Name: Murderous Pursuits
Developer: Blazing Griffin
Publisher: Blazing Griffin
Platforms: PC
Reviewed on: PC
Beta Released: 29.03.2018 – 31.03.2018
Initial Release Date: 26.04.2018
Acquired: *A copy of this game was provided from publisher for review purpose*
Murderous Pursuits is a multiplayer, kill-or-be-killed, stealth-em-up for one to eight players, much like the multiplayer in Assassin’s Creed 3. I really enjoyed the AC3 multiplayer (although I was horrible at it), and when I got the chance to try out the beta for a game much like that, I was hyped. Let’s find out how Murderous Pursuits stack up.
For those interested in having a murderously rambunctious time, Mr. X cordially invites you and other players to sneak up and stab the living daylights out of each other. Developed by members of the team behind The Ship, and the studio that made The Ship: Remasted, Murderous Pursuits will soon have you experiencing the giddy joy of subterfuge to a level that has rarely been experienced since the late 1890’s.
| Minimum specs | Recommended specs |
| OS: Windows 7 or newer | OS: Windows 10 |
| Processor: Intel i3 6100 or equivalent | Processor: Intel i7 – 3770K or equivalent |
| Memory: 4 GB RAM | Memory: 4 GB RAM |
| Graphics: GTX 600 series or equivalent | Graphics: GTX 900 series or equivalent |
| Storage: 3 GB available space | Storage: 3 GB available space |
| Additional notes: Game will run at 30FPS on low settings at 720p | Additional notes: Game will run at 60FPS on high settings at 1080p |
The Good
Firstly, let me say that I think this game has some great potential. If it gets a steady player base, and add some more content, it will live on for a long time. It’s not quite there yet, but I’ll let most of that slip, since it’s still in beta.
One thing the developers has almost perfected is the use of favour, instead of just a kill count. The whole premise of the score system isn’t that you killed the right quarry, but how you did it. What kind of weapon did you use, if someone saw you do it, and so on. And don’t think that one weapon is overpowered when it comes to tallying up the points, the scoring system changes several times during a game, seemingly based on what weapons are being used the most (these will get a lower ranking in the next favour phase).
The game world too, looks really good. It feels like the 1890’s and the layout of each level feels like what a real ship would be. Another thing I really liked is the HUD (Heads-Up Display), it’s simple, yet informative. Plus, it’s sleek and fits into the steampunk style that the rest of the game has.
The Bad
Unfortunately there are some bad sides to my experience with the beta as well. The main issue was the sheer lack of other players, I tried so many times to find a server to play on without success, and the single player mode in this game gets boring very quickly. This will, of course, get a lot better once the game has more players, and can be excused with the fact that this was a beta.
Another problem I had with the game is the abilities, I found disguise and flash a lot more useful than for example counter. It might just be me who don’t understand how to use each ability, but in my mind those two abilities were way too useful, at least compared to the others.
Lastly, I had an issue with the characters all having really ragged edges, even though I played with high settings. It wasn’t a huge deal, but it took away some of that “wow” factor the game might otherwise have had. Hopefully this is something the developers can work on before release, to polish the game more.
You can check out our review policy right here, if you wonder how we set our scores.
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Early Access Score 5
5/10
Verdict
The main issue I had with the game was the lack of players. The game has potential to be lots of fun, but it will need a steady player base. When it comes to the fact that it’s not only the amount of kills that counts, but also how you killed someone, this makes the players adapt their style, according to each scenario. Still though, the game lacks some more levels and more weapons, and I wouldn’t mind some more characters to choose from. The potential is there though, and I’ll certainly keep my eye on the game in the future.
