Murder

About

Murder is a single player action adventure game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by Peter Moorhead and was released on October 21, 2015. It received neutral reviews from players.

From the designer and artists behind "Stranded" comes a short story about the intersection of morality and sentience, in a cyberpunk future where both have become commodities.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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49%

Audience ScoreBased on 316 reviews

story55 positive mentions

gameplay10 negative mentions

Stunning pixel art with rich animations that create a strong cyberpunk atmosphere.
Excellent soundtrack and sound design that complement the visuals and narrative tone.
Thought-provoking themes exploring morality, sentience, and justice in a cyberpunk future.

Extremely short gameplay experience, typically lasting 15 to 30 minutes with very limited replay value.
Minimal interactivity and gameplay mechanics; more akin to an interactive visual novel with no puzzles or choices.
Story is incomplete and feels more like a prologue or demo, leaving many questions unanswered and lacking depth.

story
325 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
76%
7%
The game's story is a very brief, linear interactive short story set in a cyberpunk world, focusing more on atmosphere, visuals, and philosophical ideas than traditional plot development or gameplay. While some praise the art, music, and mood, most find the narrative incomplete, cliché, and lacking depth or resolution, feeling more like a teaser or prologue than a full story. Its extreme brevity and minimal interactivity leave many players unsatisfied and craving a more substantial and engaging narrative experience.
- “Developed by Peter Moorhead and published by CDP, the game is best understood not as a traditional point-and-click adventure filled with puzzles and branching paths, but as an interactive short story that leans heavily on atmosphere, visual storytelling, and philosophical inquiry.”
- “Rather than providing clear answers, the story invites reflection, often leaving players to sit with discomfort and ambiguity.”
- “For players who enjoy cyberpunk fiction, introspective storytelling, and experimental narrative design, murder offers a memorable glimpse into a bleak, thoughtful future—one that lingers not because of what you do, but because of what it asks you to consider.”
- “The story is capped with a strange intruder into the scene, a figure spouting clear metatext about the nature of its own storytelling and the hanging confusion in the player’s mind.”
- “The "story" goes nowhere. Murder is billed as "a short story exploring morality and sentience in a cyberpunk universe" but that tagline is about the depth of the exploration on offer here; the whole title is really more of an invitation: "have you ever considered thinking about morality and sentience in a cyberpunk universe?" If you ever have, then move along: Murder itself offers nothing novel for you to consider.”
- “Murder fails to engage as a game, and though it clearly wants to be seen as a short story told using pixel graphics and interactive elements, it fails on this front also. As a story, it fails to establish anything like setting or characters, has only a few bits of dialogue and no real core or content; not so much mystery as it is missing.”
music
114 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
54%
43%
3%
The music in this game is widely praised for its atmospheric, cyberpunk-inspired blend of ambient, synth, and experimental elements that complement the pixel art and enhance immersion. Composed by Kubrixxx, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature, evoking strong moods and fitting the game's aesthetic perfectly, though its short length and occasional odd choices like a rap track receive minor criticism. Overall, the soundtrack elevates the experience, often regarded as the game's main highlight despite the limited gameplay and narrative depth.
- “The soundtrack blends ambient textures with more experimental musical elements, reinforcing the sense of unease and introspection that runs through the story.”
- “The pixel art graphics are delicious, the sound, music and voice acting are superb and create a really good atmosphere and a lot of immersion in this world.”
- “The soundtrack by kubrixxx is a real treat, with a nice mix of synth and bass to add texture to the sordid backdrops and ignoble actions which lay ahead.”
- “Music is decent, but it's wasted on a product like this.”
- “- a very odd rap song plays in the main menu that just felt so random.”
- “The sound effect of the robot in the corridor was awful, and the soundscape/music made some awful glitching noises.”
graphics
97 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
44%
3%
The game’s graphics receive widespread praise for their stylish, well-executed pixel art and strong cyberpunk atmosphere, creating an immersive and aesthetically pleasing experience. Many reviewers highlight the art style as the standout element, often describing it as gorgeous or top-notch despite the game's short length and limited interactivity. However, some note that the retro pixel approach may not appeal to everyone and that the visuals sometimes feel underutilized given the minimal gameplay and narrative depth.
- “The pixel art graphics are delicious, the sound, music and voice acting are superb and create a really good atmosphere and a lot of immersion in this world.”
- “What excels in this game is the gorgeous pixel art graphics, nice soundtrack and well used sound effects that create the right cyberpunk atmosphere.”
- “Everything from the nostalgic 90s point and click style graphics to the soundtrack really paints a scene not too dissimilar to Blade Runner and other neo-noir classics.”
