Taken for a Quickie | Murderous Pursuits

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Spiritual successor to PC cult classic The Ship, Murderous Pursuits is the latest sneaky multiplayer murderthon from developer Blazing Griffin, and the latest game to receive our quick look treatment.

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by Sam Sant

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@SamShotSam

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Developer: Blazing
Griffin
Publisher: Blazing
Griffin
​Platforms: PC
​Players: 1 - 8

“Sneaky multiplayer murderthon,” you say? Tell me more…

Putting the obvious comparisons with The Ship aside, if you’ve ever played Assassin’s Creed multiplayer then you already know what to expect. Set in an alternate Victorian history aboard an affluent airship, the mysterious Mr. X has covertly orchestrated a deadly game of cat and mouse in which players must hunt their quarry whilst also foiling those tasked with hunting them.

Sounds tense! How exactly does it play out?

Oh, it can definitely get tense! Paranoia is a constant but you can’t succumb to it – a patient approach is integral to success. You’ll need to study the behaviour of NPCs in order to mimic and blend with them, throwing pursuers off your trail, whilst in the process learning how to identify human-controlled characters (or bots that convincingly imitate them, which is super meta) attempting to do the same.

Through utilising a variety of weapons found around the four maps and abilities selected in the pre-game lobby, as well as carefully maintaining your exposure by resisting the urge to break into a run and naturalistically interacting with environments, every kill will curry extra favour with Mr. X and edge you closer towards being crowned his champion.

Not one for the impatient younger siblings, then?

Probably not, but then what stealth game is? A helpful HUD and simple controls make Murderous Pursuits quite accessible, but those only concerned with hoovering up kills will see themselves losing to players with fewer frags and better execution. They’ll also invite witnesses to their dirty deeds, be they NPC guards or other players, which can severely shorten your lifespan.

How’s the presentation? Do I need a monster PC to run it?

Nope, it runs at a solid 60 FPS with full graphics settings on a GTX 1060 and looks great. The eight playable characters - caricatures, really - are diverse and immediately likeable, while minimalistic menus complement more detailed and bustling in-game environments.

It’s all tied together by narration from Mr. X and a tiptoeing soundtrack that’s charmingly true to the period and genre.

So, would you recommend a stint as Mr. X’s personal hitman?

If Murderous Pursuits sounds intriguing to you, then definitely. Its laser-focused design delivers moreish and tactical fun, but only for as long as the central conceit remains exciting to you. Multiple hours in, win or lose, each match still ends with a smile.