Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy

“	Guilt is a chilling feeling...	”
– Fahrenheit tagline

Fahrenheit (Indigo Prophecy in North America) was developed by Quantic Dream and directed by David Cage. It was originally released on PlayStation 2 and Xbox in September 2005, and subsequently on Microsoft Windows in October of the same year. The name change in North America was made to avoid confusion with Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 documentary film, which was released in 2004.^[1]

In 2007 the game was made available as download on the Xbox 360 in backward compatibility and in 2015 it was digitally released in HD conversion, with the name Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy Remastered on PC software distribution platform Steam and on PlayStation 4 via PlayStation Network.

In January 2021 Fahrenheit: 15th Anniversary Edition launched exclusively on PlayStation 4. It contains a physical edition of the game in a specially created case and sleeve, a sticker set, a high-quality printed art book, and a thank you letter from the development team.^[2]

Fahrenheit introduced elements—ethical ambiguity, romance, the inability to perish, and interactive storytelling—that would endure in Quantic Dream later games, like Detroit: Become Human.

Plot[]

On a cold, snowy night in New York City, a possessed Lucas Kane cuts his wrists before he commits a brutal murder in the bathroom of a local diner. Lucas suddenly snaps out of the possession and is horrified of what he has done. He hides the body, covers his wounds, and leaves the diner, meanwhile, a police officer at the diner discovers the crime scene. Officer Carla Valenti and her partner Tyler Miles are assigned the case and investigate the crime scene.

The next morning, Lucas awakens to realize the murder was real. In search of closure, Lucas meets with his brother Markus and confesses to the murder. Markus is horrified, but Lucas attempts to convince him that he was possessed. After parting ways, Lucas has the chance to rescue a child from a frozen lake and become a reluctant hero in the process.

Lucas begins to suffer from an intense fever but decides to go to work anyway. There, he has a hallucination where he is attacked by massive virtual insects. After evading the insects, he is confronted by John Winston, the man who he killed. Winston warns Lucas of a serpent that resides in "the other world". Lucas awakens and leaves work, worried what's in store for him next.

Meanwhile, Carla witnesses the autopsy of Winston. She learns that the wounds inflicted upon Winston were oddly specific, and is informed by the coroner that the cause of death matches a previous murder case of Alan Kirsten. At the police station, Tyler helps a waitress from the diner reconstruct Lucas Kane's face, eventually creating a composite sketch of him.

Option 1: While Lucas was sleeping, his ex-girlfriend Tiffany knocked on the door and came to pick up her two boxes. After he found two boxes, Tiffany noticed Lucas' strange behavior, Lucas didn't want to talk about his problems with his ex, he said that he missed Tiffany and Tiffany missed Lucas. Tiffany told Lucas that it was time for Tiffany to leave Lucas' apartment. When Lucas wanted to kiss Tiffany, Tiffany pulled away, to which Tiffany said she still wasn't ready, Tiffany needed some more alone time. Tiffany thanked Lucas for everything, took her two boxes and left. Lucas went to bed alone and had a nightmare about a little girl which worried Lucas.

Option 2: That evening, Lucas gets a visit from his ex-girlfriend Tiffany, who has recently moved into a new apartment and wants to take back some of her belongings, which she left with Lucas after they broke up. The two reminisce about their relationship, this gives Lucas the chance to play the guitar for Tiffany, leading to them admitting that they still love each other. They sleep together, but Lucas has a nightmare of a little girl, which worries Tiffany.

The next morning, Lucas visits Markus at their parents grave. Lucas then has a flashback of when he was a child living at the Wishita Military Base, where he saves Marcus (and a group of friends) from a deadly hangar fire, after having a mysterious vision of the hangar catching fire. After the flashback, Marcus informs Lucas of a woman named Agatha, who may be able to help him.

Back at the police station, Carla retrieves the file of Alan Kirsten, who was the victim of a murder case suspiciously similar to John Winston's. She discovers that the file is blank, but it leads her to Robert Mitchell, the officer in charge of the Kirsten case.

