Over this weekend, Blazing Griffin has invited players to help them test their latest game, titled Murderous Pursuits. We wrote about this when it was featured at PAX East 2018, but now it’s finally here. It’s designed for up to eight players, connecting online, or simply for one very ambitious player. The game takes place during a party on a time-traveling ship, where the masked and mysterious Mr. X informs you that only one of your criminal compatriots will accompany him in his future endeavors. To get your foot in the door, you must earn his favor by murdering your fellow partygoers without being caught.
The premise is straightforward, but there’s more than a few tricks to be had. In order to kill your quarry, you first must find them, and the only clues you’re given are a little navigation at the top of your screen. If you assume too quickly and kill the wrong person, you could be in trouble. You have to act like an NPC to avoid suspicion, walking casually into “Vignettes,” areas where you can interact with scenery and other players as if you were meant to be there. Naturally, you have to avoid guards, who will arrest you, but you must also avoid other hunters, who are ready to kill you as quickly as you’re ready to kill them. And to top it all off, you must juggle all of these elements within a time limit of ten minutes.
Sound complex? It is, but for a game like this, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Murderous Pursuits gives you all the thrill of playing a stealth game, with a heightened sense of danger and risk. Crime isn’t easy, you know! If you want a win, you’ll really have to work for it. The tutorial presents a lot of instruction all at once, but the game kindly offers an opportunity to play against a team of AI before cutting you loose. In this way, you can learn to use the controls you’ve been given, and get the hang of monitoring your many indicators.
For more information, you can check out Blazing Griffin’s site, or follow their twitter for updates. If you’re interested in trying Murderous Pursuits for yourself, the open beta started on Friday, April 20th, and will run until 9 PM EDT on Sunday, April 22nd, so you can download and play it on Steam, here. If you miss that window, don’t worry! You can catch it for real on Steam April 26th.
