Murder On Space Station 52 Review

Murder On Space Station 52 was developed by Made From Strings, the pseudonym of Christopher Mathes, an Artist, Musician, and Game Developer. The studio's first game title was Moonrise Fall, a supernatural puzzle game. Murder On Space Station 52 was published by Dionous Games, a studio based in Nicosia, Cyprus. They're known for publishing games such as Not Another Weekend and Enypnion Redreamed.

Murder mystery adventure games have their roots in classic detective literature and have developed alongside technological advances. Early text-based games, such as Colossal Cave Adventure in the 1970s, laid the foundation for narrative experiences. Still, it wasn't until the 1980s that full-blown mystery games emerged, most notably Mystery House, developed in 1980 by Roberta and Ken Williams. It was the first graphic adventure game and paved the way for other games, such as The Colonel's Bequest, developed in 1989, which combined puzzles with detective intrigue.

The genre gained depth and interactivity in the 1990s with point-and-click interfaces, as shown by games such as Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers, originally released in 1993. These games often focused on exploration, interrogation, and solving complex puzzles to uncover the murderer's identity.

As gaming technology evolves, crime adventure continues to gain popularity in both the indie and mainstream arenas, with modern titles such as Her Story from 2015 and The Return of the Obra Dinn originally released in 2018, as well as offering innovative ways to uncover complex stories, and the genre remains popular for its intellectual challenges and immersive narratives. Another modern example is Killer Frequency; although Killer Frequency is a horror, its puzzle mechanics have it fall under a murder mystery adventure genre.

The Dockmaster is Edward's first encounter with the residents of Spacestation 52. He asks why he's brought his own "coffin" with him, which Edward explains is required to charge his suit, which he can't live without. On the docks, players are introduced to Murder On Space Station 52's point-and-click and inventory mechanics, where they can pick up items to solve puzzles and move across the map.

After moving to the main docks area, you'll meet the sheriff, who honestly sounds like a cross between Stitch, from Lilo and Stitch, and Severus Snape. He asks you to help out with the salvage scraper. After repairing his furnace, you can speak to the sheriff about another job.

You'll travel by boat to the next area where you've been tasked with fixing a Moisture Recycler. This is where you're introduced to being able to combine items in your inventory.  You'll have to combine items to get an old mining robot active so you can get to the Moisture Recycler's panel.

Finally, Edward opens the water recycling machine, only to find his predecessor's corpse inside. Murder On Space Station 52 is very stylish from the get-go, throwing the player into a cutscene reminiscent of a James Bond intro. After the intro, you find out Edward has passed away.

He wakes up in the morgue, and a deputy tells him to go see the dock; the body he found is covered by a cloth on one table. After examining the body, he finds a key pressed into the forehead, calling the killer "the Keychain Killer," but when Edward realizes the police won't do anything for him, he decides to uncover his true identity himself.

Murder On Space Station 52 forces you to think neatly and completely outside the box when solving puzzles, but some of the solutions were a bit too complicated. As you work your way through the puzzles along these twisty, sometimes backward paths, Edward gives you sassy comments about everything.

It's charming initially, but you might get bored or irritated before the tutorial ends. Edward reveals himself to be a sarcastic and impatient guy from the get-go, so snarky comebacks and monologues aren't that hard to see coming. You're trying to solve the puzzle, but his caustic comments on individual objects might annoy some players as you try this and that to find the solution.

The voice acting is also noteworthy. Except for the three characters, Edward and all NPCs are voiced entirely by Christopher Mathes, using different voice styles and editing to make each one completely different. The voice acting for characters not voiced by Mathes wasn't the best, but it wasn't enough to be a major issue. Additionally, two of these characters have the same last name as Mathes, suggesting they were voiced by a friend or family member.

The puzzles succeed in presenting the player with a challenge and giving a sense of reward after solving them. However, Murder On Space Station 52 would benefit from some sort of hint system, even if vague, to point the player in the right direction. When opening a puzzle, it may not be entirely clear what the player needs to do to solve it, forcing the player to think outside the box.

At the same time, not finding the solution can lead to total failure. In one case, the puzzle was solved incorrectly, leaving the intended solution unclear even after seeing the solution. Some puzzles could have been greatly improved with a hint system.

The writing and dialogue styles of Murder on Spacestation 52 include many references to old noir movies, and it is obvious that the film pays homage to this beloved era of movies and literature. However, much like the pieces that inspired it, it won't be everyone's cup of tea.

Some of the more noticeable references are the movie quotes from some of the more notable 1950s noir movies, such as The Narrow Margin and Out of the Past. Although it isn't just movie references, there is also a quote from The Big Nowhere, a crime fiction novel written by James Ellroy and first published in 1988.

A lot of the writing style and dialogue seem similar to how the noir films and books were written and acted. It brings back an old style of monologues and snark, although that could annoy some players when they're stuck on a puzzle.

The game's overall theme resembles an almost future topic, industrial noir, rather than the typical early 50s or 20s. This particular noir theme is seen in the character designs and the environment setting in which Murder on Spacestation 52 takes place.

The graphics of Murder on Spacestation 52 are rough and muted, proudly displaying hand-drawn brush strokes and shading that fit well with the overall tone of the game. The visual design is impressive, like a cross between Star Wars and Bioshock, featuring creative imagery that again highlights a more grungy industrial futuristic noir. Additionally, all of the characters feature similarly imaginative designs.

The Soundtrack and sound effects of Murder on Spacestation 52 rely on a bluesy soundtrack that fits the game's overall style very well. Although the voice recordings for some of the characters are not of high quality, this fits the game's aesthetic and gives it an almost dark, immersive feel.

The voice acting in Murder on Spacestation 52 is extremely noteworthy. Edward and all of the NPCs except for three characters are fully voiced by Christopher Mathes and sound completely different due to differences in vocal style and edits done to them, which is extremely impressive.

The voice acting for characters not voiced by Mathes is not the best, but you don't encounter them enough for it to be a major issue. Two of these characters have the same last name as Mathes, suggesting they may have been voiced by friends or family members.

Overall, Murder on Spacestation 52 is an intriguing entry in the murder mystery adventure genre. Developed by Made From Strings, the game blends point-and-click mechanics with inventory puzzles and a compelling narrative.

While its challenging puzzles and lack of a hint system may test some players' patience, the game's unique setting, memorable characters, and immersive voice acting—largely performed by Christopher Mathes—create an engaging experience. Despite some potential drawbacks, the game's distinctive elements and rewarding puzzle-solving make it a noteworthy title for enthusiasts of murder mysteries and adventure games.