Is Murdered: Soul Suspect worth playing in 2025?

Murdered: Soul Suspect is a single-player title that was released for the Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PC in 2014. The game featured a unique narrative about a detective investigating his own murder in a small town. While the story was impressive, the gameplay left a lot to be desired, as many claimed that it was too simplistic.

It has been over a decade since the title was released, and any piece of media can get outdated after a while. Does that hold true for Murdered: Soul Suspect as well? The game is still playable in 2025, and this article will take a closer look at it to see what makes it hold up all these years later.

---

Murdered: Soul Suspect is a supernatural murder mystery

The story still holds up (Image via Square Enix)

Murdered: Soul Suspect features a gripping narrative about a detective named Ronan, who is working on a case involving a serial killer. During the investigation, he gets murdered by the killer he is looking for but returns from the afterlife as a ghostly apparition. In this form, he takes it upon himself to search the fictional town of Salem and solve the case with his newly found powers.

The reason why this story works is because of how well it combines historical and supernatural elements to create compelling narrative beats and a commendable motivation for the villain. The eerie atmosphere and the moonlit town of Salem add a new layer of personality to the game world and its characters, resulting in a story that is still worth experiencing all these years later.

---

Simplistic gameplay mechanics

The gameplay leaves much to be desired (Image via Square Enix)

While the story felt like it was written in gold ink, the gameplay was too simplistic, which didn't match the tone of the narrative. The investigative sections relied on the player finding different clues at the crime scene and connecting them. This mechanic lacked depth and didn't introduce a challenge that many gamers were looking for while doing detective work.

The stealth sections also feel uninspired, as they revolve around hiding in hole objects to avoid being caught by demons. This mechanic feels quite simplistic and repetitive after a while, rendering it outdated compared to the horror games of today.

---

Visuals and performance

The visuals are decent after all these years (Image via Square Enix)

Although Murdered: Soul Suspect is over a decade old, it still manages to hold up visually because of its art style and atmosphere. The character models and the environments look quite detailed, even after all these years. However, the title can sometimes look pale in comparison to recent releases because of the lack of modern technology, such as ray tracing and DLSS.

From a framerate standpoint, it is best to play on the PlayStation 4, as it offers a locked 60 FPS at a 1080p resolution, unlike other consoles, which are stuck at 30 FPS. This also makes the game hold up performance-wise for gamers of today, who prefer high frame rates.

---

Is it worth playing in 2025?

Murdered: Soul Suspect is worth playing in 2025 (Image via Square Enix)

Yes, Murdered: Soul Suspect is worth playing in 2025 because of its incredible story that still holds up today. While the gameplay can leave the player feeling disappointed because of shallow mechanics, the narrative makes up for it. The visuals and performance also hold up well, considering the modern standards are now about higher resolution and frame rates.