[originally posted at
Backwards Compatible]
[Note: this is not a review of inFamous, it is a critical analysis in which I will explore the depth of the choices and themes presented in inFamous. This article contains many spoilers, you have been warned.]
Sucker Punch’s inFamous in the wake of Prototype has been criticized for its approach to the superhero genre. Many have complained that they prefer Prototype because it offers the player the chance to feel like an unstoppable force, something inFamous failed to do. My response is thus: how can you fail at something you never intended to do in the first place?
The intent of inFamous is not to make the player feel like an unstoppable killing machine, its intent is to show the player the true nature of the superhero. The game opens with the main character Cole running away after an explosion caused by a mysterious device he accidentally triggered explodes in the middle of a highly populated city, killing millions. Fearing a terrorist attack, the US government shuts off Empire City from the rest of the world in a “quarantine” that would have made JFK green with envy (that’s a Cuban Missile Crisis reference). Locked away from the world, the citizens become sick on a massive scale and violent gangs seize control of the city. Those who can help are doing everything they can, but it’s just not enough. The city is in a state of anarchy and is getting even worse by the minute. Meanwhile, Cole, despite being at the epicenter of the blast, awakes with that ability to control electricity. After a short recovery period, he comes back into a world gone to shit. It’s Cole verses the city. Word has gotten out that he was responsible for the blast and the death of thousands, including his girlfriend’s sister. Feeling responsible, Cole sets out to fix what he has done.
Then the game starts. Despite having the ability to send thousands of volts through anyone who looks at you funny, the gangs still control the city, and they are everywhere. Get overwhelmed and it’s over. You are still very vulnerable and the gangs, seeing you as the threat you are, want you dead. The citizens hate you for what you have done to them, leaving you alone with only your best friend Zeke still on your side.
Your powers in the game are governed by a collection of power cores. Stronger attacks require these cores, which can deplete quickly in combat. Once they are gone, you can recharge yourself at an electrical source, but this takes time, and that’s not ideal while you are getting shot at. To get more cores, you must collect blast shards. Collect enough, and you get an extra core. But getting these cores isn’t always so easy.
In one instance, you come across a citizen who has been collecting shards to keep them safe from the gangs. The gangs have caught on and are on their way to kill him. You must protect him while he sprints to the locker he keeps his stash in. After everyone is dead, he offers you a shard, but there are obviously much more than that in the locker. You are suddenly faced with a choice: take the shard and just be happy or kill the motherfucker and get closer to ultimate power. This makes the player re-evaluate their motivations: Is this guy really only gonna give me one fucking shard? Dickweed. I should just kill him and take them all. Wait, I’m sure he’s got his reasons. Although, if I kill him and take them, I could use that extra power to save hundreds or even thousands of people. I guess you have to crack a few eggs to make an omelet, right? Wait, am I really considering this? This guy probably has a family! This is insane!! But if I don’t get those shards, I may not be powerful enough to save his family. By killing him, I could be saving everything he loves. What the fuck do I do? This is an issue that you as the player often have to deal with. Do you do something evil with the intention to do something good, or do you take the noble road and accept your meager reward? There’s no fine line between good and evil, but there is a lot of gray.
The moral choices of superheroes isn’t the only theme in inFamous. The personal effects of your actions also plays a large role. In the good ending of the game, Cole is completely alone. He saved the city from the brink of destruction, but lost so much in the process. His girlfriend is dead, killed by the game’s villain. His best friend betrayed him, defecting to the villain’s side, fueled by his desire for power like Cole’s. His ally and accomplice in the destruction of the Ray Sphere, which caused the blast in the first place, was killed when the Sphere was destroyed. His CIA informant had been lying to him the entire time, manipulating Cole into doing what needed to be done to keep the government from bombing Empire. The citizens love him, but who knows how long that will last. By rising up and protecting the city, he has become a symbol as well as a target. Terrorists will likely target Empire City again, and when that happens, will the citizens still trust Cole to protect them? He saved the city, but for what? He has no one, he’s completely alone in the world. He’s a hero, but what’s the point. There’s nothing left anymore, nothing for him to live for, no one to live for. He has sacrificed everything to save a city full of hypocrites.
In the evil ending, he’s taken everything. The city lies in ruins. The citizens are his slaves. He controls everything and everyone. He’s completed what he accidentally started. He has ultimate power. But now what? What is there left? So I own a city, woopty fucking doo. I don’t need anyone or anything, I have power. Lots and lots of power.
We may fantasize about having superpowers, but inFamous presents the argument that despite having that much power, you are still human. That maybe we are fine the way we are. Adding superpowers to the mix complicates things.
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