Fahrenheit Indigo Prophecy, is an interactive movie/action-adventure. The first level of this game is a mix of cut scenes and decision based game play.
The opening sequence of the game is told through a cutscene in which the character, Lucas Kane, introduces himself and tells us how he used to be before the following events unfolded. Finishing with the line "Nothing's ever going to be the same again". After this short piece of dialogue the title of the game appears, followed by the opening credits with an establishing shot of the game's New York. The dialogue continues in a similar fashion and the camera begins to follow a crow. The screen then fades to black and the crow is now in another location, we follow it until it eventually lands in the window of a diner. Due to the nature of the gameplay the narrative follows a very linear structure in which there are lots of cutscenes, which are required in order for the narrative to make any sense. A lot of these cut scenes throughout the game require player interaction with real time events integrated into them, however this isn't the case for the first level.
A multitude of camera shots are used to build up the scene of the bathroom. Lucas Kane is in a toilet stall while an unnamed man is at a urinal. The scene has a very eerie feel to it due to the use of the dutch tilt/and inverted colours. We're given the impression that Lucas is not in control of his body, due to his jerky puppet-like movements in combination with the weird cinematic effects as he exits the stall. Lucas stabs the unnamed man, and we see flashes to a different, almost satanic, reality. We're then shown another unknown character relinquishing control of Lucas. Something I found extremely interesting about this is how the only time we had absolutely no control over the narrative was when the character had no control over his own body. This idea plays on the fact that other games are filled with embedded narrative which offer the player no possible interaction during these scenes.
Once the cinematic ends and Lucas is back in control of his own body, we begin the game, playing as Lucas Kane in the moments immediately after the event. He says "What have I done?" and we're shown a mood-meter (which we lose points in and go from Neutral to Depressed), showing us as plainly as possible that Lucas is horrified with what just happened. The camera then cuts to show the crow flying off, symbolizing the end of the 'nightmare' in which Lucas was being controlled by. The camera then moves through to the diner showing a police officer at the counter. The camera splits into two parts, one on the bathroom and one on the diner to show us these events are unfolding in real time. Just like in Rayman 3, the cut scenes in this game not only add to the game's narrative, but also provided the player with an objective. This made it feel like it wasn't taking away from the gameplay, as the cutscenes were directly related to what the player was experiencing.
When we take control of Lucas we're provided with a small line of dialogue to provide us with additional information to ensure the player made sense of what was just shown; "Quick, I've got to get out of here before someone comes in here." This lets the player know they're supposed to leave the scene and that they need to do it as quickly as possible, or else they might be caught. The fact that the character is used in this way shows that they aren't used purely for a narrative element, but they also contribute directly to the gameplay, making them a necessity for both. The player is immediately thrown into the decision making element of the game, as there are a range of different things the player is able to do from this point onward. Each action will affect the mood meter, both good and bad, dependent on the action taken.
I found the mood meter to be an interesting addition to the game, because as far as I can tell it doesn't affect anything in the narrative; definitely not within the first level. It almost acts as an incentive for the player to consider every action to achieve the best score. "in a narrative game, the player plays to win, to beat the game, and story is mostly a lure into the game world." (Marie-Laure Ryan). As said by this quote we play to win, an attempt to achieve the best possible results within the game. This makes the mood-meter significantly more important and gets the player to care for the character they're playing as. If the player begins to worry about the affect their decision will have on the character then the game is successful, as they are truly immersed within the game world.
The most important element within Fahrenheit is the decision based gameplay. Although these decisions don't always allow you to alter the game's narrative they allow the player to create their own version of the narrative which is ultimately what the game is trying to achieve. This also counts for any failures the player might make throughout the game, mistakes will stick with them even if the mistake didn't count for much within the narrative it has still had an affect on the player. An example of this is if you tried to exit the diner without paying the bill, it draws attention to the character, exactly what you don't want to happen as it could lead to you being caught or possibly identified later on. The player may constantly worry about this detail even if it doesn't count for anything. Another aspect of the decision making is the time limit you're given, which puts you under pressure."after a finite amount of time – not making any choices will produce an outcome that is different from the choice situation and that therefore constitutes a choice in itself." (Sebastian Domsch). If the player doesn't follow the characters guidance, they take too long to leave or don't clean the blood off their hands then they will be caught, and the game is ultimately over. Just like in real life, hesitation/no action is a choice on it's own.
To summarise my many points, the player is very important within the telling of the story. Without the player the narrative will not progress as the player chooses the direction in which it progresses.
References:
Ryan, M.L. (Author). (2009). StoryWorld: A Journal of Narrative Studies [Article]. United States: University of Nebraska Press
Quantic Dream (Developer). (2005). Fahrenheit Indigo Prophecy [Game]. France: Guillaume de Fondaumière
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