Murdered: Soul Suspect is a supernatural detective thriller which challenges players to solve possibly the hardest case of all… their own murder. Set in Salem Massachusetts, players have the freedom to explore the New England-style wooden houses, narrow streets, Gothic churches and historical landmarks for clues. They will need to battle demonic spirits to preserve their souls whilst uncovering the shocking revelations about who is responsible for their death.
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Murdered: Soul Suspect had a cool idea – you play as a detective ghost trying to solve your own murder! The detective stuff is interesting, and uncovering the mystery can be engaging. But the gameplay itself can be clunky, and the ghost powers aren't as fleshed out as they could be. The story has its twists, but overall it feels a bit unfinished. If you like detective games and don't mind some jank, it might be worth checking out on sale.
Great concept. It's been quite a while, but I still remember that everything was terribly slow. I was intrigued though, and got most of the achievements. Would like more modern versions of this.
To be honest, this game, even if it was short and simplistic, it was decent and it fulfilled its purpose. You play as the ghost of a dead detective and you go on an adventure to find the culprit, the one who killed you.
For the gameplay itself, there's not that much to it, its more of an walking simulator but it doesn't need to be more.
A game where you play as a ghost and you interact with other ghosts isn't something you see everyday, and i feel like this was the main attraction.
That being said, Murdered: Soul Suspect is a quite unique game that captured the mortuary atmosphere well and even if the story is nothing amazing, for a 6-8 hours game i think it's worth checking.
For the gameplay itself, there's not that much to it, its more of an walking simulator but it doesn't need to be more.
A game where you play as a ghost and you interact with other ghosts isn't something you see everyday, and i feel like this was the main attraction.
That being said, Murdered: Soul Suspect is a quite unique game that captured the mortuary atmosphere well and even if the story is nothing amazing, for a 6-8 hours game i think it's worth checking.
Sights & Sounds
- Given that this game originally released on PS3, that's a good starting point if you're trying to imagine the graphical quality. By that benchmark, the PC version I played looked perhaps a little better than that, but it's been over a decade since I even looked at a PS3, so maybe I'm a little off. In any case, sure, it's a little dated, but it looks fine enough
- Beyond the quality of the textures and lighting, the character animations look a little stiff. I also noticed that cutscene framerate appeared to be locked to 30 FPS, so they looked a little choppy
- The soundtrack is passable and notably cinematic. Sounds like a bunch of action horror movie compositions. That is to say, be prepared for a lot of anxious-sounding strings and thundering percussion
Story & Vibes
- Surprise, you're dead. Yup. Five minutes into the game and our protagonist has already kicked the bucket. The good news is that the afterlife is real. The bad news is that you have to figure out who killed you and why before you move on
- It's a fun twist on the usual detective/investigation premise, I must admit. Unfortunately, in practice, Murdered: Soul Suspect often feels like just another investigation game. Just make all the bad guys demons instead of thugs, and you're 80% of the way there
- There is a fun little narrative undercurrent that paints parallels to the Salem Witch Trials owing to the fact that the game takes place in Salem, Massachusetts. It's a little bit of a stretch, but I never mind having a little bit of real-world history in my games. I'm just glad that they were able to weave that history into the overarching narrative in the latter third of the game, or otherwise it would have felt a little forced
- That said, there was no mention of Giles Corey despite the references to the "pressing" method of execution. Seriously, if you're unfamiliar with the story of that man, look him up
- Vibe-wise, despite being full of ghosts and demons, Murdered: Soul Suspect isn't very scary (or even all that creepy). The only time I was ever slightly disturbed was when I interviewed a well-hidden ghost woman hanging out a balcony to hear about why she died. Her story was a bit more unsettling than the other ghosts I interviewed, to say the least
Playability & Replayability
- This title plays as a (mostly) open world affair with heavy emphases on investigation, exploration, and collectibles
- The main gameplay loop involves going to a waypointed mission locale, poking around for collectibles and evidence, and trying to navigate to an investigation location. Once you enter one of these investigation sites, you'll get a little notification (and often a cutscene) to let you know that you need to poke around in that area a little harder
- Once you've gathered all the clues--or at least the ones necessary for progress--you can conclude your investigation and make some conjecture that should direct you to the next plot point. Don't worry, the answers are usually pretty clear, and you get 3 strikes before failing
- "Combat", if you can indeed call it that, is just about as barebones of a stealth experience as I can envision. You just sneak up behind demons and do a quicktime event. That's it
- Beyond your uninspiring demon-slaying, you can also walk through walls and possess cats. That's about it for abilities, unless you count being able to hide in "shadows" during stealth segments as an additional ability (I don't)
