I have been anything but impressed with the latest slew of crappy games hitting the PlayStation 4 platform, and after the fiasco that is Watch Dogs, I was left with a bitter taste, and little faith in what’s to come. I always favoured the underdog, and in recent years they have proved to outmatch most triple A titles. The latest underdog to get my attention, was, Murdered: Soul suspect. Yes, the game is published by Square Enix, but the development studio behind it is Airtight Game, which reportedly shut it doors following the abismal sales figures of Murdered. So let see what is so wrong about this game.
Audio and Video
Murdered isn’t the prettiest of games, especially being a PlayStation 4 title. Albeit it still looks good, and has a familiar Asian gritty look to it. The textures aren’t bad, and the lighting is average at best. Character design is adequate in my opinion, and given the theme of the game, the over all aesthetics manage to complement the needed feel of the game. Voice over work is good, and the soundtrack is just fine. The surround quality isn’t half as bad as I expected, and I simply loved the sound effects of the demons.
Game-play
Here comes the most important factor that makes, or breaks a game; the game-play and mechanics. The premise is quiet straight forward, you die, and you have to find the killer responsible, who has also been terrorising the town of Salem. You have several puzzles to complete along your travels, which manage to test your whit, and investigative skills. The game has a very retro-ish feel to it, comparable to investigative titles from yesteryear. The controls unfortunately aren’t that intuitive, and the shoulder buttons feel like they have been inverted. Although it takes some getting used to, the mechanics are pretty good. Story wise, you don’t have a Stephen King novel, but it still does the job, and managed to keep me hooked right till the end, something most triple A titles didn’t even manage to do. I did have some problems engaging in actions, which tends to be annoying especially amidst a very intriquit take down.
Personal Experience
Overall, the game is fun to play, and enjoyable in its entirety. I can understand how some people deemed it, ‘Not enough’ for its premise, yet it still felt, and played way better than certain titles, praised by many. The games helped me rekindle with the investigative games from my youth, which don’t seem to have any relevance in today’s market. This is why I think critics in general didn’t like it, because they are used to the linearity of the bro-man action packed games, which I myself deem too retarded to entertain. In my opinion, this title is a perfect game for the summer, and if just like me you enjoy something different, with a classic touch; just go for it.
Overall Rating: 7/10