Murdered: Soul Suspect (Video Game Review)

Murdered: Soul Suspect is a new supernatural detective game from developer Airtight Games and publisher Square Enix. The game stars Ronan O'Connor as a former police officer that awakens in the afterlife needing to solve his own murder. The game features a really interesting storyline and some unique concepts, but the main campaign of the game is short lived and only some additional cases and collectibles offer any reason for players to go back and revisit the game after receiving the entire storyline. Murdered: Soul Suspect is still a good game, but some gamers will want to rent the new title or wait until it drops in price instead of purchasing the game new.

The storyline of Murdered: Soul Suspect is the game's most appealing quality. The game begins with protagonist Ronan falling out of a window to his death. He quickly realizes he's having an outer body experience and attempts to return to the world of living before he is gunned down in the middle of the street. The former detective must now solve his own murder in order to send his soul to the afterlife and escape the limbo prison known as Dusk. Ronan is later introduced to several ghostly spirits that will help him along the way, and the plot will take a few twists and turns along the way before the case can be solved.

There really has never been a game released that is like Murdered: Soul Suspect. The game is probably most comparable to L.A. Noire if only for the detective investigation gameplay. Ronan is a ghost though, so rather than interrogating witnesses and questioning fellow officers, Ronan must possess NPCs and read their mind or otherwise influence clues needed to solve a case. Solving cases is very interesting and unique from any other game in Murdered: Soul Suspect.

Ronan has other powers in the game that come from his ghost abilities. The character can see visions of events that happened previously at a crime scene when certain conditions are met. Ronan can also perform poltergeists on televisions and other electronics as a ghost. This can cause a distraction that allows Ronan to access new items or areas in the area. Ronan also has the limitations of a ghost in the game as well. Namely, Ronan cannot enter any closed doors on the outside of a building or pass through certain protected items, walls and other areas.

Combat is Murdered: Soul Suspect weakest area. Ronan will encounter demons throughout the game that must be avoided to keep his soul from being sucked in and absorbed for eternity. The demons come in different types including traps on the ground that must be carefully maneuvered around and full fledged demons that will need to be snuck up behind to rip apart in a quick-time event. If spotted, Ronan must quickly jump from one ghost body to the next to escape the demon's clutch. It's rare to die in Murdered: Soul Suspect, and it's almost to the point where you shouldn't expect to die except for a couple of tricky parts in the whole entire game.

Murdered: Soul Suspect only lasts a few hours from start to end. Once the game has been completed, there are some hidden collectibles, clues and side cases that can be accessed by playing through the game again, but it doesn't add anything that wasn't there the first time through, and the hidden items are hardly exciting enough to be appealing for anyone but Trophy and Achievement hunters. Murdered: Soul Suspect's lack of content is one of the biggest turn offs in the entire game, and even players that greatly enjoy going through the campaign for the first time may find it difficult to fill justified in paying full price for the game at launch.



Murdered: Soul Suspect is up and down in the presentation department. Character models and environments look fine; gamers will easily be able to tell the game is for next generation consoles, but it's not without some frame rate drops, stutters and other glitches. The game's camera is pretty troublesome for players as well, especially when looking for clues and other items inside a building. The game's sound design is top notch though with most characters featuring great voice actors and a soundtrack that helps gamers immerse themselves in the supernatural excitement the game has to offer.

Murdered: Soul Suspect is a good game that offers a completely unique gameplay experience, but it doesn't appear to be a game that will completely revolutionize the industry. The game offers exciting puzzles built around detective cases, and there are enough hidden items and other collectibles throughout the game to satisfy the needs of some fans. The game is a short one though, so players looking to get the most content out of their game purchases might want to look for other games for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One before picking up a copy of Murdered: Soul Suspect. Murdered: Soul Suspect is out now on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC.

Murdered: Soul Suspect is now available for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC and can be purchased for $59.99. Murdered: Soul Suspect is rated M by the ESRB for Blood, Intense Violence, Strong Language & Use of Alcohol. For more information on the game, check out the official Murdered: Soul Suspects website.

Game Features:

• Single Player
• Supernatural Investigative Gameplay
• Steam Trading Card Support
• DLC Support
• Trophy/Achievement Support

Game Information:
Developer: Airtight Games
Publisher: Square Enix
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One (reviewed), Xbox 360 & PC
Release Date: June 3, 2014

Score: 8 out of 10