Another is a lot like the 1978 reflex game, Simon. Two circles appear on the screen, each comprised of four different colored pieces (red, green, blue, yellow). You must tap the corresponding movement key along with whichever colored light goes on. Case in point: Lucas goes to visit his brother at his church. When he enters, two stone angels suddenly come to life and attack him. You must match the sequence of colored lights in order to get his butt out of a sling. Although you're not actually controlling him, hitting the right keys unlocks a scripted movie sequence. If you succeed, the movie sequence ends successfully, if not... it ends disastrously. This happens a lot throughout the game. Yes, it may sound like old school button mashing, but it works beautifully here because each experience is so gripping that you literally feel the tension building.

You'll partake in everything from Matrix-like kung fu fights to going to the bathroom (seriously). A unique feature of IP requires you to keep the characters sane. Certain physical actions (eating, listening to music, etc.) or moral choices you are forced to make (lying during an interrogation, saving a boy from drowning versus running so the police don't recognize you, etc.) has a direct effect on you character's mental health. If it drops too low, the character becomes so depressed that they turn into a mental wreck and the game "ends."

Keeping with the movie experience, the story is often presented via multiple panels and angles, sometimes as many as three or four. One panel will show you what your character is doing (and where you're still able to play freely), while other action is viewable within the other panels. It's a very cool way to let you see what possible danger is coming, and sometimes how much time you have to react. A similar technique was used in Ubisoft's game XIII with great success, but this works even better here.

There are three different endings, ala any good "Director's Cut" DVD these days. Which one you see depends on how you played the game. The great thing is, once you've finished IP the first time, you can go back and play through any of the 40+ chapters individually so you can experience the other endings. Think of it as being able to watch a movie again, but with alternate and/or deleted scenes.
Voice acting, sound effects, score and even the music you can play on Lucas' radio (from one of our favorite bands, Theory of a Deadman), is top notch. It's as important to the overall creation of this immersive world as it would be to any Hollywood movie.

Lastly, there is a neat bonus section! Throughout the game you will come across bonus points for exploring (they actually look like Willy Wonka chocolate bars). At the end of the game you can use those points to unlock stills from a gallery, watch making of movies (about the characters, the voice actors, etc.), or listen to certain songs from the soundtrack. Each bonus costs points, so spend wisely. You can also replay or watch certain action sequences from the game.

All this gushing doesn't mean the game is without its faults. The PC version is a direct port from its console brethren - and it shows. Yet, the game is so enthralling that you end up forgetting, and forgiving (a shock to us too!), that the graphics are three years old. Even though the default control settings are useless, they're all reconfigurable making it a non-issue. Largely, game play is stellar, but there are times when you simply have no idea what to do and must guess. Other times the trigger points are so touchy that have to replay a segment until you luckily get it right. Lastly, the story becomes somewhat confusing near the end, forcing you to make certain leaps of faith in logic. But what story involving supernatural forces, magic and world domination doesn't make you do that?

Still, Indigo Prophecy has not only restored our love for adventure games, but has us absolutely giddy about its future! Even more inspiring is that this is Quantic Dream's first foray into adventuring, so it should only get better from here. Hopefully, their sudden emergence as a major innovative player in the genre will spur other so-called adventure game companies to get off their collective butts and actually spend some time, money and effort in lifting this once mighty genre back to where it belongs!