Murderous Pursuits

Murderous Pursuits is a third-person stealth multiplayer game set on a time-travelling ship in a science-fiction Victorian steampunk world, where players receive a mysterious invitation to Mr. X’s deadly assassination game, becoming both hunters and quarries. The objective is to identify and eliminate specific targets amid crowds of identical disguises, earn points based on kill methods and stealth, while evading inept guards and rival players in modes like hunt, free-for-all, and elimination.

Murderous Pursuits: Review

Introduction

Imagine boarding a lavish Victorian airship hurtling through time, surrounded by dapper passengers sipping tea amid brass gears and swirling mists—only to realize you’re both predator and prey in a deadly game orchestrated by the enigmatic Mr. X. Murderous Pursuits, released in 2018 by Scottish studio Blazing Griffin, channels this macabre elegance into a multiplayer stealth-em-up that echoes the cult classic The Ship: Murder Party from 2006. As a spiritual successor, it transplants asymmetric hunting mechanics into a steampunk spectacle, demanding players stalk targets amid oblivious NPCs while evading their own assassins. Yet, for all its aristocratic flair, the game stumbles in sustaining tension beyond fleeting lobbies. This review argues that Murderous Pursuits crafts a compulsively replayable core loop marred by content scarcity, technical hiccups, and a dwindling player base, cementing it as a tantalizing “what if” in multiplayer stealth history rather than a genre-defining triumph.

Development History & Context

Blazing Griffin, a Dundee-based studio founded in 2009, wears many hats: game development, visual effects for films like Guardians of the Galaxy, and remasters such as The Ship: Remasted (2016). Murderous Pursuits emerged from this pedigree, helmed by Creative Director Stephen Hewitt, Lead Designer Peter Low, and Technical Director Jason Kocemba. With 107 credits—including art luminaries like Sim Furniss (Art Director) and programmers like Neil Davidson—the team leveraged Unity engine for its cross-platform agility, targeting PC at a modest 720p/30FPS minimum (Intel i3, GTX 600 series).

Launched April 26, 2018, amid a multiplayer boom dominated by battle royales (Fortnite, PUBG) and hero shooters (Overwatch), the game carved a niche in “social stealth” akin to Assassin’s Creed multiplayer or SpyParty. Priced at £17.99/$20, it promised bots for solo play and skill-based matchmaking, with post-launch plans for ranked modes, more maps, and friend-joining tools. Victorian steampunk was the vision: a time-travelling HMCS Britannic as playground, blending Dishonored-esque aesthetics with The Ship‘s murder-party chaos. Constraints like Unity’s limitations on AI complexity and a small team (evident in QA interns and shared roles) yielded polished visuals but repetitive systems. In 2018’s landscape—flooded with free-to-play giants—its premium model and reliance on full lobbies proved fateful, as concurrent peaks hit just 155 players per SteamDB.

Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive

At its heart, Murderous Pursuits unfolds as Mr. X’s invitation to a “deadly assassination game” aboard the HMCS Britannic, a colonial time-ship celebrating Queen Victoria’s Jubilee amid Jurassic vistas or volcanic backdrops. Players embody one of 16 nefarious killers (8 playable, 8 unlockable)—from the cold Duchess to streetwise Dodger, Fulani tracker, Sikh prince, or Japanese assassin—each with flavorful backstories, taunts, and skins unlocked via multiplayer progression. Mechanically identical, their distinctions fuel role-playing: a femme fatale’s sway contrasts a pickpocket’s skulk, emphasizing deception over power fantasies.

The plot is minimalist, a framing device for emergent chaos: survive rounds by earning “Favour” (points) through discreet kills, ascending Mr. X’s ranks (or pie-eating leaderboards for whimsy). Themes probe Victorian hypocrisy—polite society masking savagery—via steampunk excess: gilded halls hide bloodstains, NPCs gasp at murders like scandalized gentry. Dialogue shines in Mr. X’s wry voiceovers (“Stabbed in the codlings, rolled in a carpet bag”), infusing humor into kills, while guards embody inept authority, freezing killers briefly rather than jailing them (The Ship‘s harsher system). Exposure mechanics thematize social performance: blend via vignettes (eating pies, admiring engines) or risk unmasking, mirroring class facades. Yet, narrative depth falters—no overarching campaign, just looping hunts—rendering themes atmospheric window dressing, potent in private parties but diluted by bots.

