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| Climate: | Sub-Tropical | ||
| Country: | United States of America | ||
| Government: | Unknown | ||
| Based on: | New Orleans | ||
| Status: | Active (Good Karma) Destroyed (Evil Karma) | ||
| Appears in: | Infamous 2 Infamous Anarchy (non-canon appearance) | ||
Apart from the hangovers, this place was a goddamn haven.
― Cole MacGrath describing New Marais.
New Marais is a city in the state of Louisiana. It is also much more diverse and dangerous compared to Empire City.
History
Early History
New Marais played a major role in the War of 1812 and Fort St. Philippe was built during that time. Additionally, the Underground Railroad helped smuggle slaves out of the city. During the American Civil War, Fort St. Philippe served as naval defense stronghold and haven for Confederate soldiers. However, the city was captured by Union soldiers, who then destroyed Fort St. Philippe in 1864. After the Civil War ended in a Union victory, the fort was rebuilt by members of the Bertrand family. A sect of the First Sons also operated in New Marais, in which NSA agent Lucy Kuo infiltrated for an undercover assignment.
Four years before the game's events, Cole MacGrath came to New Marais to practice his parkour due the police's leniency compared to other cities, even Zeke having an attempt at it. During this time, a devastating flood hit New Marais, with Bellevue being the most affected. When the flood ended, the city attempted to recover from the damage, although many perished in the flood and increased crime hampered the city's efforts. While most of the city's districrs recovered from flooded streets, Bellevue never fully recovered and was renamed Flood Town by local citizens. Additionally, much of the city's districts suffered a power blackout.
Militia Rule
Soon, Joseph Bertrand III, an industrialist who became a Conduit with the ability to turn into a large raging monster, began transforming ordinary humans into mutated rabid creatures called Corrupted in his campaign to further turn the public against Conduits, allowing them to run rampant around the city and surrounding swamps to attack the citizens, forming a pseudo-gang of their own.
Soon after the New Marais Police Department was overwhelmed in fighting off the Corrupted, Bertrand created the Militia, a group of human purity enthusiasts who wished to eliminate all super-powered humans. They gained control of the city and were able to overthrow the New Marais Police Department, acting as the city's de-facto police force. However, they were nothing more than thugs who tormented normal citizens and ruled the city through pro-Militia and anti-Conduit propaganda. However, a group of civilians grew disenchanted with the Militia's oppressive rule and formed the Rebels, enagged in a turf war against the Militia. However, their favor in their war with the Militia began to fall due also clashing with the Corrupted.
Later on, Cole MacGrath arrived in New Marais with his best friend Zeke Dunbar and NSA agent Lucy Kuo to meet up with Sebastian Wolfe and gain new powers. byt faced resistance from the Militia and the Corrupted, although he was able to fight them off and team up with the Rebels. He also helped restore power to the city's districts and aided in local affairs and requests from civilians and remnants of the NMPD. Cole also encountered Vermaak 88, a South African private military firm who were given cryokinesis by Bertrand's Transfer Device, who Bertrand planned to use to sell to various governments and black market dealers to start conflicts between Humans and Conduits. However, Bertrand and the Militia's deception was eventually exposed, allowing the NMPD to restore order in New Marais.
As time passed, Cole liberated New Marais from most of the Militia, Vermaak 88, and Corrupted, while absorbing Blast Cores to charge the Ray Field Inhibitor, a device capable of curing the Ray Field Plague and defeated a powerful Conduit known as The Beast. After Cole faces a showdown against the Beast and uses the RFI to cure the plague at the cost of sacrificing himself and most Conduits, the people of New Marais gave him a funeral and dubbed Cole their "patron saint".
Alternate Timeline
Cole and Kuo sided with John to create new Conduits to cure them of the plague. As Cole and John rampaged through the city, the Militia and Laroche's Rebels put their differences aside to combat the threat. However, their efforts were in vain as they were all wiped out. Additionally, they faced resistance from Nix and Zeke, although Cole kills them both and destroys the RFI. Afterwards, John, tired from overusing his powers and the burden that came with them, passed them down to Cole before dying in a huge blast that destroyed New Marais and killed everyone without the Conduit gene. However, those with Conduit genes had their powers activated and were cured of the plague. After this, Cole and Kuo set out to create a world for the Conduits, wiping out everyone without the Conduit gene in the process.
Areas
On the official website several areas and landmarks in-game were revealed.
Ascension Parish
"The oldest section of New Marais, Ascension Parish is also one of the most dangerous. Once the jewel of the city, Ascension is now overrun with drugs, gangs and crime."
The Plantations
"While many of New Marais’ plantations thrive as modern tourist attractions, it is the ones left abandoned that keep the most secrets"
It is implied by Zeke that the Plantations are being used as the main base of the Militia.
St. Ignatius
"An unstable foundation means this historic church is always in need of repair. The city's most crucial main utility lines run through the property, complicating construction efforts for decades."
