Fahrenheit (2005 video game)

Gameplay

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 the twin analog sticks for almost all player actions. The left stick controls movement of the character, whilst the right is used for context-sensitive actions. For instance, when Lucas, one of the protagonists, approaches his table at the diner in the opening scene, pressing the stick in one direction may cause him to take a seat, 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 "around the world" fashion, require controller motions designed to replicate the actual action being undertaken by the character. During the tutorial of the game, 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 the user interface, such as changing between characters, navigating menus in computer systems, and displaying the "mental health" of the character. In the Microsoft Windows version of the game, control is via the keyboard and mouse, with key movements and mouse gestures used in conjunction in lieu of analog control sticks, although Microsoft Windows gamepads with analog sticks are also supported.

A major component of the game is made up of large action set pieces, which are completely scripted, but which require reflexes to complete. During these scenes, two circular diagrams with colored segments (resembling the electronic Simon game) are superimposed over the full motion video, 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, similar to the gameplay 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, however, the stories will reconvene, as many dialog 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, and occur during such gameplay events as characters weightlifting or trying to force something open.

The player is placed in control of, at different times, Lucas, NYPD officers Lieutenant Carla Valenti and Sergeant Tyler Miles, and occasionally, Fr. Markus Kane, Lucas's brother. The game provides each character with a "Mental Health" meter, which ranges from full ("Neutral") to empty ("Wrecked"), and which represents the character's mental stability. Many of the game's events (such as the opening, where Lucas discovers he has just murdered a total stranger for no apparent reason) subtract points from the meter, but everyday or habitual activities (such as eating, urinating or receiving good news) will add points, as will scenarios in which the character makes a revealing discovery or action that helps him or her in some substantial way. An empty Sanity meter leads to an end depending on the character and level, like a suicide or mental breakdown, and subsequently a Game Over.

Finally, a conversation system is also implemented into the game, with the right analog stick used to choose dialogue options in much the same way as it is used to control actions. When conversing with certain non-player characters (NPCs), there is often a "Suspicion" meter, which is affected by the player's choices, indicating how suspicious the character Lucas is conversing with is becoming, 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 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 direct the conversation back.

The game has a plot built around manifold branchings and multiple 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 overriding plot thread. 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, determine what clues Carla and Tyler find when they arrive to investigate, and how well the patrons recall Lucas, and thus the ease with which the police later discover his identity.

Plot

On a cold New York City night in January 2009, Lucas Kane, in a possessed trance, stabs a man to death in the restroom of an East Side diner and then flees the scene. Lucas 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 he begins to experience hallucinations, primarily involving mysterious arthropods, which attack him, forcing him to flee from his banking job.

Lucas contacts a spiritual medium, who places him in a trance to try to recall the events in the diner. Upon discovering that he was approached by a mysterious man in the diner, who seemed to be controlling him during the murder, he leaves the medium. The following night he returns, only to find her dead body. Meanwhile, the police have identified him as the murderer, and they lay a trap to capture him. However, he demonstrates superhuman strength, reflexes, and agility, dodging bullets fired by police and leaping 30 feet into the air onto a moving subway train. Lucas learns about a specialist on Mayan civilization by the name of Dimitri Kuriakin, where he sets up a meeting with him, disguising himself as a journalist, there he learns from the professor that the murder Lucas committed in the diner was a Mayan sacrifice, but what is odd is that every executor was supposed to commit suicide after stabbing the victim, yet Lucas didn't. Lucas's ex-girlfriend, Tiffany Harper, is eventually kidnapped by the man who approached Lucas in the diner, a Mayan Oracle, in an attempt to draw Lucas out. In his efforts to save Tiffany, both she and himself are killed. However, he is subsequently brought back to life by a group of AIs called the "Purple Clan."

Eventually, Lucas is able to convince Carla, a detective investigating the case, that he is innocent, explaining to her that both the Oracle and the AIs are seeking the Indigo Child, a young girl who possesses a secret that will give great power to whoever hears it. Learning of the location of the child, Lucas steals her out from under the noses of both the Oracle and the AIs, bringing her to a military base where he grew up. However, he is followed, and a final battle takes place between the three: Lucas, the Oracle and the AIs.

Depending on what happens in the final chapter of the game, there are three possible outcomes to the game. 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, but the world they are living in is very different depending on who won the final chapter:

Characters

Minor characters

Development and release

It took designer David Cage a year to write the full game-design document. The final script was about 2,000 pages long. The game's use of multiple views was inspired by the TV series 24. This created a considerable technical challenge to implement successfully due to the limitations of the PlayStation 2's memory. A team of nearly 80 people worked on the title for about two years. Simultaneous development took place on three Platform(s) (PS2, Xbox and PC.) The game's storyline was inspired by the films Snake Eyes, Seven, Fight Club, Dune, Jacob's Ladder and Angel Heart.

Impressed by his previous work on soundtracks for David Lynch films, especially Lost Highway, David Cage decided to enlist film composer Angelo Badalamenti for 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. Further licensed pieces of music used in the game included Theory of a Deadman's "Santa Monica", "No Surprise", "Say Goodbye" and "No Way Out"; Teddy Pendergrass's "Love T.K.O."; Ben E. King's "Street Tough"; Patrice Rushen's "Hang It Up"; Bobby Byrd's "Try It Again"; Leee John's "Just An Illusion"; Nina Simone's "No Good Man"; and Martina Topley-Bird's "Sandpaper Kisses".

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, which was released in 2004. As games rated "Adults Only" by the ESRB cannot be released on consoles, the game was censored in order to meet the "Mature" rating; 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 of nudity remains, in the edited version the 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, and thus avoiding any identifiable depictions of frontal female nudity.

On 25 January 2015 Amazon.com listed a remastered version for release entitled Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy Remastered. It was released on 29 January 2015 for Windows, Linux, OS X and iOS. It was developed by Aspyr. The remaster features higher texture resolution, controller support on PC platforms, and is based on the uncensored version of the game. It was released on the PlayStation 4 via PlayStation Network on 9 August 2016. Despite being based on the uncensored version, the ESRB gave the remastered version a "Mature" rating rather than "Adults Only" (as was the case with the original uncut release).

Reception

Fahrenheit was met with positive reviews. Aggregating review websites GameRankings and Metacritic gave the Xbox version 85.68% and 84/100, the PC version 84.89% and 85/100 and the PlayStation 2 version 84.22% and 83/100.

According to GameSpot, "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." The game's music was another well received aspect of the game, receiving praise from IGN.

Fahrenheit received both the "Best Story" and "Best Adventure Game" awards for 2005 from GameSpot, as well as being nominated for four other awards. In 2008, Fahrenheit was ranked tenth on Game Informer's list of the top ten video game openings.