Murdered: Soul Suspect caught a lot of people off guard last year at E3 (but in a good way.) In a year where we were being bombarded by different types of supernatural being-style games, this one was a bit odd because of who the publisher was: Square Enix. It went over really well with the major gaming publications, including Best Buy’s @GAMER, which nominated it “Most Valuable Game.” Most of us think RPGs when we think Square, so while this is a bit of a takeoff from what they normally release, you can be assured the story and plot are going to be well thought out if they have their way.
Release Date: June 3rd, 2014
Consoles: PlayStation 4 / Xbox One / Xbox 360 / PlayStation 3
Rating: M for Mature
Murdered: Soul Suspect is the story of Ronan O’Connor, a murdered detective, whom in his supernatural state sets out to track down a Massachusetts serial killer and put him behind bars (or to rest) once and for all.
With a name like Murdered: Soul Suspect, it gives off the vibe that it could be an over-the-top TV cop drama starring someone like Brian Dennehy, but it’s anything but. This is a fairly dark and foreboding look into the idea of one man’s mission to leave no business unfinished, even after his untimely death. While not a horror game, it’s got some pretty dark tones, and definitely isn’t a game for the younger ones.
The main crux of the game is investigative detective work, drawing some inspiration from games like LA Noire or the Phoenix Wright series before it. You must investigate and piece together data for the purpose of leading police to their end goal. Remembering that you’re playing a protagonist character that’s dead, it’ll be a bit hard for you to physically arrest the suspect. As can be expected with most investigative games like this, it’s a series of puzzles integrated into plot points, and while there is just the one main plotline to follow, the game does it with a fairly unique twist on the norm.
In a day and age when you think every possible gaming concept has been done, Murdered: Soul Suspect does things a bit differently. While a lot of gamers were disillusioned by the promises that a game like Beyond: Two Souls didn’t deliver on, Murdered allows you to do things with a darker twist. For example, you can physically possess pretty well anything breathing in this game to gain access to things in the main quest. This could include police officers, townspeople, or really, anything with legs. If you need to get up to a rooftop or something high, and can’t get up there yourself, try possessing something nimble like a cat passing by. You can also just mess around and freak people out as you see fit (or again, use it to your advantage to scare people away.) Remember, you’re a ghost, so nobody can see you!
Side quests are just as intriguing. Almost in a Dead Like Me-esque fashion, you as O’Connor can help troubled souls make peace with themselves and cross over peacefully into the afterlife. These are scattered all over the city, and add a lot of extra gameplay for the completionist. As with traditional side quests, these have no bearing on your main game, so you’re free to pursue or ignore as you wish.
The thing that will set a game like Murdered: Soul Suspect apart from others is that while being a detective drama game, it’s completely different than anything you’ve played before. Games where you play as supernatural beings exist, and games where you play detective exist. But you’d be hard pressed to find any gaming experience like this one in recent memory, and it’s going to be interesting to see how this title holds up over time with fans of the horror or puzzle genre.
Murdered: Soul Suspect is available now for the following consoles
Purchase Murdered: Soul Suspect for Xbox One
Purchase Murdered: Soul Suspect for PlayStation 4
Purchase Murdered: Soul Suspect for Xbox 360
Purchase Murdered: Soul Suspect for PlayStation 3
