That’s a deceptive headline. It’d have been extra correct to say Murderous Pursuits has fooled you into considering it’s not a menace, discarded its AI disguise and stabbed you within the stomach with a sabre. It’d be extra correct nonetheless to say its a multiplayer assassination recreation about searching and being hunted from The Ship: Remasted devs, and that it simply got here out.
I’ve already informed you it’s good. Twice. I’ve since performed just a few hours of it over the open beta final weekend although – and whereas I’m nonetheless trying ahead to tucking into extra, I do have to roll again one specific little bit of reward. I informed you not one of the skills felt overpowered in the best way that undermined Ass Creed’s (very related) multiplayer. That was earlier than I spent the weekend swearing at my display each time I obtained flash-bombed.
It feels a bit merciless to choose on one capability in a recreation that’s in any other case glorious, however I’ll plough on anyway as a result of its influence is disproportionately massive.
I like Murderous Pursuits as a result of it’s all about rigorously observing and reacting to your opponents. You’ve obtained to concurrently guess their identities and what they’re planning, all whereas appearing and plotting in a manner that shapes what their plans are. Maybe you’re standing in a crowded room, unaware of your hunter’s identification however painfully conscious they’re close by. Maybe you stroll in the direction of and previous the door to lure them out, realizing they’ll comply with and you’ll pounce out and stun them earlier than they get an opportunity to do you in.
Or possibly they simply throw down a flashbomb the second they’ve recognized you as their quarry, bringing all that scheming to a dazed halt as they not solely simply stroll up and dispatch you, however get further factors for doing so. Extra factors! For placing much less work in, somewhat than extra! It’s true that the cooldown is fairly lengthy and so they’d be giving up the possibility to make use of it defensively, however there’s one thing about the best way it grants one individual complete management over a state of affairs – and rewards them for it – that basically rubs me the mistaken manner.
But look, each different factor of the sport has rubbed me the suitable manner up to now. When I can squint previous the consequences of that rage-inducing flashbang, I see a wedding of pleasant silliness with crafty ways that doesn’t should share the destiny of different multiplayer solely indie video games. I can’t communicate to its long run attraction simply but, however I can communicate to the best way I’m itching to leap again in.
Murderous Pursuits is out now on Steam for £17.99/$19.99/€19.99.
