Tesla Effect: A Tex Murphy Adventure

Tesla Effect: A Tex Murphy Adventure
68
Metacritic
90
Steam
78.37
xDR
Our rating is calculated based on the reviews and popularity of the game.
Price
$19.99
Release date
8 May 2014
Developers
Publishers
Steam reviews score
Total
90 (590 votes)

Tex Murphy is the last of the hard-boiled gumshoe detectives living in dystopian post-World War III San Francisco in the 2050s. Tex is an honest and good-natured private investigator with a penchant for bourbon, cigarettes and getting himself into trouble.

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Tesla Effect: A Tex Murphy Adventure system requirements

Minimum:

  • OS: Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, or 10
  • Processor: Intel Core2 Duo 2Ghz (4th gen)
  • Memory: 4 GB RAM
  • Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 280 or AMD Radeon R5 430
  • DirectX: Version 9.0c
  • Storage: 17 GB available space
  • Sound Card: DirectX 9.0c compatible device
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Hrolf_otb
Hrolf_otb

Awesome throwback game! Corny jokes and lot's of full cut scene video story progressions keep it moving. The puzzles are a decent difficulty too.

alison
alison

The Tesla Effect is... sort of good. I've never played a Tex Murphy game before, but i am a fan of adventure games, so a while back i decided to buy this one to see what all the fuss was about. What surprised me straight out of the gate is that it was first-person navigated. Like, proper first-person with WASD, not some kind of hokey point-and-click first-person. That really got me excited for my playthrough. Walking around the apartment and hearing the stream of classic private dick quips as i looked at everything had me grinning from ear to ear.

And then the puzzles started. This is a textbook case of a game that has a decent script and great acting, but the pacing is ruined by the puzzles. They're not comedic inventory puzzles like classic Lucas Arts or modern Daedalic adventures. You occasionally go on fetch quests, but there's no depth there. The core mechanics are arbitrary memory and math mini games. I know this stuff must be some people's cup of tea otherwise the entire genre of puzzle games wouldn't exist, but i hate it when these types of puzzles appear in adventure games. Add to that some infuriating stealth sections and numerous insta-death scenarios and it all starts to feel very un-fun.

But then a cut-scene happens and it's amusing again. Don't get me wrong - this isn't high-brow comedy. There is very little in this game that is clever or unexpected. It is hackneyed, but it's self-consciously hackneyed, and that saves it. The actors turn the ham up to 11 and it feels like they're all having a blast. If you're into very silly comedy and noir, then it's worth playing just for those FMVs. So make sure you have a walkthrough beside you 24/7, be prepared for some very tedious puzzle interludes, but otherwise sit back and enjoy the show.

Sabfas
Sabfas

First time i heard of Tex Murphy series was few years ago.. Way before this particular game i'm reviewing came out. Even back then, it was kind of outdated to my own standards and never considered giving it a chance although it perfectly fits me in every aspect, a combination of a walking simulator with an investigation work.. For me, such a combination can never go wrong.. About a year ago or so, i found out about this.. And with its new mechanics and better visuals, i had no choice but to buy it.. I never had the chance to play it until few days ago.

The game is amazing in many ways.. The atmospheric cyberpunk future it provides combined with the 80-70s elements that works perfectly.. The soundtrack that easily immerses you in this unique world.. The very interesting characters that can hardly be forgotten even if they don't play a huge role in the story.. And speaking of that, the story itself is a very interesting one that plays on more than one tone (Emotions, Sci-Fi, secret sides of characters, twists to the story in every turn..etc).

The puzzles were perfect for me.. I have played more games with puzzle mechanics than i can possibly count or recall. Never played one that had some challenging puzzles yet were very manageable such as this game. Puzzles are not easy yet i didn't spend countless hours trying to solve them or even look up the answers on the internet.. This is a special balance that can rarely be found in games that rely on puzzles.. Sometimes however you may struggle a bit because you missed one object that you can not progress without.. It happened to me few times.. The game provides an in-game clue system that you can trigger whenever you feel like you're stuck which is a great addition.. Not only that, but your flashlight (If played on normal difficulty) will help you easily identify any object of interest in its radius.

What i enjoyed the most in this game is the charisma and personality of Tex himself. He acts in a classic manner that can be expected of any "noir-genre detective".. He got a lovely sense of humor that never fails him, well mostly! And ingame speaking, he comments on almost every object you can see in sight.. Another thing that can be rarely found in any other "Walking simulator" game.. Such a thing requires hours upon hours of recording.

