Murderous Pursuits – Review

Name: Murderous Pursuits
Developer: Blazing Griffin
Publisher: Blazing Griffin
Released: 26.04.2018
Platforms: PC
Reviewed on: PC
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), so when I got the chance to try out a game much like that, I was really hyped. Let’s find out how Murderous Pursuits stack up.

(Because all of the story is told in the intro-video of the game (at least, I haven’t discovered any more story), the story don’t need a section.)

Graphics

The game looks and runs well, there are some rough edges around the characters, but it’s not any big deal whatsoever. What the game truly nails though, is the 1890’s feel. Not only the characters, but also the environments are very Victorian-era, and I can almost smell the coal used to power the time ship (supposedly, the ship travels through time).
I do wish the sound-picture was a bit better, not that it’s anything really wrong with it, it’s just really standard, and nothing noticeable. Of course I also wish the characters could have a bit smoother edges, but that is just small polishing that would lift the graphics to perfection. Generally speaking, Blazing Griffin has done a great job with the graphics, and those few “issues” I had can probably be fixed in some patch further down the line.
7/10

Gameplay

I need to quote my own preview of the game here, as I keep finding this a genius way to keep the gameplay interesting.

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.

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).

In addition you need to keep your exposure down, by entering “safe zones” so the guards (and other players) don’t notice you. You’ll also need try to find out who’s hunting you, and preferably stop them dead in their tracks (I will admit, I never got the hang of that. Maybe I have a way too aggressive style of playing?). Sometimes you’re hunted by just one other player, but depending on how well you’re doing that number might increase. The same goes for the one you’re hunting, someone else might be hunting them as well, and it’s first come, first served. So you can’t play too defensively, or you’ll never reach the quarry in time.
9/10

Controls

The controls feel precise and are easy to learn. There aren’t that many different buttons in use, but they all feel thought through, and do what you expect them to do. However, if you don’t like the standard layout for the buttons, every single one is programmable, so you can change it to whatever you desire.
8/10

Replay Value

No game is equal to the last, which definitely keeps the replay value high – it’s a typical “I’ll just play one more game”-game. The game does lack a bigger player base though, so I kept playing against the same people again and again, and some of them were so much better than me that I knew I could never get a win.
8/10

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You can check out our review policy right here, if you wonder how we set our scores.

• Graphics 7
  7/10
• Gameplay 9
  9/10
• Controls 8
  8/10
• Replay Value 8
  8/10

Verdict

I do like Murderous Pursuits, it’s lots of fun, it runs well, and I kept getting lost in it for several hours at a time. What keeps this game from being absolute top notch is a few more areas to play on, and I wouldn’t mind some more characters. Still, I bet most of you will get the same “just one more game”-feeling I had, and with just a little tweaking and a bit more content this game can surely compete for my favorite “kill-or-be-killed” game.

Overall

8/10

8/10

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Pros

• Just one more game
• Lots of fun
• Has that steam punk feel
• Every game feels different
• Easy to learn, hard to master

Cons

• Could be better with a bigger player base
• Some rough edges
• Needs a bit of balancing