Tex Murphy: Under a Killing Moon

Under A Killing Moon is a game that lots of people had recommended to me before I played it based on my love for another detective game that used lots of full motion video, The Dame Was Loaded. Although there are similarities, Under A Killing Moon is a completely different beast. Gameplay What sets Under A Killing Moon apart from other adventure games of its time is the fully 3d environment. Instead of pointing and clicking through stills, you can actually walk around! This type of gameplay reminds me of the more contemporary Hotel Dusk Room 215 for the Nintendo DS. Getting around in UAKM isn't too difficult once you take three minutes to get used to the controls. Beyond that, most of the puzzles involve the player talking to non-player characters to gather clues and finding/using objects in the appropriate manner. Graphics The graphics are actually really impressive when you consider that this game wasn't released long after Doom and uses a true 3d graphics engine instead of ray casting. That said, it is very obvious that this is an early 3d game. There are lots of technical shortcomings like textures randomly moving around objects while you are walking around. That said, the game's creators did a good job of creating varied and believable environments. You actually feel like you are in a decimated San Francisco as you walk down Chandler Street in the game (well, it could use more fog and hills, but that's getting picky). Each location is unique and memorable in some way. Challenge I've played harder adventure games, MUCH harder adventure games in fact. UAKM is a game that never really stumps the player, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. There are a few puzzles that involve some pixel hunting. Oddly enough, I find myself enjoying pixel hunting when it's taking place in a 3d environment. Even if you do get stumped, there is a hint system that will basically provide you with the solution for the cost of a few points. The game starts off at a moderate difficulty level and doesn't change too much throughout the game. Unlike games like Myst, the player almost always knows what he is supposed to be doing. There are a few situations that hand the player a cheap death, but the ability to save almost anywhere doesn't really make this a big deal. It's best to increment your saved games, because I have noticed that it is possible to save your game and get 'stuck' in a few places where the only outcome will be a game over. Story The post-World War 3 San Francisco setting of the Tex Murphy games have a lot of potential. Some type of chemical weapon has mutated many of the inhabitants, causing a rift in society between the 'norms' and the 'mutants'. Old San Francisco is now a run-down refuge for the mutated second-class citizens while the norms live elsewhere. Unfortunately, Under A Killing Moon doesn't have a very good story past its setting. It's a watered-down version of the Moonraker 007 movie, only cheesier and without memorable characters like Jaws & Hugo Drax. I'm not sure how you can make Moonraker cheesier than it already is (remember the inflatable gondola?), but UAKM manages to do it. To add insult to injury, the acting is some of the worst I have ever seen in any medium. I watch a lot of B horror films and am usually forgiving about poor acting, but a line has to be drawn somewhere. It almost seems like they were trying to be bad. The only redemption the cast has are the voice-overs done by James Earl Jones, but he plays a limited role in the story. Some of the jokes did make me chuckle a little, but for the most part, the humor was wasted. I may be a little too harsh for the the acting and story, it isn't too terrible when comparing it to other games that were released at them time, but if something says it's an 'interactive movie' instead of a game in the opening cut-scene, I'm expecting for the production values to be a little higher. Overall Impressions Under A Killing Moon is a very fun game if you are looking for an adventure title that isn't too difficult. It does have it's shortcomings in the acting and story, but the 3d environment & moderate puzzles are done well enough to forgive this. UAKM will give you a couple of hours of pretty decent gameplay and for 10 bucks at gog.com, why not? Overall, I'm glad this title was recommended to me and I look forward to seeing what improvements were made in the two sequels. Least Favorite Moment The shell game you have to play toward the end of the game really seems impossible without trial and error. It could have been fun if it didn't seem impossible. Favorite Moment Breaking into the suite at the Golden Gate Hotel to find evidence for Francesca. Decoding the letter from the escort agency was a pretty good challenge, and looking for the film roll afterward in the suite was a rewarding pay-off.

When it first released, Under A Killing Moon blew me away with its complex plot, 3D puzzle solving environments, and rich characters presented in FMV. It's a great game that builds towards a satisfying climax, and the in-game hint system almost entirely removes the need to search the internet. But it hasn't aged as well as it could. The semi-professional FMV looks much more wonky by today's standards, and the non-professional actors provoke cringes. The interface is well-intentioned but imperfect, there's a fair amount of pixel-hunting to avoid overlooking things, and not all of the puzzles are designed intuitively or cleverly. It's still a great game but you'll need to be prepared to engage with it as a product of its time rather than a competitor against modern releases.

I remember playing the demo of this game and shortly thereafter rushing out to buy the full version. I had to tone it down to run properly on my system but I enjoyed it. Visually very nice, great puzzle solving (at least earlier on in the peace) and a pretty good storyline. Not perfect, as later puzzles seemed a little frustrating, and the acting was very hammy, but a worthy purchase nonetheless.

I originally played under a killing moon when I was very young, which was fortunate since it meant I'd forgotten almost all of the story and puzzles. What bowled me over about this game is just how well it has stood the test of time. Roughly 15 years old, and it has very respectable graphics thanks to it's clever use of movies. True some of the in game graphics are somewhat undesirable, but compared to the graphics of other games around the same time these niggles pale in comparison. There are numerous puzzles, with a decent but not massive variety (the majority of puzzles will involve talking to people about game topics, and searching the area for objects to use), although they work well together and don't get stale. My main criticism of the game would be it's length, since while it is decent it isn't all that long - I completed it in 1 weekend of on-and-off playing.

...and I'm not a big fan of games like Syberia and Myst that require you to immerse yourself in the pixels and sounds. But when I played UKM 20 years ago, I was hooked. The acting was brilliant, the script well-written, and I think I actually cried when I finished the game.