That evening, Lucas goes to Agatha's house and learns she is an elderly spiritual medium. Agatha puts Lucas into a trance that makes him relive the murder. During the trance, Lucas discovers that a mysterious man forced him to commit the murder. Overwhelmed, Lucas leaves and Agatha tells him to come back the following night.

Meanwhile, Carla visits Robert Mitchell at the police shooting range. She asks him about the Kirsten case and discovers that it was eerily similar to the recent murder. Even the wounds inflicted upon Kirsten were the same on the ones on Winston. Mitchell then tells Carla that Kirsten's killer is being held at the Bellevue Asylum.

Back at Lucas's apartment, he suffers a vision of his entire apartment building falling apart. Markus saves Lucas however, as the vision lead to Lucas dangling off the edge of his apartment's ledge. Once Lucas returns to work, he is investigated by Carla/Tyler. He manages to not raise much suspicion, however Carla/Tyler grabs several pieces of incriminating evidence while he goes to the restroom.

That evening, Lucas returns to Agatha's house only to find her dead. Whoever killed her also called the police. Lucas escapes through the window before the cops arrive and returns home.

Tyler celebrates his anniversary with Sam while Carla works through the evidence collected to deduce the identity of the killer. After linking the evidence together, Carla identifies the Killer to be Lucas Kane and calls Tyler, interrupting his anniversary.

Now determined to hunt down Lucas, Tyler and Carla raid his apartment. They find that it has been adorned with bizarre cult like decorations, including a pentagram on the floor. Outside, Lucas receives a vision warning him that he should not return to his apartment. Suddenly, a group of Policemen confront him and begin to arrest him. Lucas then uses his newfound supernatural powers to defeat the cops and evade Carla and Tyler.

With nowhere to go, Lucas attempts to seek sanctuary with his brother, Markus. Lucas is then visited by the ghost of Agatha, warning him he is in great danger, telling him to find out about Quechnitlan and to find the Indigo Child.

Days later, Carla and Tyler are called out to a laundromat murder case which bears an eerie similarity to the Doc's Diner murder. Carla concludes there must be a link and decides to visit to Anton Janos at the Bellevue Asylum.

Meanwhile, Lucas became a fugitive. He decides to seek refuge in Tiffany's new apartment. He decides successfully that he needs some time to rest. Lucas then watches TV and sees a report on Mayan expert Dimitri Kuriakin, which may be the key to answering all his questions. Tiffany then returns home and can embrace Lucas and declare her love for him or believe that Lucas was incapable of such a thing (evil); she thought Lucas had to explain it - he had to tell them he was innocent. Lucas believed that he had to find out what happened to him, it was the only way to prove Lucas' innocence. She asks if he is a serial killer, but Lucas manages to convince her that he is not a murderer. Suddenly, Tyler and the police arrive at the apartment to question Tiffany and look for Lucas. Lucas successfully hides from the police and continues his journey to the museum.

Carla arrives a Bellevue Asylum and meets with Janos to discuss all he knows about the murders. Janos reveals that the all the "murderers" like him were controlled by the mysterious figure called the Oracle. Janos continues that the murders are for the Oracle to locate the Indigo Child. Carla grows increasingly uncomfortable with the knowledge and leaves.

Lucas arrives at the museum to meet with Kuriakin. Lucas impersonates a journalist in order to interview with Kuriakin about Quechnitlan. Kuriakin explains Quetzalcoatl is a Mayan god taking the form of a two-headed snake that resides between worlds, with one head in our world and one in the "other" world. Lucas realizes that the image of Quechnitlan is the same symbol that was carved into his arms. The interview continues with Kuriakin explaining a Mayan sacrificial ritual used to open a portal to the other world and see visions of the future. Where a Mayan Oracle possesses a random person, the executor. The executor then kills the sacrificial victim by stabbing him and severing the corny arteries. Lucas realizes the ritual is exactly what happened to him at the Doc's Diner. Kuriakin grows more suspicious of Lucas and recognizes Lucas face as a wanted fugitive. Regardless of Lucas's choices, Lucas will have to flee the museum and be attacked in the parking-lot.

