Murder is Game Over is a short murder mystery that should take the average player maybe two hours to complete. The game is a linear/non-linear experience meaning that once you connect all the dots and find all the clues, it’s time to solve the mystery but the order that you talk to witnesses and suspects in is entirely up to you and you can look almost anywhere for clues. You start of as Detective Guy (original, right?) and are accompanied by his police dog Cleo. The two of you will talk to witnesses, hunt for clues, seek treasure, and wander about the mansion where the deceased met their untimely demise. Along the way you’ll have to interrogate suspects and talk to the various people around the mansion of a dead game designer and figure out who wanted him dead.
If you’re expecting a complex plot with hidden motives and deceit at every turn, it’s time to look elsewhere though. Murder Is Game Over is one of the simplest detective games around. Simply talk to suspects, find the clues using Cleo (you can’t see them but she can) and confront anyone who shows an inconsistency and you’ll arrive at the correct conclusions. If you’re paying attention, there will be no issue with solving the mystery and identifying the killer either. In fact, even if you make a mistake at that point, the game guides you to the ending.
As murder mysteries go, this is no Agatha Christie story. However, it’s a fun, light exploration game that gives the vibe of a murder mystery without the challenge and frustration and is great for wasting an hour or two while relaxing. The visuals are pure vintage 16 bit and quite good for such a low-budget game as well and there are some clever gaming nods and funny bits of script that might surprise you even if nothing really challenges you.
There are also a couple of tasks to accomplish – namely finding Cleo’s doggie treat bags and completing the treasure hunt. Both are fairly straightforward affairs and won’t task players overly. While you’re playing, you also might enjoy the excellent chiptunes that accompany the game. Each area has different music, a surprise for a budget game like this one and the tracks are surprisingly good and stand well on their own.
As light games go, Murder Is Game Over isn’t anything astonishing, but what you get is well-built and enjoyable for the single playthrough it’ll take you to do almost everything in. There’s not a lot of replay value but good music, a light but fun plot, and solid visuals make for an entertaining time and for $5, you really can’t go too far wrong with Murder is Game Over. It’s true it would have been nice to have the option to be challenged a bit more and that the game clearly holds your hand, but the game was clearly designed to be completed in a single sitting or two and makes for a fun time. After all, that’s what we’re here for, right?
This review is based on a digital copy of Murder Is Game Over provided by the publisher. It was played on a Nintendo Switch in both docked and undocked modes and played equally well in both. Murder is Game Over is also available on PS4/5, Xbox, and PC on Steam and GOG.
Nate Van Lindt has been a gamer since the days of yore (aka Commodore 64), and has played a bit of virtually everything out there. He's also an avid comic book collector, both vintage and current, and reads a fair amount of sci-fi and fantasy. On top of that, he watches a fair number of movies and TV shows as well. Oh, and he has a family, a full-time job, and lives somewhere in the urban wilds of Southwestern Ontario, Canada, foraging for old video cables and forgotten game soundtracks.