The Fidelio Incident

Visions, guilt and reversals

Inspired by Beethoven's only opera, as also suggested by its title, The Fidelio Incident recounts a plane accident that ends up separating a young couple, Stanley and Leonore, in a vast snow-covered landscape littered with half-dead jellyfish and giant animal skeletons. During a desperate search for his beloved wife, Stanley's apparently lost memories gradually resurface, painting a not so rosy picture of his past...

From fragments of Leonore's diary that he discovers among the plane's burnt ruins and in a hostile environment where his greatest enemies are the cold and himself, Stanley and the players are informed of a crucial dilemma he has had to deal with, imposed upon him by a person who had the power to blackmail him. With explicit allusions to Ireland's recent history, The Fidelio Incident is not, however, a politically oriented game - rather philosophically inclined, it mainly explores the psychology and motives of someone caught in a tragic battle between two faiths; in other words, between his ideology and his heart.

Although the graphics and general feel of the game remind strongly of Dear Esther and Kholat, the plot is interestingly diversified, leading us to the final twist through a brilliantly assembled barrage of surreal/nightmarish sequences. Quite meaty for its brevity, with a beautiful soundtrack by classical pianist and composer Michael Krikorian, The Fidelio Incident offers about two hours of agonized existential quest that will satisfy most fans of the genre.