I genuinely enjoyed this game.. And i would strongly recommend it to anybody who enjoys "Walking simulators" and Investigation kind of games.

Violet
Violet

I love mystery games and this one isn't disappointing me yet. I love the graphics and the storyline as well as the dark sarcastic humor.

シャアZaku
シャアZaku

Having played the first three Tex Murphy games over a decade ago, I was so looking forward to this latest instalment of Tex's adventure.
Disappointingly, I did not like it at all :( All the stages running around is so dark, my eyes were straining to see anything.
The storyline was also disappointing. Certain parts of it feels really disconnected from the main goal.

Kobresia
Kobresia

I can't express how much I love Tex Murphy. We go way back- all the way back to the '80's together. (As a matter of fact, when they stopped making The Pandora Directive and copies were hard to come by, I met a guy on the internet who sent me a jewel-copy - MINT- for a CD of me, singing and playing my keyboard. Straight ghetto!) But I digress.

I hate Hidden Object Games (HOG). With a smoldering passion. And I don't know whose idea it was to turn an adventure game I've been waiting 14 years for into a HOG, but they did, and I hate that. Aside from all of that hidden objectiness, it was alright. Well, apart from the thirstiness, that is, happening at every turn. (What are we, 15 again? Come on, guys.)

TLDR: Stay in your lane, HOG! They're called ADVENTURE games for a reason.

protsi
protsi

Absolutely awesome homage to the retro classic with lots of heart-warming retrospections. Great for all the fans of Tex (crowdfunded), but also, all-in-all, a damn good adventure game. Easy to follow.

҉D҉es҉iR҉e҉e
҉D҉es҉iR҉e҉e

I remember "Under a Killing Moon" as one of those gems growing up as well as the many other Tex Murphy adventures. I consider the title a "Cult Classic" of point and click adventures. It's definitely a collector's item or beam of nostalgia to the old school gamers out there. You won't be disappointed if were gaming in the 90's.

stoneinfocus
stoneinfocus

If you have a certain affection for cheesy "B" movies, and you like adventure games, buy Tesla Effect. It's goofy; it's campy; it's witty; it's pretty much everything you'd want out of a game that doesn't take itself seriously. The gameplay itself isn't anything to write home about and feels rather dated (though that may be part of the intent), but Tex is an affable protagonist whose Dad-joke charm quickly grows on you, and the script (albeit a strange one) continually entertains with Tex running into a colorful cast of characters and finding himself in one amusing predicament after another. Admittedly it probably hits more of a niche than appealing to general audiences, but if you're just looking for a fun time that puts a silly smile on your face, Tex is a good guy to spend it with.

Gødden
Gødden

A disappointment.

I'm writing this review right after I've finished the game.

Some of the puzzles are just way to hard and you are punished for making experimental choices (like dying). You will have to inspect every single pixel if you're playing in gamer mode. 2nd part of the game is very linier and if you miss a single one of the 20 collectables you won't unlock the extra content and you can't go back to get what you missed.

I played the previous Tex Murphy adventures. I remember I enjoyed them but this one will be forgotten although there are some enjoyable moments half of the time. Response selection does not seem to have any impact at all and in the end the game is completely linier.

Replay value is close to zero.

Aterops
Aterops

This was a great return to the original style of the games that made Tex Murphy great. The engine is much more fluid and interactive but, beyond the mechanics of the game, the story is where the real charm is. Finally we get a answer to what happened to Tex and Chelsee.

I'm Looking forward to the Poisoned Pawn :)

Baron Robie
Baron Robie

This game is so awful, in a good way (think Starship Troopers or Con Air). Its low-res budget appearance mixed with decently shot cutscenes starring a plain cast (presumably the devs themselves) revives 90s point-and-click perfectly. Buy on sale. 6.5/10

‡ The Man With The Hat ‡ [SWE]
‡ The Man With…

Incredibly cheesy and overall campy plot, visuals and overall themes. That being said, that is largely the charm of this little gem. The outdated game engine and overall budgety look of the more conventional video game parts of the game (i.e where the world is CGI rather than acted out video footage) adds to the overall campy factor that for me made the whole experience very charming, it's not for everyone but not having played andy Tex Murphy games prior to this I'm quite charmed by this strange little experience, also the length of the game far exceeded my expecations, which was really nice! I recommend this to anyone who likes slightly silly and off beat retro stuff!