Lucas passes out and awakens in an unknown location resembling a tropical jungle. There, he is confronted by the Oracle, who states he must kill Lucas because he knows too much. He also reveals that Lucas has "the Chroma", the source that created the universe, giving him supernatural powers. The Oracle then transforms into a panther and chases after Lucas. Before the Oracle can kill him, Lucas is saved by Agatha. Agatha warns Lucas that he must hurry and find the Indigo Child.

Lucas awakens in a hotel, seeing through the eyes of the Oracle and sees Markus. Lucas quickly realizes the Oracle is in the Cathedral and will kill Markus. Regardless if Lucas saves his brother, Carla and Tyler arrive at the hotel to arrest Lucas. Despite initially getting the room number wrong, Carla and Tyler see that Lucas has evaded them again, and they leave disappointed. Lucas leaves his hiding spot and receives a phone call. Lucas answers the phone and hears Tiffany pleading for his help. The Oracle then threatens Lucas, telling him if he wants to save Tiffany, he must go at the abandoned Fun Fair and confront him.

Lucas arrives at the Fun Fair and finds Tiffany bound to a post at the top of the rollercoaster. Lucas makes his way towards her, and successfully rescues Tiffany. However, the Oracle ambushes the two and kills them both when he forces the ride to collapse. Despite his death, Lucas is saved by an unknown force who resurrects him.

Now resurrected, Lucas meets with Carla at Tiffany's grave in an attempt to convince her of his innocence. Thanks to her meeting with Janos, Carla believes him and agrees to stop hunting him.

For the next month, Lucas hides out at Carla's apartment, until he receives a another vision of the Indigo Child and notices the logo on her outfit. With this in mind, Lucas goes to an orphanage and attempts to rescue the Indigo Child, an Orphan named Jade. Despite rescuing her, Lucas is confronted by the Oracle and the two engage in combat. With better understanding of his powers, Lucas is able to hold off the Oracle and escape with Jade. However, Lucas is then met with Agatha who reveals she's the one who resurrected him and attempts to convince Lucas to give her the Indigo Child. Regardless if he does or not, Agatha is revealed to have been a cyborg, who is part of a faction called "the Purple Clan" and tries to kill Lucas. Lucas manages to escape and meets up with Carla and an unknown man.

Lucas and Carla enter an underground subway and meet Bogart, a vagrant who had been present at many moments throughout the game. He reveals himself to be the leader of The Invisibles, a faction who are aware of the Orange Clan and the Purple Clan. He explains to Lucas that Jade must be joined with a large source of Chroma in order to give a message. Whoever hears her message will gain ultimate power and will be able to dominate the planet. Lucas agrees to take Jade to the Wishita Military base the following day.

Lucas then rests in an abandoned train, with Carla soon joining him. They discuss the fact that the world may end soon, due to the cold front and Carla tells Lucas that she wishes the two of them hadn't met under the circumstances that they did. They then admit they love each other and have passionate sex in the train (despite the fact that the temperature in the subway is -67 Fahrenheit). Shortly after, Lucas receives a vision that reveals that he was irradiated with the Chroma when he was in his mothers womb.

The next day, Lucas and Carla arrive at the military base with Jade. Lucas enters the base holding Jade and confronts the Oracle, who has been expecting their arrival. Lucas fights the Oracle and kills him by making the Oracle fall into the Chroma. The cyborg then arrives and fights Lucas for control of Jade. Lucas overpowers the cyborg and defeats him. Lucas then takes Jade to the Chroma source and she delivers her message. However, Jade dies in the process.

Months later, Lucas is sitting in a sunny field. He explains that the cold front went away and the purple clan has dissolved. He debates what to do with Jade's message, whether to use it for the good of humanity, or forget it entirely. He also reveals that Carla (now his wife) has become pregnant (since they had sex in Bogart's train). Due to the unborn child being irradiated by the Chroma during the final battle, Lucas believes it will be the next indigo child.