Ville Cochon
"With its sidewalk cafes and renovated condos, this is where New Marais' middle and upper-classes live and play. Ville Cochon is also famous for its red light district. As one of the major ports in North America, it's enjoyed an insatiable demand for adult entertainment as sailors, traders, migrants, and others constantly flowed through the city."
St. Charles Cemetery
"The city's oldest and largest cemetery, St. Charles was expanded after the Civil War and the cholera outbreak of the mid 1800s. Today, there are many stories buried beneath its grounds."
In the game, several Swamp Monsters can be found there along with several Militia and a chopper.
The Swamps
The area where the Corrupted first emerged. A small community built on swampland, now home to an outpost built by the Militia to make sure anymore monsters come out of the swamp. Also the home of Nix before the Militia took over and killed everyone, possibly hunting for her.
The Bayou
The Bayou is the lower-class district of New Marais, where the more poorer citizens lived. The swamp is located on the northwestern corner of New Marais, near Flood Town. There are quite a few civilians living in the area. Many explosives can be found in the area, which would serve a benefit for fighting the Militia. There is a trophy the player can earn for returning to this area, named "Back to the Bayou." There is also a Dead Drop located in the slums where the inhabitants lived.
One of the houses found within the area of the bayou
Concept art of a shack
The Bayou was the first area Cole MacGrath had to navigate through during his entry into New Marais. The Militia used to have a blockade in the area until Cole pushed them out of there, though it improved very little of the citizen's way of living. It is located out in the shores of the swamps in New Marais, and despite being sparsely populated, it's a place where the prostitutes and drug users of New Marais live.
As Cole made his way through the swamp, he spotted a large generator that would activate the bridge leading into the swamp. Cole was presented with a karmic moment, in which he could charge it until the bridge lowers, or continue to charge it, causing an explosion that would kill all of the Militia and the civilians. As he continued through the swamp, he fought more Militia and took out all of their equipment by blowing up the gas tanks.
A specific part of the area has special significance to the story, as it was the home of Nix and her family before Joseph Bertrand detonated the Ray Sphere. The explosion killed all of Bertrand's prisoners, which were composed of low-class citizens that lived in the city (people Bertrand thought would go unmissed), and granted Nix and Bertrand their respective powers. Nix later led Cole to the site of The Blast and explained the whole story to him.[1]
This area is where the player views the first broadcast of Bertrand's propaganda.
Maps Of New Marais
Behind the scenes
In an IGN article the developers responded to some questions. One of the questions was about Cole's effect on the city. "IGN AU: How persistent is that destruction?
Joe Ishikura: We actually have two answers for that, because a lot of stuff in the main storyline; we wanted to make sure that the choices really mattered, so we actually have persistent changes in the environment, but for the most part, for things like verandas, or that warehouse that you can knock down, we actually had an internal debate for a little while – do we [make this persistent]? I guess it's more real, but at the end of the day the thing that we kept coming back to is – which one's more fun? And I think it's actually just way more fun if, after you leave for a little bit and you come back, you get to knock down that warehouse again and again and again. It's so much fun to do!
Ken Schramm: To summarize that whole viewpoint on persistent versus not, here's how it breaks down. If it's a choice of yours and a Karmic choice - for example, [in one of the trailers] you've seen the trolley running into that building, when Nix tells you to do that – that building will be permanently scarred throughout the game. However, if it wasn't a Karmic choice - you've seen the Behemoth coming down the street and it's breaking all that stuff; that's not your choice, and that will eventually be rebuilt. That's the differentiation. "
This is not actually particularly accurate, since some storyline destruction unrelated to Karmic choices, like The Beast destroying the dockyard cranes in Flood Town, is never repaired.
Trivia
- In the Graphic Comic Cutscene trailer, Cole mentions a flood in New Marais, which is a reference to the devastating flood of Hurricane Katrina, seeing as how New Marais is based on New Orleans.
- On an interesting note, "Marais" is French for "Marsh" or "Swamp," thus New Marais means "New Swamp," further relating the City to New Orleans.
- New Marais serves as the main setting of Infamous 2 and is based off of New Orleans.
- In an interview about the game, the developers described New Marais as the "Most likely city in the world to get stabbed."
- Unlike Empire City, nobody uses the bridges in New Marais as they are full of junk.
- In Festival of Blood, the entire City is decorated for Pyre Night. Also, some locations such as Zeke's First Hideout in New Marais is completely cleared off; the Rebel Outpost's guard towers are gone and the location Cole rescued Kuo from after becoming a Conduit is cleared of the Vermaak 88 pods.[2]
- Also, in Festival Of Blood, the water is higher than in the regular game.
- On USTV, it is stated that the flood happened in 2004, but Cole says he went to New Marais four years ago, but it is currently 2011 in-game.
- Many people call St. Ignatius "The Cathedral."
- It appears that New Marais is a victim to extreme weather, as seen in the mission "Death Toll," when the city is struck by a powerful thunderstorm.