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
3 Comments
@RedBackloggd, Unfortunately, I didn't find it all that engaging. When it comes to a mystery/investigation game narratives, I think my enjoyment boils down to how well the story manages to be surprising, clever, and unpredictable. Although the game does a good job of not spoiling its major twist, there's not many side characters, so it's fairly obvious who the culprit is. There's a secondary element to the twist that I didn't see coming, though, so I'll give it credit for that.
Otherwise, the game feels almost devoid of other intrigue or subplots. I also find the "sassy teen" archetype to be annoying in any piece of media, so I suspect that may have kept me from becoming too invested in the story
Otherwise, the game feels almost devoid of other intrigue or subplots. I also find the "sassy teen" archetype to be annoying in any piece of media, so I suspect that may have kept me from becoming too invested in the story
Copy that makes sense. I'll see how it goes.
RedBackLoggd
1 month ago
Dude SPOILERS - how was I supposed to know a video game with a ghost on the cover and the title MURDERED meant the protagonist was dead 😡😡😡
Jk man, I actually own this game but haven't played it. You don't go too much into whether the story is good or (I'm guessing based on the score) bad, just saying that it's a standard investigation. Well, a lot of great detective fiction basically come down to that when you think about it haha. Was the mystery not engaging?
Also surprised you 100% the game considering you didn't seem to enjoy it?