Murdered: Soul Suspect Reviews
A game where sadly the idea is a lot better than the execution, especially given the low budget visuals and mediocre script.
I wanted to love this game so very much, and the ideas behind it are innovative and interesting and far too good to deserve a mediocre showing such as this. But sadly that's exactly what Murdered: Soul Suspect is to be honest. Pretty mediocre.
We're meant to believe that solving the mystery of the Bell Killer would redeem Ronan and allow him the peace to move on, but nothing about the game gives the impression that he deserves it.
Murdered: Soul Suspect takes the clever premise of a ghost detective, and sabotages it with a protagonist as thin and dull as his ethereal specter.
Murdered: Soul Suspect is a game full of missed opportunities. The concept is great and some of the ideas are clever, but it doesn't use them in an interesting or satisfying way.
A game like this, where the mechanics fall extremely short, needed a strong story to carry players through, and that's not the case here. The game is by no means broken, save for one or two bugs, it just isn't very fun to play. Much like its protagonist, Murdered: Soul Suspect is lifeless.
A B-movie plot wrapped around an F-rated game.
I truly wanted to like this game. It combines several of my favorite tropes and ideas into one cohesive whole, and I respect what it was trying to attain. But combining an underdeveloped hide-and-seek operation with a ghost story that seems ripped straight from a casual game isn't the way to hold my attention. It's a half-baked concoction full of lofty ideas that don't quite mesh well together topped with a fedora. And I don't think that's a confection anyone really wants to devour. Save this one for a rental.
If you're looking for a great story, Murdered will keep you going but there's very little here to warrant a full-priced purchase.
If you're looking for a game that's different and enjoy paranormal lore, then I would recommend this to try out. I'm not disappointed on spending the money on launch day to play it. I certainly knew to expect something different and for that, Square Enix doesn't disappoint. A visually stunning game with wonderful writing.
Murdered: Soul Suspect didn't need to have the most original and compelling story out there to succeed. The greatest disappointment lies in how much it underutilized its potential to introduce brand new gameplay elements since it could have been Beyond: Two Souls meets L.A Noire.
While its concept is unique, its execution leaves an incredible amount to be desired. Unfortunately, the mystery of Ronan's murder is not nearly as thought-provoking as the mystery of when Murdered: Soul Suspect will be offered at a discount.
I really wanted to like Murdered: Soul Suspect more than I did. The graphics are awesome. The voice actors do a fantastic job. The environments are interesting, especially when you see the ghostly versions of old Salem overlapped over the modern day version. The story is genuinely interesting and kept me playing far after the fun had drained out of the game. But in all honesty, I cannot recommend it. With a couple tweaks, this could have been an awesome game, but as it stands Murderer: Soul Suspect is dead on arrival.
Murdered: Soul Suspect has some neat concepts, but it is not a success. A few elements of its supernatural murder mystery may hold your interest, but it ultimately feels hollow because it lacks any real challenge or entertainment in solving that mystery.
I really wanted to like Murdered: Soul Suspect, but -- like L.A. Noire -- it's a detective game that manages to gets its most essential quality absolutely wrong. The backdrop of Salem lends a lot to its central mystery, but at no point will Soul Suspect ever put your deductive skills to work. That's fine if you're indulging in an episode of CSI, but I like my thinky games to require more than just passive interest.
There are a few notable characters and story beats in Murdered: Soul Suspect, but they're completely overshadowed by unremarkable gameplay and shoddy production values.
There's nothing like a good murder mystery - and Murdered: Soul Suspect is nothing like a good murder mystery. It's a decent enough tale, punctuated by half-baked sleuthing, underused supernatural powers and forced stealth.
While a welcome break from the tired retreadings that define most games, Murdered: Soul Suspect finds itself in a precarious place where narrative value, above all else, is of chief importance. But while the deadlike denizens of Salem might sound right for this sort of game, the absence of compelling characters keeps what's otherwise an interesting idea from landing any staying power.
Murdered: Soul Suspect is a really great idea for a game. It could have been really high quality all around, but maybe certain things were overlooked while focusing on the story rather than getting feedback about gameplay during development. This title feels like a tween game (to use Dan's term). It's in between console generations, where it could have been a lot more but still had some good points. I feel like I could have bought this game in 2011 just the way it is, But now it's 2014, and I expected a lot more. So, if you are usually interested in the stories that games have to tell more than anything else, go ahead and try this game out (maybe once it goes on sale), but if you don't think you can overlook somewhat boring gameplay just for an intriguing mystery, you might want to move on to the next game and leave Murdered an enigma.
The story and acting holds up, even if it's monotonous to plod through, so when you inevitably find this in your local bargain bin it's still worth a play through.