4) Murdered: Soul Suspect
Released just a month before its developer shut its doors for good, Murdered: Soul Suspect ended up being a curious swan song for a group that had yet to make a name for itself.
Putting players in control of a detective’s ghost, following his unexpected demise at the hand of a strange killer, Murdered exists as a bit of a niche title. As such, it’s no surprise that it debuted to middling reviews. However, given that its development was difficult, and that it resulted from Square Enix’s plan to develop something that catered to Western gamers, the simple fact that it at least turned out to be pretty good is a victory in itself. In fact, given the title’s development woes, its developer’s problems and its abnormal structure, we admittedly expected very little from it, and were surprised by the quality of what we received. Sure, it wasn’t a masterful offering or a wholly memorable experience, but we can live with that.
That said, if you’re not a fan of slow-paced games, this one will never appeal to you, no matter how hard you force things. It’s methodical and precise, and requires you to use your head, as you attempt to solve puzzles and find clues that lead towards the unknown killer’s identity. That means a lot of walking, talking and inspecting.
One of the best things about the game, though, was its use of the paranormal. Not only was the main character a ghost himself, but the plot was far from natural or ‘normal.’ That made what could’ve been a bland experience a much more interesting one, and kept us invested until the credits rolled.