Winner! Winner! Chicken Dinner!
Winner! Winner…

One of the most outstanding adventure game series finally gets its proper finale.
After years in hiatus Tex Murphy comes back with its wise cracking humour. Yes people have aged but so have we who grew up playing such games!
It pulls in a lot of nostalgia but gift wrapped in a easy to play faster interface that streamlines the slightly clunky old games (by todays standards)
I would advise playing the older games first (which can be had for really cheap now) or at least Overseer

swishpronoob
swishpronoob

Nice old school feeling point and click adventure with a lot of FMV. Good story and I want a sequel!

mth
mth

I'm going to give thumbs down just for these reasons:
1) The dialogue system. Most of the time, I didn't know what Tex was going to say with each option, so I made him say unintended lines. Very annoying in a story-driven game, as some dialogues affect the ending. The second "give me information about this topic" dialogue style also felt stupid and unnecessary.
2) Sometimes, a puzzle isn't a puzzle. As in, suddenly this monster that looks like it wants to kill you actually doesn't kill you even though you walk past it from 1 feet away. As in, a lethal trap actually doesn't require any items but you just need to run past it.
3) I literally had to put the brightness of the game at 90 % to see things without waving a flashlight around.
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4) The ending puzzle. It's pretty anti-climatic to watch the world blow up 3 times before getting it, because you can't turn fast enough tiny knobs that sometimes bug and adjust the wrong knob.
5) The ending I got was disappointing and nonsensical. IMO I made consistent choices in all relevant dialogues, but apparently not. This of course follows from the stupid dialogue system, where you don't know what you're gonna get.

2nd Class Janitor - Wilco
2nd Class Jani…

Tags: Adventure - FMV - Photo/Film
Additional Tags: Delete Local Content & Remove from Library

TLDR: Probably best enjoyed watched on Youtube as a Lets Play. Using the interface is a bit cumbersome, it is easy to get stuck not knowing what to do and the storyline is not as gripping as you'd want.

Panther
Panther

I played Under a Killing Moon as a kid, and have some memories about it. I don't exactly recall it being the best game ever, but I think it had its moments. Well, at least I had the patience to play it through, and I clearly recall there being at least some sort of puzzles.

Tesla Effect on the other hand, is not a puzzle game. This is a find the hidden object game. And oh boy are those objects well hidden. At least the game gives you an optional flashlight to help you out with finding said objects, but it's still quite tedious.

Also, a lot of times stuff is very illogical, and nothing makes any sense whatsoever. For example, at one point you are trying to get over a broken bridge with a gap one meter wide. You find a broken ladder and Tex immediately tells you that you need exactly five pieces of wood, some nails and a hammer to fix the ladder. Then you search for the hidden objects nearby and combine everything to make a fixed ladder. Five minutes later you need to explode a cabinet open with special chewing gum to get yourself a new hammer for another puzzle. It's kind of nice that the items related to one puzzle disappear after solving it, but logically nothing makes any sense and things just feel too random and stupid. I guess that's a Tex Murphy adventure for you, but puzzles could've easily been done much better, and Tex the character would've still been himself.

Sometimes the game just teleports you to your destination suddenly with a cutscene out of nowhere, and some of the characters make little sense. Everything just feels really weird. Granted, most of the laughs I've had were about the game being so damn illogical and doing something unexpected, but I'd rather laugh because things are fun, not because they are unbelievably idiotic.

The game also drags a lot. You have to run back and forth just for the sake of it - I guess this was done to make the length of the game appear longer. Get object A from place X, so that you can get object B from place Y, so that you can get object C again from place X, only to go to Z via Y to get object D, E and F, and then return to X. But, between X and Y you have to dodge some completely unnecessary enemies which kill you. Slowly walking around boring places is never a fun experience, and less so when you can actually die during it if you're not paying attention.

Funded by crowd sourcing, the game is full of fan service in the form of inside jokes and random video clips from the previous games. Unfortunately for the casual gamer they only serve as distractions.

The full motion video based storytelling combined with 3D environments does work as a technique, though, as it did back in the day. Too bad everything makes very little sense and the actual puzzles suck.

Powered By Decaf
Powered By Decaf

Nostalgia made me buy this game. I had vague yet fond memories of watching my brother play Under a Killing Moon when I was younger. Nostalgia can be a powerful weapon to use against players, but at the end of the day, this game is simply a sloppy adventure game. A lot of the positive reviews clearly state that their nostalgia, that does not mean they should be ignored, but rather that you should buy this game with caution if you don't have that same nostalgia.

-The acting in this game is hit or miss. Some characters display some real acting skill, while others are clearly reading off a teleprompter. You can even watch their eyes moving from left to right as they read.

