Fahrenheit (video game)

Fahrenheit
European cover art
Developer(s)	Quantic Dream
Publisher(s)	Atari
Designer(s)	David Cage
Version	1.1 (October 2005)
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Xbox 360
Release date(s)	Xbox, PS2, PC NA September 20, 2005 (2005-09-20) EU September 16, 2005 (2005-09-16) Xbox Originals December 4, 2007
Genre(s)	Adventure, Psychological Thriller
Mode(s)	Single-player
Rating(s)	BBFC: 15 ESRB: M, AO (Uncut) OFLC: MA15+ OFLC: R16 PEGI: 16 USK: 16
Media/distribution	Optical disc, Download

Fahrenheit, also known as Indigo Prophecy in North America, is a cinematic adventure video game developed by Quantic Dream and manufactured and marketed by Atari Europe SAS.^[1] According to the Quantic Dream website, Fahrenheit has sold over 700,000 units worldwide since it was released in September 2005,^[2] and it has won several awards.^[3]

Overview

In this paranormal thriller, New York City is stunned by a series of mysterious murders that follow the same pattern: ordinary people become possessed and kill absolute strangers in public. The main characters of the story must uncover the supernatural forces behind his crime.

A good deal of publicity was generated from the developer's rejection of conventional game genre labeling for the title; Quantic Dream prefers to brand it as the first truly "interactive film" rather than an adventure or third-person action title. This game features a large amount of motion captured animation as well as branching story lines, split screen cameras and an interface designed to be intuitive and realistic. Event triggers in the game are also mainly time-based, as opposed to the more common player-initiated progression found in most games.

Gameplay

An interactive action scene

Console versions of the game eschew most of the traditional methods of control, making minimal use of the face buttons on the controller, instead using twin analog sticks for almost all player actions. The left stick controls movement of the character, and the right is used for context-sensitive actions. For instance, when Lucas approaches his table at the diner in the opening scene, one direction may cause him to take a seat, while another makes him examine his bill, and a third lets him pick up his drink and take a sip. The available options are displayed with simple diagrams at the top of the screen. More complex motions, such as climbing a fence or spinning a yo-yo in "around the world" fashion, require controller motions akin to those used for special moves from conventional fighting games.

During the tutorial of the game, game director David Cage instructs the player to move the thumb-stick slowly when opening a door, to maximize immersion, making it clear the prevalent use of thumb-sticks in the game was intended to increase immersion. On the rare occasions in which the face buttons are used, the buttons never directly control character actions; rather, the buttons are used to interact with menus and user interface.

Lucas's mental state deteriorating

This includes changing between characters, navigating menus in computer systems, and displaying the "mental health" of the character.

On the PC the game can be controlled by keyboard and mouse, with key movements and mouse gestures used in conjunction in lieu of analog control sticks, but Windows gamepads with analog sticks are also supported.

There are also large action set pieces, which are completely scripted, but do require reflexes to complete. During these scenes, two circular diagrams with colored segments (resembling the electronic Simon game) are superimposed over the full-motion animation, each one corresponding to one of the analog sticks. The diagrams depict sequences of control inputs, which the player must mimic in order to maneuver the character out of danger. It is similar to the game-play of Dragon's Lair or the Quick Time Event sequences in Shenmue. These action events are the points in which the game story may fork, choosing different options will result in different outcomes. Eventually the story will reconvene, as many dialogue trees do.

The game also requires feats of endurance, involving the alternate pressing of the left and right shoulder buttons as rapidly as possible. These left and right trigger sequences are generally used to evoke (and cause) physical exertion, such as running or swimming.

The game provides each character with a "Mental Health" meter, which goes from full ("Neutral") to empty ("Wrecked") and represents the character's mental health. Many of the game's events (such as the opening, where Lucas comes over to the prone body of his victim) subtract points from the meter, but everyday or habitual activities (such as eating, urinating or receiving good news) will add points, as well as scenarios in which the character makes a revealing discovery or action that helps him or her in some substantial way.

Carla in an interactive conversation

An empty Sanity meter leads to an end depending on the character (Carla and Tyler will give up their badges, and Lucas will either turn himself in, or commit suicide) and a Game Over.

