Gamecloud - What can you tell us about the gameplay style you are developing for the game?

David Cage - When you think about game mechanics, you mainly talk about "patterns", which means a sequence of actions that you can perform. You usually have ten of fifteen animations assigned to specific controls, and you are supposed to use them with a specific timing or in a specific order to go through levels. This is exactly what Indigo Prophecy is not about...

The game is a story-driven experience, which means that I wanted to have no pattern in the game, no mechanics in the traditional sense.

Indigo Prophecy allows the player to play almost physically with the story, stretch it and deform it like a rubber band, and assume the consequences of his actions on the plot. All actions are defined by the context of the story, there is no real mechanics, just a story to play with. This is really what makes the experience so unique. A lot of people may be disturbed by the concept, and wonder where are the weapons, the zombies and the cars. Nothing like that in Indigo Prophecy. Just "be in the hero's shoes in a movie ala David Fincher".

Indigo Prophecy also offers some very unique features : Multi-Paths Story (your actions change the story), Multiple characters (the player can control ALL the main characters of the story), MultiView (like the TV series "24", the game can open several windows at the same time to show what is happening somewhere else while the player controls his character).

The interface of the game is also very different. It is not just a remote control to move the character around, it is an important element of immersion for the player. He makes the moves at the same time than his character, makes efforts at the same time than him, and always feels physically like him.

The last important point about the innovative game play of Indigo Prophecy is "Mental Health". The Mental Health of the characters can change depending on their actions, their moral choices and the relationships they have with other characters. The player must care for Lucas and always make sure he feels ok, otherwise he may commit suicide, become mad or turn himself to the police.

This is seamlessly integrated to the story, and gives another dimension to the game.

Indigo Prophecy offers several moral choices where the player will have to ask himself : "what would I do if I was in his shoes?". The topics exposed in Indigo Prophecy are not about princesses or zombies : they are about our real lives and ask ourselves questions about who we are.