Murder Is Game Over: The Blackinton Curse News

Moving forward

Ideally, I’d like to create something that combines my favorite elements of all 3 games: the open-world map layout from the first game, the memorable showdown with a powerful antagonist in the second game, and the spooky, suspenseful atmosphere of the third game. Overall I’ve been pleased with the responses to this game series and the calls to keep making more Murder Is Game Over games. Scripting games is definitely one of those things where your technical skills improve every time, but creating compelling stories is always a challenge.



(Bonus) Best music – Paladin Dream

I consider Paladin Dream to be my learning project, and it’s fairly primitive compared to what I’m capable of doing now. But the music is great. I really wanted to make a soundtrack worthy of comparison with the best RPGs and felt that there are times when that happens. I’m especially proud of the final boss battle featuring vocals and lyrics as a “religious hymn” to the story’s legendary hero character. The game may not be “important” enough for most people to take the music seriously, but that doesn’t mean the music isn’t high quality.

Best atmosphere – Deal Killer



When I started this project, my publisher encouraged me to take steps to improve the visual look of the game compared to the game's predecessors. To that end, I hired a parallax artist to help make the indoor areas unique. I’m also proud of the suspenseful thunder and lightning “dark and stormy night” effects I created to accent the feeling of being stuck in a small, dangerous space. Later there is an artistic use of power blackouts to create a climax in the story. By the time I worked on Deal Killer, I felt a big jump in my skill level at visual polish compared to the first game. Part of the fun of this game series is experiencing the spooky vibe, and Deal Killer takes that element up a notch.



Next: Moving forward...

Here is the demo gameplay for The Blackinton Curse. Got a question about the project? Feel free to ask. Thanks for watching and wishlisting!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

In part 1 of this reflective series, I discussed why I was pleased with the exploration in the original Murder Is Game Over title. It’s been said that the quality of an action / adventure story lies in the quality of the story’s villain, and certainly murder mysteries want to have a nasty antagonist for the heroic detective to outsmart.



Best villain – Murder Is Game Over: Streaming Death

I really enjoy the ending scene of this game, when the detectives trap and capture Elias Abel’s ghost, explain how it was done, and ultimately unmask our true killer and criminal mastermind. I worked especially hard writing the scene where the murder happens, and wanted to make the player’s skin crawl when they had that experience. I watched a streamer react exactly the way I was hoping players would react, so in that sense I accomplished that creative writing goal. The victim in this case is a sweet young girl who was dedicated to helping people, so it feels rewarding when her heinous murderer gets their deserved comeuppance.

The villain in Streaming Death feels daring, bold, and resourceful and makes for a worthy adversary. This person created a spooky hologram, donned a ghostly disguise attempted to take down the detectives themselves, and planned as meticulously as possible to hide their crime. Once this character is cornered by the police, they even threaten to get their high-priced lawyer involved. If you played Murder Is Game Over: Streaming Death hopefully you got the chance to outwit this memorable cold-blooded killer.

Coming next: Which game has the best atmosphere?

After developing and releasing 3 “Murder Is Game Over” titles in 2 years, I’ve had some time to pause and reflect on what I like most about each one. These are my thoughts on the series as a whole.

Best exploration – Murder Is Game Over

My initial concept for this game was to have a murder mystery that emphasized exploration much more inspired by RPGs than adventure games. In hindsight, the world design from the first game was well done in terms of giving the player freedom to move around the world at their choosing. The map shape is based on a series of interconnecting circles including the castle's ground floor, connecting the second floor and the sealed wing, and finally, a secret passage connecting the castle to the surrounding countryside. The method of murder also relies heavily on the way the map makes a seemingly inaccessible area easy to reach through a clever shortcut. Not only is the exploration mechanic effective for the player, but it also serves as part of the storytelling and narrative.


Which game in the series has my favorite villain? Find out in part 2 coming next!

I'm creating the fourth game in the series. Please wishlist it (link below). Thank you for your support!
Matt

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3046150/Murder_Is_Game_Over_The_Blackinton_Curse