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Murder Is Game Over: Deal Killer Review – Mini Mystery

Murder Is Game Over: Deal Killer is the newest game in the series of pixelated murder mysteries. It's a fun sprint of a mystery game that isn't too complicated. However, big mystery fans might find themselves wanting more out of the experience.

Murder is Game Over: Deal Killer Review - Mini Mystery

Murder Is Game Over: Deal Killer is the third game in the Murder Is Game Over series. A collection of small murder mysteries that feel like slightly darker Saturday morning cartoons. Following a detective and his crime-solving dog as they solve game company-related murders. Each one connects to the next in some way, but you can play Deal Killer without prior knowledge of the series. I would know. I haven’t played the other two.

The games are all rather short. So you can get caught up pretty quick if you’d like. They’re fun little games where the mysteries aren’t too complicated and the gameplay isn’t too challenging. It’s a fun couple hours spent with interesting characters and entertaining mysteries. The gameplay isn’t anything special. But the game isn’t long enough for the mechanics to get boring or stale. However, the mystery is a bit too easy. 

Murder Is Game Over: Deal Killer is available on Steam for $4.99. 

This review contains minor spoilers for Murder Is Game Over: Deal Killer. 

Story – Murder Me Swiftly

Murder Is Game Over: Deal Killer follows private detective Guy and his clue-finding dog Cleo. They’re are invited to a mountain hotel by a wealthy businessman who believes someone wants him dead. And wouldn’t you know it. He’s dead as soon as they get there. Leaving the duo to solve the mystery before the snow storm ends and all the hotel’s patrons can leave.

Looks like death to me

Looks like death to me

It’s a simple mystery setup that doesn’t get much more complicated. Like an interactive Encyclopedia Brown story. It’s strong enough to carry the game’s brief 2 hour runtime. But it’s far from one of the stronger mysteries I’ve seen in a game. It’s also pretty easy to figure out rather quick if you’re paying attention. Though you certainly get your $5 worth. Weirdly enough, murder isn’t game over in Murder Is Game Over.

Gameplay – Talk to Me

Murder Is Game Over: Deal Killer has two primary game mechanics. Talking to people and looking at clues. Guy does the talking, and Cleo sniffs out the clues. It helps to have a notepad open to write down statements that sound important. Though it’s virtually impossible to mess up the final summation. They basically hand all the answers to you and just leave you to fill in the blanks.

A simple gameplay loop is born out of that. You talk to each suspect as Guy and ask all the questions you can. Switching to Cleo in between to search each room for clues. You get a lead and follow it. Which then leads to more questions to ask everyone and new clues to find. Sometimes you have to put on a costume to get different answers. Don’t ask. Simple but effective. I could see it getting repetitive and/or boring if the game was longer than it ultimately ended up.

Spooky ghost lady

Spooky ghost lady

The different characters you talk to stand out, and the dialogue does a pretty good job illustrating how each person could have done it. Luckily they don’t go the Murder on the Orient Express route. Because that route is always lame. The gameplay is nothing complicated, but it doesn’t get in the way of the entertaining mystery at play. Even the weird RPG moment was fun. There aren’t very many mechanics, but they all work together well. 

Graphics & Sound – Really Pretty Good

The odds of an indie game having a pixel art style is very high. And this game is no exception. It has standard RPG Maker pixel art, but it looks good. All of the characters stand apart. And all of the environments are detailed. There’s no confusion in what any object is, or what a character looks like. There are a couple times the art does the game a disservice, like when talking about the beautiful mountain view, but that’s it.

Not one of the better views

Not one of the better views

The sound design is nothing spectacular, but it serves the game well. Including one choice that is very important to the plot. All the music and sound effects work in the game’s favor. There are no complaints there. But it’s not a soundtrack you’ll be going back to. 

Murder Is Game Over: Deal Killer was reviewed with a code from Meridian4.

Summary
Murder is Game Over: Deal Killer is not a bad game by any stretch. The biggest issue is its length. The core of the mystery provides little challenge or excitement, especially compared to bigger series like Ace Attorney or Danganronpa. Though, had it been longer, it would need a more diverse gameplay loop and more complex mystery to justify it. However, for only $5, you get a fun little mystery game filled with good moments and solid characters.
Good
  • Fun mystery
  • Intriguing characters & motivations
  • Good sense of humor
Bad
  • Very short
  • Little challenge to the mystery
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