- I managed to 100% the game, so I don't think I'll be back for a replay
Overall Impressions & Performance
- Murdered: Soul Suspect is not a bad game. Not a good one either. It's got a nice premise going for it, but the rest of the game is surprisingly bland. None of the characters are all that likeable or relatable, the gameplay isn't very fun, and the story doesn't live up to its billing. It does just enough to keep you from getting bored while also doing nothing to surprise or impress you
- It ran flawlessly on the Steam Deck, at least, which was nice
Final Verdict
- 5/10. When it comes down to these coinflip ratings, I usually go with a gut feeling regarding whether or not I should recommend it. If you can pick it up deeply discounted (not hard) and are a detective game diehard, give it a try. If not, you're not missing out on very much
- Given that this game originally released on PS3, that's a good starting point if you're trying to imagine the graphical quality. By that benchmark, the PC version I played looked perhaps a little better than that, but it's been over a decade since I even looked at a PS3, so maybe I'm a little off. In any case, sure, it's a little dated, but it looks fine enough
- Beyond the quality of the textures and lighting, the character animations look a little stiff. I also noticed that cutscene framerate appeared to be locked to 30 FPS, so they looked a little choppy
- The soundtrack is passable and notably cinematic. Sounds like a bunch of action horror movie compositions. That is to say, be prepared for a lot of anxious-sounding strings and thundering percussion
Story & Vibes
- Surprise, you're dead. Yup. Five minutes into the game and our protagonist has already kicked the bucket. The good news is that the afterlife is real. The bad news is that you have to figure out who killed you and why before you move on
- It's a fun twist on the usual detective/investigation premise, I must admit. Unfortunately, in practice, Murdered: Soul Suspect often feels like just another investigation game. Just make all the bad guys demons instead of thugs, and you're 80% of the way there
- There is a fun little narrative undercurrent that paints parallels to the Salem Witch Trials owing to the fact that the game takes place in Salem, Massachusetts. It's a little bit of a stretch, but I never mind having a little bit of real-world history in my games. I'm just glad that they were able to weave that history into the overarching narrative in the latter third of the game, or otherwise it would have felt a little forced
- That said, there was no mention of Giles Corey despite the references to the "pressing" method of execution. Seriously, if you're unfamiliar with the story of that man, look him up
- Vibe-wise, despite being full of ghosts and demons, Murdered: Soul Suspect isn't very scary (or even all that creepy). The only time I was ever slightly disturbed was when I interviewed a well-hidden ghost woman hanging out a balcony to hear about why she died. Her story was a bit more unsettling than the other ghosts I interviewed, to say the least
Playability & Replayability
- This title plays as a (mostly) open world affair with heavy emphases on investigation, exploration, and collectibles
- The main gameplay loop involves going to a waypointed mission locale, poking around for collectibles and evidence, and trying to navigate to an investigation location. Once you enter one of these investigation sites, you'll get a little notification (and often a cutscene) to let you know that you need to poke around in that area a little harder
- Once you've gathered all the clues--or at least the ones necessary for progress--you can conclude your investigation and make some conjecture that should direct you to the next plot point. Don't worry, the answers are usually pretty clear, and you get 3 strikes before failing
- "Combat", if you can indeed call it that, is just about as barebones of a stealth experience as I can envision. You just sneak up behind demons and do a quicktime event. That's it
- Beyond your uninspiring demon-slaying, you can also walk through walls and possess cats. That's about it for abilities, unless you count being able to hide in "shadows" during stealth segments as an additional ability (I don't)
- I managed to 100% the game, so I don't think I'll be back for a replay
Overall Impressions & Performance
- Murdered: Soul Suspect is not a bad game. Not a good one either. It's got a nice premise going for it, but the rest of the game is surprisingly bland. None of the characters are all that likeable or relatable, the gameplay isn't very fun, and the story doesn't live up to its billing. It does just enough to keep you from getting bored while also doing nothing to surprise or impress you
- It ran flawlessly on the Steam Deck, at least, which was nice
Final Verdict
- 5/10. When it comes down to these coinflip ratings, I usually go with a gut feeling regarding whether or not I should recommend it. If you can pick it up deeply discounted (not hard) and are a detective game diehard, give it a try. If not, you're not missing out on very much
O jogo é incrivelmente divertido, porém muito previsível. O destaque é a gameplay, permitindo que os jogadores assumam o papel de um fantasma, atravessando paredes, possuindo e influenciando pessoas e animais, e desvendando mistérios sobre sua própria morte e a de outros espíritos. No entanto, a história deixa a desejar, especialmente pela ingenuidade do detetive e pela evidente identidade do assassino, revelada nas primeiras horas do jogo, o que pode ser bastante frustrante para os jogadores mais atentos.
Fun but not memorable