Finally, a conversation system is also implemented into the game, with the right analog stick being used to choose dialogue options. When conversing with certain Non-player characters (NPCs), this is sometimes accompanied by a "Suspicion" meter, which is affected by the player's choices indicating how suspicious the character Lucas is conversing with is, e.g. failing to give convincing answers when being interrogated by police. In these situations, if the player does not make a choice within the allotted time limit, the game will make a default choice for him, or else the conversation is abruptly ended. It should be noted that it is impossible to leave a conversation without the minimum amount of information necessary for the characters to progress in the game, and if one continually strays too far from the topic's intended resolution, the game will automatically make the choice for him. Examples include the cop in Joe's Diner telling the player, as Carla Valenti, about the waitress and at the table at which Lucas was sitting, Lucas being interrogated by Carla or Tyler.

Plot

The game is set in January 2009. The story begins on a cold New York night, when Lucas Kane, in a possessed trance, stabs a man to death in the restroom of an East Side diner and then flees the scene. The player is placed in control of Lucas, Tyler, Carla, and occasionally of Markus, Lucas's brother, over the course of the game, and thus is given the chance to sometimes aid one character in opposing another.

The game also has an innovative plot for its manifold branchings and options. The creators describe the plot as "elastic," capable of much stretching to accommodate the player's choices and decisions across all three characters, although it still follows a set plot thread.^[4] For instance, in the opening scene, the player is placed in control of Lucas and left to deal with the aftermath of the murder. The player's choices, such as what to hide, what to leave alone and how to escape the diner, determines what clues Detective Carla Valenti and Detective Tyler Miles find and how the patrons recall him, and thus the ease with which they later discover his identity.

The game features three endings with the outcome dependent solely on the results of the final scenes. However, the game features many more scenes and game-play sections, depending on the choices that the player makes.

The overall plot follows Lucas as he attempts to uncover the reason behind the murders. He initially attempts to move past the experience, talking his way out of a visit from the NYPD, but Lucas begins to experience hallucinations, primarily involving arthropods, which eventually attack him, forcing him to flee from his banking job. The Oracle, a Mayan sorcerer, attempts to kill Lucas more directly by placing him in pseudo-reality inside his apartment, which Lucas manages to escape.

Lucas contacts a spiritual medium, who places him in a trance to recall the events in the diner, which initially terrify the woman. Lucas returns to his apartment to find it surrounded by police. During this time, Lucas demonstrates superhuman strength, reflexes, and agility, dodging bullets fired by police and leaping 30 feet into the air onto a moving subway train. Lucas's ex-girlfriend, Tiffany Harper, is eventually kidnapped by the Oracle to draw out Lucas, and in an attempt to save her from a fall, Lucas is killed. He is brought back to life later in the game by an AI called the "Purple Clan."

Detective Valenti and Lucas eventually learn the location of Jade, the Indigo Child, who possesses a secret that will give great power to whoever hears it. During this time, a third faction, the Purple Clan, composed of an anthropomorphic artificial intelligence (AI), also steps forward to assert a claim on the child. Lucas, the Oracle, and the AI converge on the military base where Lucas grew up and was exposed to the Chroma.

In each ending, taking place three months later, Lucas states that he has been living with Carla since the end of the game. He then adds that Carla is pregnant from the time in the underground base with the Invisibles, and that their child was exposed to the Chroma as Lucas had been when he was in his mother’s womb.

Characters

Lucas Kane is the main and primary male protagonist in Fahrenheit, and is voiced by David Gasman. Born and raised on the remote Wishita military base by his scientist parents (the deaths of whom in a car accident had severely affected him ten years previous to the events of the game), Lucas now works as an IT manager and head of computer maintenance for the Naser & Jones Bank in Manhattan in New York City. Lucas's simple life was turned upside down when he was suddenly possessed by an unearthly force that drove him to murder a random man in the bathroom of a local diner. For reasons he didn't understand, Lucas, since his early childhood, has had periodic clairvoyant visions (the disturbing nature of which it is implied had a severe emotional impact on him as a child and drove him to isolate himself from others). These visions were long dormant before the events of the game, but suddenly resurfaced in an increased frequency and potency following the events at the diner, and were also accompanied by enhanced speed, strength and reflexes, as well as the emergence of telekinetic abilities and flight. Over the course of the game, Lucas evades police and unknown forces seeking to capture or kill him, all the while delving deeper into the conspiracy surrounding the crime. In the end, Lucas finds himself the last hope of the human race in the face of total destruction by either a secret totalitarian government or a race of sentient artificial lifeforms.

