Thank you to Hitheryon Games for the review key!

Murder is Game Over is a short whodunit mystery game with a side of schtick. The game opens with a business deal between three men being interrupted by a bizarre woman warning the men that they're trespassing on hallowed ground. She claims that the castle bought by one of the men, a famous and rich game designer, is haunted by the spirit of a gargoyle that would soon exact its revenge against him. A few short hours later, and the man is found dead on the grounds with his head crushed by a fallen gargoyle statue. Eight people are suspected, but no one has a clue who could have done it. Who would have done such a thing? His wife? His adopted daughter? The groundskeeper? Or are the stories true, and did he truly pick a fight against an ancient evil? Either way, someone has to get to the bottom of this, and that someone is you, the player, and your investigative dog Cleo. Although you are generally held in no regard, the reputation of your clue-sniffing dog Cleo proceeds her.

Murder is Game Over plays as a top-down exploration game. You can use your arrow keys to travel with Cleo or click where you'd like to go, keeping a close eye out for any clue icons that would help piece together this puzzle, and taking statements from the suspects to keep in the back of your mind. As you explore the castle grounds and the surrounding areas, you'll slowly gather information that you can use to progress the story. This typically involves finding some evidence that goes against a previous statement and pressing the suspect with it, or using it as justification to enter a new area previously locked off to you.

The sprites do a good job at setting the mood for this bizarre Scooby-Doo-esque plot. Outside of the castle, you'll find yourself in a forest and surrounded by high cliffs; flowers and trees littering the area while a rolling blue fog covers the screen. Inside the castle, you'll find bookcases and statues of armor, while rooms like the kitchen or bedroom have unique designs and furniture. Unfortunately I cannot say the same about the music, which sounds like it was composed by someone who doesn't understand how music is supposed to sound. The RPGMaker soundfont does it no favors and makes it sound grating. In fact, everything about the game feels like a bog-standard RPGMaker title.

Since the game is a mystery, the narrative needs to be interesting to keep you hooked. While the game certainly has its moments and some lines I did find funny, the overall story is just not very good. It has a few plot points and ideas that it stretches as far as possible, but most of the game can be summarized as: enter new area, find new clue, go back to old area to talk to someone about new clue, and repeat. The game is somewhat vague about who the killer is and gives you the chance to explore for the first hour or so, but after that when you find some new clue it railroads you into the obvious conclusion of that clue and what you need next.

In terms of moral content, the goth girl you see in the opening segment apparently worships the spirit of the gargoyle and organizes seances with her own little cult. She also prattles on about class warfare, the game designer and his wife being "toxic", and generally wishing death upon them simply because they are rich. It is mentioned at one point that drugs are flooding the town, and later we find that one of our suspects runs a meth lab. Cigarettes are a crucial part of identifying a suspect. There is some minor language like h### and d###.

Murder is Game Over isn't a game I would call impressive or interesting. Even if you could look past the issues listed above, the game is only around 3 hours long. It's not terrible, and it's not good, but If you're looking for a schticky whodunit to spend an evening with I might recommend it then.