Following Freeware: September 2011 releases

Murran Chronicles Episode 3: Lifedrinker of Lansdowne

Once a desk jockey, everything changed for FBI agent Ken Murran when he found himself involved with the mystery of the Jersey Devil. Recruited into Project Lamplight, the FBI department dedicated to supernatural cases, he subsequently had to deal with mythical cattle-devouring monsters. Now he and his new partner, Tracy Turner, have travelled to the Boston suburb of Lansdowne to look into another strange case. Two men have turned up dead, both aged far beyond their youthful years. With the lead suspect a dark-haired woman with the power to cloud memory and a flock of unearthly glowing goats stalking the night-time streets, this could prove a tough case to crack. Worse, the nightmares bedevilling his sleep could mean that Murran himself is in danger.

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This third case in the tales of a very special FBI investigator provides a much different look and a larger challenge than Weggieware’s previous episodes. Where the prior games mixed photographic backgrounds with hand-drawn characters, this episode has switched to an entirely hand-drawn style. This eliminates the jarring contrast that somewhat marred the look of its predecessors. At the same time, the look of some scenes indicates that photographs have been used as the basis for the backgrounds, such as Murran’s hotel base. This would also appear to be the case with the character portraits used for conversations, Murran’s own appearance matching the photograph used in previous games. Animation is performed reasonably well, both for characters and faces during conversation, though there are occasional mismatches with character movement. The music provides a fairly simple background for the most part, though some specific locations have a more appropriate soundtrack, such as the rock that plays in the music store.

Given the lead character, it is unsurprising that the focus of the game is investigation. Using the standard four-cursor point-and-click system, you will move around town, interviewing the locals and looking for clues to what is happening in Lansdowne. Conversations usually open up new lines of enquiry, often pointing you in the direction of other characters that may be able to assist you. To help guide you across town, you have a GPS system which allows instant transport, though rather oddly for a GPS, only to places you have already been. Any time you discover something important, an automatic entry is made in your portable computer, allowing you to review what you have learned at any time. Later in the game you will find yourself getting more involved in the world of the supernatural than planned. This section includes at least one action sequence where the player will need reasonably quick reflexes.

Murran Chronicles Episode 3: Lifedrinker of Lansdowne can be downloaded from the AGS website.

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