-The humor in this game is too forced and it seems like the writers tried to make every single thing 'funny', but when everything is funny, nothing is funny. Tex's attempts at humor using his ridiculous facial expressions is more childish than funny. Like a worse version of Nicholas Cage.

-The puzzles are bad. Simple and clean. Bad. Simply put, this game is a close to a hidden object game. My idea of fun isn't walking around a map looking for a hidden items in order to progress the story. The other puzzles in the game were your run of the mill puzzles that you've seen in a hundred other places. Nothing new or original.

-The setting and story are probably the most interesting things in the game. I found myself intrigued, even though the amnesia trope is quite overplayed, but it can be effective is used properly. I felt that it was done well here, but the poor acting, humor, and puzzles really dampen the motivation to get through the story.

-The last part of the story is just a large empty-feeling area where you run around trying to find every hidden little thing. It just seems like a lazy effort to try to extend play time by artificially increasing the amount of time it takes to do things.

Overall, if this game was released around the time of the other ones, people would have given it a standing ovation. But judged from a 2019 lens, it's not a good game. While other adventure games have been innovating to create unique mechanics, puzzles, and systems to remove the tedium of adventure games, Tesla Effect just recycles the same stuff it pumped out all those years ago with all the tedium attached.

I give this game a 4/10.

lakariana
lakariana

I enjoyed this a lot, even with the slow lonely section at the end and the stealth in the middle it was fun, exciting and had a great story all while singing off my nostalgia for the original games. I hope we get another because I'm not done with Tex yet.

GHAndrewHelton
GHAndrewHelton

great addition to the Tex Murphy series (I do wish there was a bit more content ) or future titles in the works but overall a great gaming experience

Ragtime Holly
Ragtime Holly

truly a masterpiece of a game, first time Tex Murphy player here and I adored every minute of this fantastic game!!!

Miller
Miller

Fine game if you LOVE ARCADE GAMES, if not, don't buy it. The story is good when not occupied with some puzzle that is not needed, or has nothing to do with a detective case. I am stuck, and will never be able to finish the game because I can't TWITCH fast enough. I wish ARCADE programmers would stick to their ARCADE GAMES and leave their CRAP out of OTHER types of games. Ruined the game completely for me.

chuc16
chuc16

I didn't have high expectations for this game, but I like puzzle games so I gave it a shot and I couldn't be more pleased. This game is definitely worth the time and money

mattaukamp
mattaukamp

If you're feeling nostalgic for Tex Murphy... Or you've just played through the catalog and you're itching to get back to Chandler Avenue... then fire this game up. Play for a couple hours. Squeel with delight at seeing your old pals! Laugh at the silly dad jokes! Check out the amazing high-resolution views of your favorite locations. Even marvel at the best FMV you've ever seen! Then shut this thing off and request a refund and never think about it again. The latter 5-6 hours of this game are a S-L-O-G. The puzzles are nightmarishly boring or happen with a complete lack of context. You're basically doing brain-teasers to open doors and cabinets and stuff. A picture-slide puzzle. A maze. The hackneyed Crossing-the-River puzzle. And in between, you're doing inane stuff like a stealth game that never should have ever existed. Hunting and finding a series of wood planks in a swamp. Pixel hunting for incredibly important objects you'd have no way of knowing existed (silicon gun) that are the exact same color as the surfaces they are hidden on. It goes from excellent best-of-the-series to bad worst-of-the-series in the space of one chapter. It's like they just gave up half-way through. And the story pay-offs do NOT make it worth it.

Hopefully they'll do better in the follow-up. I was severely disappointed in this one.

Ickbar
Ickbar

Worth a trip down nostalgia lane. It feels a little short, but it offers enough for Tex Murphy fans to give them a smile at least. The guy who plays Tex has certainly aged well too.

Triple Nickel
Triple Nickel

This was one of the BEST games I have ever played. It will be the best money you ever spent when you consider the time it takes to play and finish this game. It's sure to keep you busy for a solid 12+ hours of game play.

Beans
Beans

Amazing. This is my first experience with Tex Murphy and everything about it screams 'the good ol days'. It's understated, funny and best of all the puzzles are totally understandable but not insanely hard. This is an excellent game and I would recommend it to anyone who breathes.

salouhouni
salouhouni

For all Tex Murphy fans it is a must game. Classic jokes, dark atmosphere, nice riddles. Thank you Chris Jones. Recommended! We hope one day we have one more Tex Murphy. Time for me to play again the previous games. Go Tex!

mike9_the_snake
mike9_the_snake

What a surprising gem of a game. I had never heard of the Tex Murphy series from back in the day, and just picked this up on offer some time ago and have been truly impressed. Challenging Puzzles, witty banter and branching story paths. If your looking for a old school adventure with a sci-fi twist this is the one for you.