- “They did supply their own assets from what I can tell, but they couldn't do that to any professional level and just used lazy pixel-crap "art" instead of real graphics when filling out the template.”
- “A choice was made to use obsolete, decades old retro pixel "art" as a substitute for contemporary PC graphics.”
- “It doesn't render the pixel graphics to nearest neighbor, so in full screen it looks pretty blurred out.”
gameplay
63 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
74%
16%
The gameplay is minimal to nonexistent, primarily serving as a simple point-and-click mechanic designed to advance a brief, linear narrative rather than provide engaging interactive experiences. Many reviewers note its very short playtime (around 10-30 minutes), slow pacing, and lack of depth or meaningful player choice, leading some to view it more as a visual novel or interactive short story than a traditional game. While the aesthetic and atmosphere are often praised, the gameplay itself is widely seen as underdeveloped and disappointing.
- “Its ambitions are firmly rooted in narrative expression rather than mechanical complexity, and that focus defines both its strengths and its limitations.”
- “It demonstrates how interactive media can be used to explore abstract concepts in a compact and evocative way, even if it sacrifices mechanical depth in the process.”
- “Despite feeling like I should have been able to point-click and walk to a spot in an area like a classical point and click adventure, the point-of-interest mechanic driving the game really does a good job of guiding the player through the narrative the author wishes to tell, but also provides sufficient non-critical interest points that add a nice touch to the overall experience of the game.”
- “Gameplay mechanics are minimal and largely serve to move the narrative forward.”
- “The gameplay is uninspired, apparently needing a 3 minute tutorial on how to play a point-and-click game (hint: you point and click on things).”
- “With a weak story and minimal gameplay, this is not worth the time nor money.”
atmosphere
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
52%
41%
7%
The game excels in creating a rich, moody cyberpunk atmosphere through detailed pixel art, immersive soundtracks, and strong visual storytelling, evoking a melancholic, futuristic vibe reminiscent of Blade Runner. While praised for its aesthetic and philosophical tone, the experience is brief and minimalistic, focusing more on mood and ambiance than traditional gameplay or narrative depth. Overall, its atmosphere is highly regarded and makes it a compelling, if short, exploratory narrative vignette.
- “Neon signage, interior spaces, and character portraits work together to create a moody, melancholic atmosphere that supports the narrative tone.”
- “Imagine a cyberpunk Tokyo, oozing atmosphere, coupled with a soundtrack that's a journey in itself, blending noisehop, neo-classical, and ambient tunes.”
- “The pixel art graphics are delicious, the sound, music and voice acting are superb and create a really good atmosphere and a lot of immersion in this world.”
- “Peter Moorhead, the 'indie' developer, likely wanted to create a certain pace and maintain an atmosphere, but instead created a snail-speed, non-game with no story.”
- “It liked the style and atmosphere, but that doesn't compensate for the lack of story and gameplay.”
- “Only a sketch of a story, but plenty of tone and atmosphere.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game offers little to no replay value, with a very short overall length of around eight minutes, making it feel more like a brief film than a fully engaging game experience.
- “For the baseline price, you're paying over 10 cents a minute for a pretty bland and unrewarding experience with no replay value.”
- “No replay value.”
- “The game in its entirety is only 8 minutes long from start to finish with little to no replayability. I mean, this is basically more of a short little film than an actual video game.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor is noted as amusing and adds a lighthearted touch, particularly through quirky dialogue and a playful soundtrack. While minimal, the comedic elements complement the overall enjoyable experience.
- “The soundtrack by 'kubrixxx' is funny and amazing!”
- “The tiny nibble of expository dialogue, which can be laughingly called the plot, is tasty.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game's optimization includes fully voiced dialogue that enhances immersion, though some voice acting—particularly the chief’s robotic, stuttering delivery—can be distracting at times. Overall, the audio performance recalls classic point-and-click noir games without major technical issues.
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users find the monetization approach intrusive and unclear, feeling overwhelmed by excessive advertisements that disrupt immersion without meaningful content or narrative justification.
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The voice acting effectively adds emotional depth to the dialogue, grounding the characters and enhancing the impact of the game's abstract themes.
- “Voice acting adds emotional texture to the dialogue, helping characters feel grounded despite the abstract themes they discuss.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users feel that grinding primarily serves as a repetitive money-farming mechanic, which can make the gameplay feel monotonous and exploitative.
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Character development is widely regarded as weak, with attempts at complexity ultimately failing due to poor writing and lack of depth.
- “It tries so hard to be smart that it falls on its face when it comes to basic character development and writing.”