Gameplay Mechanics & Systems

Core loop: Quarry Tracker (green directional bar, floor indicators) guides hunts; Hunter Indicators (skulls) warn of pursuers. Blend with NPCs via vignettes to refill Evasion meter (0-5 levels); zero exposure reveals you to foes. Kills score via weapon value (scavenge from boxes: low-score fists to high-score exotics), discretion, and taunts. Guards stall caught killers; wrong-target attempts penalize with new quarries. Select 2 abilities per match from 5-8 (Disguise resets evasion, Flash stuns, Reveal unmasks roles, Counter thwarts attacks, Humiliate debuffs)—recharging ~80 seconds, they add tactical spice but feel unbalanced without loot depth.

Modes shine: Hunt (assigned chains), Free-for-All (chaos), Elimination (permadeath rounds). Bots fill lobbies intelligently, mimicking humans for practice (progression-locked). UI is intuitive—compass dominates, vignette glows aid blending—but green bar undermines observation, turning levels into meter-stares. Progression: multiplayer-only cosmetics/ranks, no meaningful unlocks. Flaws abound: iffy controls (glitches in crowds), repetition (same maps/abilities), no loot scavenging (The Ship‘s soul). Innovations like evasion vignettes and ability loadouts innovate on The Ship, but streamlining kills emergent fun—penalties curb willy-nilly kills, guards soften pacing. Private parties evoke hilarity (voice-chat fake-outs), but Quick Play struggles with queues.

Mechanic	Strength	Flaw
Quarry Tracking	Precise, accessible	UI-dominant, reduces nuance
Evasion/Exposure	Thematic blending	Vignettes feel scripted
Abilities	Tactical variety	Long cooldowns, match-locks
Guards	Risk-reward tension	Too lenient vs. The Ship
Scoring	Encourages style	Weapon-hunt repetitive

World-Building, Art & Sound

The HMCS Britannic pulses with steampunk Victoriana: 4-7 maps (Music Hall’s confetti chaos, Engine House shadows, art galleries, Jurassic views) rotate dynamically. Multi-level layouts foster ambushes, vignettes tie into lore (chat tables, pie feasts). Atmosphere thrives on contrast—opulent ballrooms vs. dingy corners—yet time-travel teases (volcanoes, dinosaurs) go unexplored, a “major missed opportunity.”

Art direction excels: cartoonish cel-shading (Paul Scott Canavan’s concepts, Sean Wenham’s environments) renders distinct characters amid identical NPCs, aiding spotting. Distinct silhouettes (body shapes, costumes) outshine some hero shooters. Sound design immerses: vinyl-esque soundtrack evokes era menace, Jaime Cross’s audio layers footsteps/NPC chatter. Mr. X’s quips add personality; kills trigger horrified gasps. Unity’s sheen holds at 1080p/60FPS recommended, though low-player lobbies mute bustle.

Reception & Legacy

Critics averaged 70% (MobyGames, 9 reviews): Darkstation (80%) praised “one more match” addiction; PC Gamer (49%) lamented empty lobbies; others (70-77%) lauded friends-fun but decried repetition/lack of content. Steam: Mixed (66% of 375), Metacritic 63—echoing “solid core, thin execution.” Commercial flop: peaks of 155 concurrents, now ~1-30; dead post-2021 updates. Evolved to niche party game via Discord squads, but no industry quake—shadowed The Ship‘s cult, uninfluencing successors (Murderous Muses coincidental). Blazing Griffin’s Agatha Christie pivots highlight its orphan status.

Conclusion

Murderous Pursuits tantalizes with elegant stealth predation, a steampunk jewel polishing The Ship‘s formula into accessible multiplayer mischief—best in friend-filled lobbies, where cat-and-mouse yields hilarity. Yet, sparse maps, meter-reliant hunts, technical glitches, and player drought render it repetitive, a ghost ship adrift. In history, it occupies a curious footnote: a 2018 multiplayer experiment that nailed vibe over viability, warranting a cheap sale revisit for stealth enthusiasts but no hall-of-fame berth. Verdict: 7/10—charming assassin’s waltz, undone by empty dancefloors.