Carla Valenti

Carla Valenti is the primary female protagonist in Fahrenheit, and is voiced by Barbara Scaff. Carla is a hardened and serious police lieutenant and detective inspector with the New York Police Department, and is Sgt. Tyler Miles' partner. Carla is known among the other members of the NYPD for her intense work ethic and commitment to the job (to the point it appears excessive), but in reality her devotion to her work is, in part, her own way of compensating for her lack of any personal life and few friends (among which are Tyler, several NYPD colleagues and her neighbor Tommy). Carla is naturally inquisitive and completionist; tending to brood over cases which appear to go nowhere, and is prepared to spend long hours poring over evidence in the hopes of finding one vital clue which may have been missed. For reasons she doesn't know, Carla is also highly claustrophobic, and is prone to panic attacks when inside dark, enclosed spaces. Carla and Tyler are the detectives called upon to investigate the gruesome diner murder, and over the course of the game, they work together to find Lucas Kane, the killer, and ultimately begin hunting him down. Gradually, Carla delves deeper into the conspiracy surrounding the crime, and finds odd events occurring that eventually drive her to team up with Lucas to fight the Orange and Purple Clans. After only a short time working with Lucas, Carla finds herself drawn to him, and ultimately falls in love with him. She then has sex with Lucas on the eve of the final battle with the Clans. Regardless of the battle's outcome, in the epilogue Carla marries the exonerated Lucas and is pregnant with their child.

Tyler Miles

Tyler Miles, voiced by David Gasman, is a police sergeant and detective agent with the New York Police Department, and is Lt. Carla Valenti's partner. Tyler, contrary to Carla's serious bearing, has a much more lackadaisical attitude towards life but his devotion to the job and to his fiancée Samantha "Sam" Malone is unquestionable (though his relationship with Sam has always been close, he has also been under constant strain due to her terror of him being hurt in the course of his job). While generally upbeat, the long working hours and increasing cold began to sink his spirits greatly. Tyler and Carla are the detectives called upon to investigate the gruesome diner murder, and over the course of the game, they work together to find Lucas Kane, the killer, and ultimately begin hunting him down. This latest murder doesn't help Tyler's sinking morale, ultimately leaving him to reconsider life as a police officer. In his last appearance, Tyler is given the choice of staying in New York to aid the police in maintaining order as the world is increasingly frozen over, or to leave for Florida with Sam and run her parents' store; giving up his police career. His fate is unknown, decided by the player, though nevertheless Carla wishes him luck as she leaves to aid Lucas in finding the Indigo Child. Tyler's hobbies include playing basketball, video games (which he often talks about or makes references to, including multiple instances of metafiction) and collecting 1970s memorabilia and vinyl Motown albums.

Markus Kane

Father Markus Kane, voiced by Doug Rand, is the older brother of Lucas. When they were kids, Markus tried to get Lucas, who was something of a loner, more involved with the other children on their military base home. With time, Markus matured and now lives and works in New York as a Roman Catholic priest at St. Mary's Cathedral, a local church. When Lucas confesses his actions at the diner, Markus, despite being emotionally wracked, worried for his brother, as well as the current state of affairs; his faith and inability to comprehend what is happening to Lucas over the course of the game prevents him from seeing very much past his own fears for Lucas's mental health. His fate is unknown, decided by the player. Either he can be killed by The Oracle during his search for Lucas, despite Lucas's attempts to warn him, or he can be warned in time, summoned to the underground lair of the Invisibles, where he finally learns the truth; in explaining everything to him, the Invisibles will make him realize Lucas wasn't crazy and was telling the truth.
"The Oracle" is the main villain in Fahrenheit and archenemy of Lucas Kane. Outwardly, all that is seen of him is him wearing a gray hooded overcoat that mostly hides his face, and his true nature remained a mystery to everyone else. The Oracle is learned in magical arts, possesses telepathic abilities (to the point he can effortlessly erase his presence from the minds of others even as they speak to him, and leaves no physical traces as well as being able to control who could see and hear him), telekinesis, teleportation, invisibility and flight. It was later revealed "The Oracle" (referred to as such as no one else alive remembers his name) is a sacrificial priest of the long-extinct Mayan civilization that lived long past his natural death by entering the service of the Orange Clan and working to locate the Indigo Child. He has sacrificed seven people a year for the past 2000 years, using others to commit the deed in a Mayan sacrificial ritual. One of the latest sacrifices involved Lucas Kane.

