Murders in Space

Lore & Background

Murders in Space is an adventure game in which players must identify all secrets of the inhabitants of the Pegasus space station and leave within a time limit. The game unfolds over 24 in-game hours, with events progressing as characters follow routines and jobs across the station, creating obstacles and leading to crew members being murdered. Every in-game hour, the player is transported back to the station's center, requiring exploration to observe changes. Players fill in a questionnaire at any time, with questions prompting clue searches and answers serving as the method to complete the game. Control uses the mouse for movement and point-and-click interaction, with 'thought mode' and 'speech mode' accessible by clicking an onscreen image of the player character. Interactive machinery includes a telescope, manipulating arm, cryogenic machine, and a Manned Maneuvering Unit for spacewalks.

The plot is set in 2005, aboard the space station Pegasus orbiting Earth with a small crew of personnel and researchers. Mission Commander Phillippe Amiot alerts Ground Control of an assassination attempt on his life. The player is sent on a shuttle with an additional researcher to investigate, assuming the alias Dick Anderson to conduct a routine inspection with discretion within 24 hours due to international diplomatic tensions.

The game was developed as the sequel to 1989's Murders in Venice. Brocard stated the design was inspired by a fascination with space, and the team spent days at an educational space camp held by Patrick Baudry to develop extensive documentation for realism. It was the first series entry depicted in third-person perspective. The release box contained a logbook, evidence kit with clues, and a 'space food' packet with novelty items like a toy bug, which Brocard called a 'nightmare' for Infogrames to produce. In 1991, it was repackaged with Tintin on the Moon and The Light Corridor as a box set. Ziggurat Interactive republished the game in May 2020 for Windows on Steam and GOG.com.

Reader's Guide

Murders in Space received average reviews upon release, with critics praising its visual presentation and design while noting it was too challenging and featured linear gameplay. John Sweeney of New Atari User called it 'enjoyable' with 'excellent graphics' and a 'good mystery', but a 'tough challenge'. Andy Hutchinson of ST Format praised its depth, 'superb' attention to detail, visuals, and audio as meeting the publisher's 'high standard', stating it could keep an avid adventurer busy for weeks. Amiga Action called it 'well-presented' with sub-games adding variety to initially 'limited' gameplay. ST Action noted a 'high graphical standard'. John Scott of Strategy Plus commended the detective gameplay as 'totally absorbing' but critiqued the 'linear' plotline with 'limited choice of actions' and hints impossible to solve without outside help, later reflecting it 'achieved a fiendishly difficulty level mainly by withholding essential player information' and was among the most difficult games he had played. Amiga User International found puzzles 'intriguing' and 'complex' but considered graphics and sound only 'satisfactory'. The game's significance lies in its ambitious real-time simulation of a space station, its place as the final entry in the Murders series, and its reputation for extreme difficulty.

Did You Know?

• The game was the first in the Murders series to use a third-person perspective.
• The retail box included a logbook, evidence kit, and a 'space food' packet with novelty items like a toy bug.