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This is a film noir-style mystery, set in a post-nuclear holocaust future -
the first in a long series of Tex Murphy mysteries. Groundbreaking technology (for
1989) features 256-color VGA graphics, real actors, and digital sound played back
through the PC speaker. It's an underrated classic, a great sci-fi adventure with
some action elements. It even a had well-coded flight simulator based on the engine
used in Echelon. The game's strongest appeal is the very well-written plot that is
full of many unexpected twists and turns. You play Tex Murphy, a PI who is trying
to make a living in 21st century San Francisco. Your first case, brought by a
beautiful, seductive Sylvia Linsky, is to investigate the purported "suicide" of
her father Carl Linsky, who supposedly jumped off the Golden Gate bridge. Until
his death, he has been working on a classified project with a company called MTC.
She is not pleased about the fact that the insurance company will not pay her the
one million dollars of Carl's insurance. It has enough good ol' inventory and
deduction-based puzzles to satisfy fans of traditional adventures. Besides the
mini-flight sim portion, it also contains a simple shoot-'em-up arcade in which you
must advance along a long corridor and shoot down the thugs who try to stop you.
Another innovation is the interrogation/conversation interface. Talking to a
character brings up their close-up digitized photo, and an array of approaches you
can take - ranging from friendly, to bribery and outright threat. You can get
"stuck" forever in the game if you choose the wrong approach for a character, so
it's best to save before talking to anyone. Most characters just offer campy,
canned remarks, but a few are quite interesting, with a personality to match Tex's ego. |
