Under a Killing Moon

Under a Killing Moon is a video game that consists of 0 releases

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The third game from Access Software featuring Tex Murphy, Private Investigator, and the first to bring FMV and 3D to the series. It is considered a cult classic among adventure game fans today.

Overview

Under A Killing Moon is a PC adventure game developed and published by Access Software. It was released in 1994 on 4 CD's for MS-DOS and was the third game from the company to feature Tex Murphy as the lead character. Previous titles in the series include Mean Streets and Martian Memorandum. The game features full motion video and 3D environments that together create a convincing cinematic experience.

Story

Under A Killing Moon's universe combines the science fiction genre with film noir crime drama. The year is 2042, and in post-World War III San Fransisco nuclear fallout has created a new racial divide on Earth - between those unaffected by the massive amounts of radiation, known as "norms," and the unfortunate mutants who bear physical defects from the aftermath. Tex Murphy is a private investigator and a norm who prefers to live in the old part of town with the mutants. He wears a trench coat and a fedora, drinks bourbon, and fancies himself a throwback to the hard boiled P.I.'s of the early 20th century. He is a reasonably good person despite being a bit of a bumbling detective and pretty much down on his luck most of the time.

Tex doing what he does best.

A robbery at Rook's local pawn shop occurs and Tex takes up the case, finding the stolen bracelet with relative ease. His actions however are being watched by others, and soon he is summoned by a mysterious Countess Renier. She is impressed by his location tactics, and tasks Tex with retrieving a crystal statuette of a dove that was stolen from her, for a large sum of money of course. Tex eventually recovers the statuette from a highly secured location but doing so sets of a chain of events that could spell the end of the world. Tex is promptly assaulted and the statuette goes missing. Meanwhile Tex's mentor known as The Colonel is stabbed within an inch of his life after asking one too many questions. And the man responsible for both, as well as the beautiful countess, turns out to be a shapeshifter called The Chameleon - the right hand man to The Brotherhood of Purity, a cult bent on fulfilling an ancient prophecy of destroying life on earth while select norms watch safely from a utopian space station known as the Moon Child. And Tex just delivered to them the final piece they needed. Not to mention he's out of bourbon.

Tex must pick up where The Colonel left off, and he is tasked with infiltrating the cult and stopping their plans of genocide along with their leader, the enigmatic Lowell Percival. He learns of the organization CAPRICORN who developed a computer virus meant to destroy the Moon Child, and The Colonel's involvement with them. Unfortunately the agent assigned to the project is a now prisoner of The Brotherhood. Tex is able to locate the Winter chip with the virus and he eventually tracks down The Chameleon, who he kills with a poisoned cigarette. This leads him to be taken prisoner himself aboard the Moon Child with little time to spare before the plan takes effect. Tex meets up with CAPRICORN agent Eva aboard the station and together they are able to upload the virus, escape the Moon Child, and save the world. Unfortunately Tex doesn't get the girl in the end, but he does get a slice of Louie's famous chocolate pie and a glass of bourbon to wash it down over at the Brew 'n' Stew.

Gameplay

Under A Killing Moon features two modes of exploration - one where the player navigates the 3D environments in first person, and another where movement pauses and a point and click interface is used. The player switches between the two modes on the fly using the space bar. The game also features many traditional adventure elements including examining surroundings, collecting objects, combining and using items, a variety of puzzle types, and branching dialog trees with a large cast of characters. Numerous easter eggs are also located in the game, and players that interacted with mundane objects were often rewarded with unintended results.

The signature interface for Tex Murphy games first appeared in UAKM.

The dialog system was particularly robust as Tex has three distinct options to say at any given time, with conversations branching off into different directions depending on what mood the player wanted to convey. The writing and full motion video added even more depth to this aspect of the game and provided many opportunities for humor throughout.

There is a detailed hint system available in Under A Killing Moon which serves as a built in walkthrough for all intents and purposes. Points are also given to the player depending on how much of the game is seen and completed, and using hints would detract points from the overall total. Death is present in the game, and if the player dies Tex is brought before "The Big P.I. in the Sky" who lets him know what went wrong before sending him back to complete the mission. This faceless character is voiced by film actor James Earl Jones.

Acting

The game's acting is a point of contention among fans and detractors, with some hailing it as a shining example of FMV done right and others faulting the game for it's mostly amateur cast. Many of the characters were portrayed by Access employees including Tex Murphy who is played by Chris Jones, the co-creator and director of UAKM. Other known actors in the game include Brian Keith as The Colonel, Margot Kidder as a cult bartender, Russell Means as The Chameleon and the previously mentioned James Earl Jones as The Big P.I. in the Sky.

Cast

Chris Jones as Tex Murphy
Brian Keith as The Colonel
Margot Kidder as Bartender
Russel Means as The Chameleon
James Earl Jones as The Big PI in the Sky
Mindy Lawson as Eva Schanzee
Monique Lanier as Countess Renier
Michail Bailey as Lowell Percival
Sandy Jensen as Eddie Ching
Rebecca Clay as Alaynah Moore
Suzanne Barnes as Chelsee Bando
Randall Edwards as Louie LaMintz
Doug Vandegrift as Rook Garner and Beek Nariz
Jeri Christian as Francessca Lucido
Kevin L. Jones as Mac Malden
Steve Barnes as Clint
Aaron Conners as Ardo Newpop
Shannon Engemann as Melahn Tode
Richard Haslam as Pug
Mark Hulka as Paul DuBois
David Madsen as Ferrel Pus
Mark McArthur as Marcus Tucker
Brian Underwood as Hamm Underwood
Willie Walker as Franco Franco
Jay Richards as Mick Flemm
George Manousakis as Rudy
Kris Mickler as Sylvia Linsky
Dave Pehrson as Eddie Ching Thug #1
Wayne Braithwaite as Eddie Ching Thug #2
Nathan Larson as Moonchild Technician
Travis Driscoll as Security Guard
Trisha Woods as Computer Voice
Les Oswald as Captain Wallaby
Brandon Wright as Monk

Reaction and Legacy

Under A Killing Moon was given high reviews from publications that covered exclusively adventure titles upon release and mixed reviews from the mainstream gaming press. It sold well enough to spawn two more titles in the series that would go on to refine the cinematic adventure formula that was established in UAKM. A novelization of the game was published by Prima and released on April 10, 1996. It was written by Aaron Connors, who co-created the game with Chris Jones and wrote the original script. On April 19, 1999 Access Software was purchased by Microsoft and all characters and properties found in Under A Killing Moon are now under their jurisdiction. There are currently no plans in the works for a sixth Tex Murphy game.

General Information Edit

Game Name	Under a Killing Moon
Platform(s)	Mac PC
Publisher(s)	Access Software, Inc.
Developer(s)	Access Software, Inc.
Genres	Add a new genre Adventure Puzzle
Themes	Add a new theme Sci-Fi Comedy Crime Post-Apocalyptic
Original US Release	need a fuzzy date?
Original US Release	1994 know the real date?
Aliases