Minor characters

• Tiffany Harper is Lucas's ex-girlfriend who shows up the day after the killing in the restaurant. It is suggested by some of Tiffany's comments that she broke up with him due to his intimacy issues. He still has feelings for her and it is possible to rekindle their relationship in the course of the game. She is kidnapped by the Oracle and used as bait. When Lucas comes to save her, the Oracle collapses the wooden roller coaster where he was holding her prisoner and she dies from the fall. The last scene of her is her image on her tombstone in the cemetery. She is voiced by Barbara Scaff.

• Samantha Malone Sam is Tyler's girlfriend. Tyler's relationship with Sam weakens as he has to leave during their anniversary and Sam feels scared for Tyler's health with his job. On an early morning after Carla calls Tyler to ask him to come to the station. Towards the end of the story, Sam arrives at Tyler's work and says that she is going to her fathers vineyard and asks Tyler to come, at this moment, a "leap of faith" is performed as Tyler chooses either Sam or his job.

• The Indigo Child is a "perfectly pure soul, never before incarnated" who holds the secret of the meaning of life. Her coming has been anticipated since the beginning of time, and numerous factions are competing to gain possession of her, as the person who hears her secret will wield control of the entire universe (who this person will be depends on the actions of the player). In reality, her name is Jade; her parents are deceased, she is autistic (to the point she doesn't speak), and resides in a Catholic orphanage. Her physical condition deteriorates as the cold increases, and ultimately she wastes away and dies at the end of the final battle between Lucas Kane of the Invisibles, The Oracle of the Orange Clan and the AI Warrior Avatar of the Purple Clan; with her last breath she whispers the secret to the battle's victor.

• Agatha is an elderly, blind, paraplegic woman who, using her psychic abilities, helps Lucas understand what happened to him at the diner. Despite dying in the middle of the game, Lucas sees her afterwards in visions providing him with background information. However, this ghostly vision of Agatha is revealed to be a member of the Purple Clan masquerading as Agatha, so that Lucas will do their bidding. She is voiced by Jodi Forrest.

• The Purple Clan is a group of artificial intelligences that come from "the Net", wish to use the secret of the Indigo Child to become the dominant species on the Earth and make human beings their eternal slaves. If Jade tells the Indigo Prophecy to the AI at the end of the game, Earth is plunged into an ice age, with the surface becoming near inhospitably, and humanity driven to the brink of extinction. The Purple Clan has only recently revealed itself, and is the only rival clan of the Orange Clan. Since they do not have the Oracle to assist them in finding the Indigo Child, they work to manipulate Lucas to help them complete the Indigo Prophecy.

• The Orange Clan is an Illuminati-like secret society ruling the planet from behind the scenes. They know everything that each person undertakes, every second of every day. They wish to use the secret of the Indigo Child to become immortal and rule the Earth for eternity. There are five pillars that make up the clan including administration, police, military, finance, and the media. From the early days when each country had its own clan, they were responsible for destroying all rival clans. They are the last existing original clan and believe themselves to be the only clan remaining. If the Oracle, and thus the Orange Clan learn Jade's secret at the end of the game, then the world remains virtually the same, to Lucas's surprise, though he remains wary of the Clan's plans.

