Murdered: Soul Suspect is a 3rd-person action-adventure game with puzzle elements. You are Ronan O'Connor, a detective that gets killed while checking out a burglary. He finds himself in the afterlife, complete with supernatural powers. His goal is to track down his killer and bring him to justice.
Interaction
The player controls Ronan O'Connor with the left analog stick, with the camera mapped to the right analog stick. Because O'Connor is a ghost, he has the ability to walk through objects such as police tape or interior walls. However, he cannot pass through christened walls or objects created by the Dusk universe. These create barriers that O'Connor will need living people to open up.
Important interactive objects and people are marked by a floating, spinning blue circle. Upon interaction with some objects, words will appear, and the player must choose which ones are most relevant to the object in order to learn more about it. However, O'Connor cannot physically interact with the item, although he can cause some objects to malfunction, creating a distraction that is often necessary in puzzle solving. In addition to physical objects, O'Connor can also interact with memory residue, which he can investigate similarly to real-world items.
Collecting information raises the player's experience points and increases the investigation meter. Once enough information is collected, O'Connor can make a deduction, which tasks players with organizing the information in order to move the story forward.
Possession
O'Connor also has the ability to possess living people who are marked by a floating circle. Once a person is possessed, O'Conner can see through their eyes, potentially giving him crucial insight into the case. This also allows him to listen in on the conversations of multiple people.
If O'Connor possesses a witness, the player becomes able to search through that witnesses memory. Fusing O'Connor's memories with the witnesses will cause the witness to remember specifics about the case that they were previously struggling with due to adrenaline or emotion.
Combat
O'Connor will sometimes run into demonic creatures in Dusk. These creatures are much more powerful than he is, and will destroy him if they catch him or if he attacks them. In order to defeat the demons, O'Connor needs to sneak up on them before ambushing them and destroying them from the inside.
Possessing a moving person is often necessary in combat. Demons cannot see O'Connor when he is inside a living person, allowing him to ambush them much more easily. O'Connor also has a short teleport ability, which enables him to quickly ambush enemies or escape dangerous situations.
Side Quests
Occasionally O'Connor will encounter other spirits who are often friendly. Although O'Connor cannot speak to humans, he can talk freely to the dead. These spirits will often open up side quests for O'Connor, which require him to use his investigative abilities to solve some small mystery or puzzle for them. Completing side quests will reveal more information about the characters and the town of Salem.
