Another FMV game has arrived on the scene this time from D’Avekki Studios who previously brought us Dark Nights with Poe and Munro. Murderous Muses is their latest title and unlike other FMV games there is actual gameplay to be had inside. Here is my review of the PlayStation 5 version.
Murderous Muses is a little bit different from most other FMV games as in this one you actually explore an art gallery in first-person and watch FMV sequences at times. For those who can’t get into just pure FMV games where you just sit back, watch, and make choices, this one may be more appealing to you. The story has you playing as a new security guard at an art gallery where paintings from a famous artist named Mordechai Grey are being displayed. Mordechai was murdered and it turns out the killer was one of the six people his final paintings were based on.
The game takes place over the course of three days and nights at the gallery and you have to try and solve this case in that time. Every playthrough is also randomly done so the killer will always be different and the layout of the gallery will change up. You’ll start off by hanging the paintings up around the gallery all of which have a correct spot they need to go in. Once they are placed correctly, you can get a bit of information from each one. At night time the paintings come alive and by using something called the Eyes of Mordechai, you can access videos for the suspect which will steadily help you narrow down who the killer is. You only get so many of these Eyes to use though so you won’t be able to gain access to every bit of information in a single playthrough. There are also puzzles to solve as you play like trying to put flipped over pieces back in the correct order and solving the puzzles can provide more information.
The characters you meet are pretty interesting and their performances are generally pretty good but not all the characters are as interesting as others. You have a professor, a pair of twins, a dancer, and so on. I got the killer wrong at the end of my playthrough but since the game isn’t very long I jumped back in to give it another shot and see how things changed up. Visually, the game looks fine as you explore in first-person but it isn’t anything special. As I already said the performances are very good and the music helps up the tension. If you’re a trophy hunter you’ll find 22 trophies including a Platinum. It’s a fairly easy list overall so you won’t be challenged much in obtaining them all.
Murderous Muses changes things up by mixing gameplay with FMV sequences to create a pretty compelling murder mystery experience. Exploring the gallery and trying to piece together who the murderer could was fun and each playthrough being different makes it compelling to jump back in whether you solve the case your first time or not. If you enjoy FMV games or want one that has some gameplay mixed in then this should be worth your time and money.
*Murderous Muses is available now on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series, Xbox One, and PC. PlayStation 5 version reviewed. Review copy provided by the publisher for this review.
Murderous Muses
$13.99
Pros
- Mixes gameplay with FMV sequences well
- Has mostly good performances from the actors
- Each playthrough being different ups the replayability
Cons
- Some characters are less interesting than the others
- Puzzles aren't very deep