• The Invisibles are a secret underground organization that monitors the clans, and wishes to make sure that the secret of the Indigo Child does not fall into the wrong hands. The organization is made up of mostly homeless individuals who use the tendency of others not to notice them to gather information on the other clans. They are led by a homeless man named Bogart, who is remarkably more intelligent than the drunken persona he adopts should people talk to him.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack was a well received aspect of the game, receiving praise from various sources.^[5][6] Impressed by his previous work on soundtracks for David Lynch films, David Cage decided to enlist Angelo Badalamenti in the project. Cage did not want the soundtrack to be composed of generic orchestral pieces in the vein of John Williams or Carmina Burana, but instead be more emotional and atmospheric, something that he felt Badalamenti achieved.^[7] Further licensed pieces of music were used in the game:

• Theory of a Deadman – "Santa Monica"
• Theory of a Deadman – "No Surprise"
• Theory of a Deadman – "Say Goodbye"
• Theory of a Deadman – "No Way Out"
• Teddy Pendergrass – "Love T.K.O."
• Ben E. King – "Street Tough"
• Patrice Rushen – "Hang It Up"
• Bobby Byrd – "Try It Again"
• Society's Bag – "Let It Crawl"
• Leee John – "Just An Illusion"
• Nina Simone – "No Good Man"
• Martina Topley-Bird – "Sandpaper Kisses"

North American version changes

The title of Fahrenheit was changed to Indigo Prophecy in the United States and Canada. The change was made to avoid confusion with the film Fahrenheit 9/11 released around the same time.^[8] To avoid an Adults Only (18+) rating, which would've caused major retail chains to refuse to carry the game, most of the scenes depicting sex (one of which is interactive) and other adult content were removed from the North American versions. An exception is the final sex scene between Carla and Lucas, which was not completely cut from the game due to its important role in the story, but was shortened by removing the more graphic shots and most of the visible nudity. Though one shot remains in the edited version from an angle that should have revealed Carla's fully naked breasts, the nipples were removed from her model skin, giving the appearance that the nipples were merely obscured from view thus avoiding any identifiable depictions of frontal female nudity.

Reception

GameSpot said "Fahrenheit gives the term 'cinematic gameplay' some context, as well as some real heartfelt meaning. But where the game truly shines is in its story, which is a deep, captivating, and sometimes disturbing tale". It received both the Best Story and Best Adventure Game award for 2005 from the site, as well as being nominated for four other awards. Fahrenheit is ranked tenth on Game Informer’s list of The Top 10 Video Game Openings.^[9] The developers and publishers have reported over 800,000 sales worldwide since its release in 2005.

References

1. ^ "Atari Video Games". atari.com. http://www.atari.com/games/fahrenheit?utm_source=atari.com&utm_medium=rssfeeds&utm_campaign=TheFeed. Retrieved 23 July 2011. 
2. ^ "FAHRENHEIT Indigo Prophecy". quanticdream.com. http://www.quanticdream.com/en/game/fahrenheit-indigo-prophecy?utm_source=quanticdream.com&utm_medium=rssfeeds&utm_campaign=TheFeed. Retrieved 23 July 2011. 
3. ^ McGarvey, Sterling (February 10, 2010). "Heavy Rain Review". G4 TV. http://g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/702485/Heavy-Rain-Review.html?utm_source=g4tv&utm_medium=rssfeeds&utm_campaign=TheFeed. Retrieved 17 March 2010. 
4. ^ David Cage (2005-09-22). "Indigo Prophecy Post-Mortem". 1up.com. http://www.1up.com/do/feature?pager.offset=0&cId=3143998. Retrieved 2007-03-05. 
5. ^ Charles Onyett (2005-10-01). "Indigo Prophecy Review". IGN. http://uk.pc.ign.com/articles/652/652420p4.html. Retrieved 2006-11-19. 
6. ^ Ted Dedon (2005-09-26). "Indigo Prophecy Review". gamer2.0. http://www.gamer20.com/gamehub/indigo-prophecy-pc/review/552/2. Retrieved 2009-10-02. 
7. ^ David Cage (2006-06-20). "Postmortem: Indigo Prophecy". Gamasutra. http://gamasutra.com/features/20060620/cage_01.shtml. Retrieved 2006-11-19. 
8. ^ MacDonald, Laura (2005-08-04). "Quantic Dream – David Cage and Guillaume de Fondaumiere interview". adventuregamers.com. http://www.adventuregamers.com/article/id,554/p.2. Retrieved 2009-07-03. 
9. ^ "The Top Ten Video Game Openings," Game Informer 187 (November 2008): 38.

External links

• Official website
• Quantic Dream – developer website
• Fahrenheit at MobyGames