For the two other endings, see Epilogue.

Gameplay[]

The first of Quantic Dreams titles to introduce both multiple playable characters (while Omikron: The Nomad Soul broached this aspect, the 'character' was always the player possessing a citizen of Omikron) and "quick time events" (the player must match a series of images on the screen guiding actions with the controller).

The game also includes a mental health leveler of the characters, which varies according to the events of the plot and the actions of the player, establishing the game over when it reaches zero.

Reception[]

Fahrenheit received generally positive reviews. On review aggregator Metacritic, the game has a 85/100 score on PC,^[3] and 83/100 on PlayStation 2.^[4] Critics praised it's innovative approach to game story telling while citing the awkward and sometimes painful QTEs as a partial solution to the question of innovative 'realistic' player interaction.

It won multiple awards and sold over 1 million copies.^[5]

Character List[]

Lucas Kane – the main character of the game. As a child, he was at the Wishita military base, taken there by his scientist parents. Already in his mother's womb, he was irradiated by an artifact discovered by his parents. From birth, he had periodic visions, stayed away from the group and emotionally isolated himself from other people. Since the murder, the visions have returned with even greater power, and soon Lucas discovers his superhuman powers, which allow him to break the laws of physics. He used to live as a single man in an apartment building.
Carla Valenti was a New York Police officer. She formerly worked as a detective, investigating the Doc's Diner murder case, along with her former partner Tyler Miles as they hunted down the killer, Lucas Kane. Former NYPD officer. She used to live at home as a single woman.
Tyler Miles worked as a detective and New York City Police Officer, following the Doc's Diner murder case with his former partner Carla Valenti as they pursued Lucas Kane. He currently lives alone as a single person in his apartment.
Markus Kane - a priest, Lucas Kane' s older brother. He first learns about the murder from Lucas. She doesn't fully believe he's guilty, but she thinks Lucas has gone crazy. Still, he helps his brother.
Jade - First Indygo Child. †
Orange - a man of unknown personality who appears in Lucas' visions. All we know about him is that he is a Mayan oracle, has lived for about two thousand years and works for five powerful beings.
Robert Mitchell - Police Academy Instructor.
Bogart - A homeless man living in New York and the leader of the Invisibles. He appears wearing an open green jacket revealing additional layers of clothing and wears a black hat, he also has white hair and a beard, and one eye with one gray iris and a scar above the eye.
Jones - Captain of the New York Police Department.
Doug - A New York Police Officer.
Frank - A New York Police Officer.
Garrett - A New York City Police Officer working with Doug.
Jeffrey - New York City Police Officer.
Martin McCarthy - New York City Police Officer.
Coroner - New York medic
Dimitri Kuriakin - Professor of the Mesoamerican University and a recognized specialist in the Mayan civilization, revealed to Lucas Kane the origin and purpose of the Oracle. †
Takeo - bookstore owner.
Warren - Employee of the Bank of Nasser and Jones.
Samantha Malone - Tyler Miles's ex-girlfriend.
Tiffany Harper - Lucas Kane' ex-girlfriend. †
Kate Morrison - Waitress w working at Doc's Diner.
Jose Lopez - Laundromat Worker. †
Anita Martinez - a customer of the laundry, she did laundry regularly. †
Agatha is a psychic that Lucas Kane visits for help. †
Tommy - Accountant, was also a friend and neighbor of Carla Valenti.
Barney is a minor character who works at the Bellevue Asylum.
The St. Thomas Nun - who works at the St. Thomas Orphanage where the Indigo Child, Jade, resides. †
Alan Kirsten - He was murdered by Anton Janos two decades before the start of the story, and whose case would come to the attention of Detective Carla Valenti to find out more about the mysterious murders around New York City. †
The A.I is a being of artificial intelligence and a member of the Purple Clan.
Anton Janos is a minor character who had been involved in the Kirsten case as the killer and committed into Bellevue Asylum.