or responses you are going to give. Again this is another thing that Fahrenheit does extremely well.

Well, many games have players controlling the onscreen man/woman; it’s paramount to most games in most genres other than the first person shooters of this world. What becomes clear from the game’s very opening is the ingenious interface method. The interface requires actions with the controller that are unusual. Things like taping the left and right triggers alternatively to drag a dead body along the floor or in some cases to help your character breath due to being a nervous wreck in confined spaces. Then there is the control on the right thumb stick, which instead of making actions a simple press of the A button actually requires you to perform the movement that you are trying to do with the stick. These can range from a simple up and down movement to more complex stuff like “Street Fighter” style quarter circles and such. It actually works really well and in my opinion offers a far greater level of immersion despite being very simple.

Fahrenheit really does mix things up and although you could call the game an interactive movie it really does make you participate to the fullest. Without giving too much away Fahrenheit features things like stealth in some kind of memory flashback which I found rather amusing. It also features first person action with a twist; searching for items which is handled rather well if I might say so. Then the response events or QTE which require the player to input the correct direction on either the left or right thumb sticks as the action happens. There are a lot of things in the game that are optional or that you might miss for example in Lucus’s apartment early on in the game he can enter a response event with his punch bag or play guitar, both of these can be completely ignored or overlooked as they are not essential to the plot so to speak.

Fahrenheit has a mature story and has enough moments that will bring a smile to your face. There are some moments of a sexual nature but I think these are handled very well and not in a smutty school boy way. I think these moments add that little extra depth to the characters and realism to the game. Waking up and having sex with your girlfriend seems like a very natural action to me, should it be included in a video game? Why not?

Graphics

The overall graphics in the game for the locations have a very grainy look which fits in well with the gritty nature of the game. There is a high level of detail to the character models faces which look great when the camera zooms in for a close up shot. I would say that compared to games such as Splinter Cell then there really is no contest but I think the whole feel of the graphics does a fine job of being real enough whilst you are playing. Not the best looking game on Xbox but good enough to convey the events that unfold.

Sound

The sound is equally atmospheric and fits in well with the action of tension on the screen. Mostly it is non obtrusive and features a mixture of classical and more upbeat sounds. The main feature of the sound is the very high quality voice acting which is excellent especially Lucas and Carla’s characters. The developers have done a fine job with the casting and the actors really do bring to life the digital characters with a certain flare. Other sound effects like the wind howling through open windows add greatly to the atmosphere and are spot on. Overall the sound team have done a great job with creating plenty of feeling in the game.

Longevity

Well Fahrenheit isn’t going to win any awards for the longest game out there but saying that after you have completed the 40 plus acts you can play each one again a different way than you did before. There is also a lot of bonus content that can be unlocked with points gained by collecting cards that are found in the levels. I think players would do well to play the game several times because as I said there are probably going to be things that you missed the first play through. You can also change the level of difficulty but this in general doesn’t affect the overall game play too much.

Overall

Fahrenheit is a welcome game on Xbox and tries to do something different in a genre which has really taken a back seat to the more popular Survival Horror games. This psychological thriller will keep players hooked from start to finish as it has that “I must find out what happens next” feel to it. I believe that you really do empathise with Lucas and to a lesser extent the cops trying to crack the case. In a world where action games seem to be the staple diet for gamers these days it’s a breath of fresh air to play a game as involving as this without the need for rocket launchers and grenades. I would thoroughly recommend this game to anyone who wants to use their brain and is looking for solid entertainment at the same time. For anyone else I suggest you rent the game first. Fahrenheit in my eyes is a very solid game that offers something different to the norm and is well worth a look even if it’s just for the experience of witnessing the cool interface method.