Murdered: Soul Suspect is a third person adventure mystery game for the PS4 but was also released for last generation hardware. Therefore, the graphics aren't on par with other games for the system and looks downright bad at times. The camera movement is clunky and you may need to tweak some of the settings to make it more palatable. The story starts off with Ronan, a criminal turned policeman who is investigating the serial killer labeled The Bell Killer. In the opening cutscene, he falls off the fourth story of an apartment block. The hooded assailant then comes down and finishes killing him with multiple shots. However, Ronan finds himself becoming a ghost and stuck int his world as he has unfinished business. He then sets about following the trail of his killer and uncover what happened.
The gameplay is pretty simple. The bulk of it is in the form of investigation sections. Ronan will scour the area to find clues, possesses other characters to read their minds, see what they're seeing, eavesdrop and even influence their thoughts so that they can recall specific events. To close off an investigation or advance it, you need to piece together what happened based on the clues you have found. Sometimes the order is important, most of the time it is not. Investigations may sound interesting but it ends up just involving the player walking Ronan around everywhere to trigger the prompts for clues. There is no real penalty for picking the wrong choices.
Combat involves demons roaming around. If they notice you then you need to run away and hide until they give up searching. You can then creep up from behind and execute them using a quicktime event. This is definitely the weakest gameplay aspect and it would have been far better if they were left out. The combat sections end up being mostly stealth sections. This is because the demons prowl around in a predetermined path and there are a few ways to get behind them to execute them. The game features a few other types of gameplay such as escort missions but there are never any frustrating sections. The game overall is very easy.
Being a ghost, Ronan can pass through objects and this is novel at first. Naturally, there are limitations to this ability as he cannot pass through certain "ghost" objects which act as walls to prevent you from going out of bounds. With no need to walk around objects, this is fun and refreshing. It is interesting in how the ghost world with its unique structures (from the past) merges with the living world. Despite taking place at night, there are still plenty of people roaming around unknowingly going on about their business without a clue of the ghosts that are currently stalking them.
The game takes place in the town of Salem and touches upon the witch trials in its story. The player is given the freedom to roam around the town and revisit places. This is because there are over 200 collectibles which is quite overkill. These collectibles reveal a large amount of backstory for various side characters as well as side stories. While the town is somewhat small it can still be confusing to navigate. There are sidequests which are more investigation sections. These are a lot simpler when compared to the story ones.
The game has a well done creepy-ish atmosphere with slightly chilling music. The whole game takes place over the course of one night. The buildings in the town of Salem are older styled wooden structures which add to the mystique. The story feels personal since Ronan is investigating his own death. Coupled with strong bonds between him and his wife, it helps the player empathize. With all this, the game only comes in around 5 to 8 hours on your first run. This short length also depends if you go for the collectibles. However, while this may be a negative particularly since there isn't much replayability, it also allows the plot to keep up its pacing and suspense all the way until the very end. The revelation of the identity of the Bell Killer was fitting even though their ultimate fate was a slight cop out.
Overall, Murdered: Soul Suspect is an average game. That being said, it doesn't mean it wasn't enjoyable as the story holds your attention and the investigation elements are well done like an adventure game. The weakest aspect is the combat but even then, it's more like it's bland and overly simple rather than outright being bad.
-------------------------------------------------
For other game reviews, have a look at this page.