Art of Murder: FBI Confidential hands-on archived preview
Until news of a proper sequel was unveiled recently, it seemed that those looking for "the next Still Life" might just find it in the form of Art of Murder: FBI Confidential. Young, attractive female FBI agent assigned to a grisly serial killer case in a major American city… sounds familiar, doesn't it? Indeed, it's quite apparent that Polish developer City Interactive was heavily influenced by Microïds' popular crime thriller from the outset. But it takes more than a few fundamental similarities with a modern day classic for a game to stand on its own, so as the English release of Art of Murder approaches, the question is not only if it measures up to the standards of its inspiration, but whether it's able to carve out an identity for itself in the process. The answer so far is somewhat mixed, based on a fully localized preview version of the game I've had the chance to play.
The resemblance to Still Life really is unmistakable in the early going. Standing in for Victoria McPherson is Nicole Bonnet, a similarly short-haired, twenty-something, sometimes-tough-talking brunette. The opening cinematic portrays Bonnet arriving at a dilapidated apartment building (check) after an ill-timed coffee errand (check). The scenarios are somewhat different, but the environments eerily familiar, and soon you take control of Nicole with the mouse-shaped cursor (check again). Throw in few more details like the hard-boiled station chief and the lone on-duty black cop, and you'll soon be bracing yourself for a baking puzzle. Thankfully, just when all these parallels start to feel a little uncomfortable, Art of Murder wisely (if not altogether successfully) decides to establish its own storyline.
Along with Nicole, players are soon briefed on the case that will provide the central focus of the game. A serial killer has been brutally murdering respectable New York citizens, using a unique weapon and leaving behind a mysterious signature clue. At first there is no apparent connection between the victims, so it's up to Nicole to piece together the seemingly random pieces. The investigation includes a few different crime scenes, an art museum, a library, and of course the office where Bonnet works. Eventually, as the body count rises amidst the requisite twists and turns, the case takes Nicole to Cusco, Peru, for a welcome change of scenery.
It's quite attractive scenery, too, as the graphics in Art of Murder are easily one of the game's strong points. While not jaw-dropping, the various backgrounds are crisp and nicely detailed, whether depicting a tenement's filth or a lush South American jungle. At times there's the odd ambient animation like clouds drifting across the sky, though on the whole the scenes feel largely static. Most environments are indoors, so this doesn't feel out of place, but the absence of secondary characters and the lifelessness of the primary ones doesn't help the cause. Apparently the entire FBI building is populated by Nicole's boss and his secretary. I'm pretty sure that's not likely. This is a common complaint for adventures, of course, so Art of Murder is hardly alone, but this game certainly doesn't buck the trend. Character animations are similarly underwhelming, but a light sprinkling of quality cinematics rounds out the visual experience on a positive note.
The game's music is also highly commendable. The orchestral soundtrack plays unobtrusively in the background, but any time I found myself tuning into the music, I was duly impressed. Voicework, on the other hand, leaves something to be desired. While none of the characters are egregiously bad, they display the near-trademark mistakes of localization: actors that aren't fully comfortable with the script and a director not fully familiar with the nuances of the language. The result is a presentation that's largely acceptable and yet littered with awkward miscues. There are also several sound files missing completely in the preview version, so here's hoping a return trip to the studio is still planned before final release. Polishing up the performances at the same time would definitely help.
The script itself could use some fixing itself before further recording, as the translation also falls into the category of close-but-not-quite, but that might be too much to expect at this point. The overall plot is serviceable enough as an enticement to keep you moving forward, but there's nothing very realistic about many of its elements. I'm no expert in FBI procedure or agent conduct, but Nicole Bonnet is clearly even less of one, and it shows.
This lack of realism extends to the gameplay in Art of Murder as well. For the most part the puzzles are pretty conventional inventory-related fare, though there are a few logic puzzles thrown in for good measure. Most are reasonably entertaining and none are exceedingly difficult, but a few definitely strain all credibility, particularly given the context of an FBI murder investigation. The presence of some forensic lab equipment teased of CSI-style puzzles, but no such luck, as their use is largely automated. Both the puzzles and pacing are somewhat hampered by an erratic linearity at times. Nicole will refuse to collect some items before she has reason, even if there's a perfectly valid reason staring her in the face, but she'll pick other objects up long before they're ever needed. Fortunately, the linearity is both more consistent and more useful in limiting players to relevant areas at any given time, so you'll always have a pretty clear idea what you need to accomplish, and there's little unnecessary backtracking.
Aside from the contrived nature of several puzzles, the other main complaint is the need for trial-and-error to solve some of them. Nowhere is this more conspicuous than in one of the game's (thankfully few) life-and-death sequences, which allows you two failures before an inexplicable "game over". That wouldn't be so bad if you could logically work out a solution, but short of being ridiculously lucky, you're almost certain to take a couple (or more) fatal bullets for your trouble. At least the game auto-saves just before the potentially punishing events, which would be much appreciated if not for the insanely long save times that are curiously far longer than the accompanying load times.
The rest of interface is fairly straightforward, with the usual variety of traditional point-and-click elements. Nicole's mobile phone is an important part of the game, but the other elements of her PDA feel underused, particularly the camera – so much so that you'll likely have forgotten about it when you actually need it. A "hints" button doesn't actually offer clues, but does highlight hotspots and exits, and while the game avoids pixel hunts for the most part, you'll be thankful for the option on a couple of occasions. Dialogues may throw players at first, as instead of interacive topic trees to click through, conversations simply end when the current subject is finished, forcing you to click on the character again to see if there's anything more to say. It's a bizarre choice, but it works well enough if you remember to keep clicking on everyone until they start to repeat themselves.
If you're getting the impression of a decent adventure with a few rough edges at this point, your detection skills will serve you well when the final game is released. Art of Murder: FBI Confidential has the foundation and the potential to be a solid serial murder mystery, but it could certainly benefit from a bit more polish. No firm release date for an English release has been announced, though the developers have indicated a self-published summer target, so here's hoping the remaining time is used effectively for small but key improvements. Still Life it's not, but there's plenty of death and a murder to solve for armchair special agents later this year.