Nehbur
Nehbur

Some game developers get it. And there aren't a lot who do! They keep the same charme, the same look & feel and they stay true to what they have been good at. And I certainly hope more story's will come out. I loved the series since I was 12 years old (39 now). My only complaint is that having exactly the right stuff lying around at the right time is a bit too cheesy. Doesn't a P.I. always have a swiss army knife with him? Then they wouldn't have to place a coincendent screwdriver at the right spot all the time. Maybe it is part of the genre and I don't get the humor of it. Perhaps something for the next game.

Hamboy Steak & Cheese
Hamboy Steak &…

Everything before the last act is a lot of fun. The last act in the lab feels like a different game and I hated it.

BFalnes
BFalnes

Brilliantly true to the original series, particularly "Under A Killing Moon", which I loved playing as a kid. Nostalgic and funny. Loved it

Personal Nightmare from 1989
Personal Night…

The world has this overwhelming emptiness to it. And I don't mean aesthetically - no, it's this gorgeous urban dystopia. But it's one you can't effectively engage with it in any conceivable way. It's almost egregious there are no NPCs on the actual map as you walk - you feel like you're in a dollhouse of some kind, the only living thing in this lifeless plastic setpiece. Yes, interacting with the corresponding overworld hotspots will play an FMV scene of the actual interaction, but it feels like a distinct separation rather than a seamless transition.

Can't believe I'm saying it, but Under a Killing Moon is leagues better than this in every way. And anyone who played that game can attest to how abysmal the actual movement and controls were.

This revival is so very close to working, and I can see what it's trying to do, but it never quite gets there. Props to the actors though, they're clearly giving it their all.

Dedalo
Dedalo

Excellent game! Amusing, Inmersive, great ambientation and Superb Script.
The living proof that is not the graphipcs; but it is the narration that defines a good game from a bad one.

Perfect Hard Boiled detective Tex. I wish to play some more new adventures!

TheShepard_N7
TheShepard_N7

I loved it! I don't do fmv games often but I thought it was brilliant. It reminded me of mix between blade runner and the naked gun movies. Interesting and at times challenging puzzles. I'm a sucker for that detective noir vibe and this brought all that in a futuristic setting and hilarious dialogue by a fun cast of characters.

madrax_01
madrax_01

FMV + puzzle solving in 3D environments

I really liked the game, it is funny, cheesy and oldschool but you can feel that the developers wanted to make something special. The character Tex Murphy, the setting and the actors are what drives this game. I hope they do a sequel (with better 3D graphics).

LexArma
LexArma

If you are like me, and used to play (and love) the original release of Under a Killing Moon, then this is probably true nostalgia gold for you as well!

I would perhaps recommend this for anyone looking for a decent challenging adventure game, but definitely for those of you who are already familiar with the series - just for the nostalgia factor. This is Tex Murphy, done a little better than in the day, but still Tex Murphy.

Rysq
Rysq

Thought it was faithful to its roots. I still remember Under a Killing Moon and Pandora Directive being some of my most fun games when i was young. I thought the reboot that was done with crowdfunding was excellent and did a great job living up to the old series. If you played the old games there simply is no way you can pass on this.

Chemical_Viking
Chemical_Viking

This game is terrific. Tex Murphy is a series of games set in a futuristic Blade Runner inspired world, and whilst it's clear it doesn't have the big budget that some games have, if you can look past lacklustre graphics and, let's say, daytime TV acting, you will find a charming game that will not outstay its welcome.

Keldon111
Keldon111

Finished it offline so 8 hours play time is WRONG : but great to see this game and play it, wow what a fun waltz down memory lane, under a killing moon and pandora directive is still way better, but this is good to. more for the nostalgia than anything .

cerebremancer
cerebremancer

First half of the game is absolutely brilliant! Unfortunately second half turns into garbage, but still absolutely worth playing for emotions and old school vibe of the fist couple hours of the game play.

Newatori
Newatori

I'm from the generation that really likes first person shooter and mainstream games, but I have no words to describe how wonderful this game is. Aesthetics, mechanics, narratives and full-motion videos are extremely creative and beautiful. I have already participated in the development of some games in virtual reality, and Under a killing moon has always been an inspiration for me. This game in VR would be even more incredible

bernardo cavallino
bernardo cavallino

This game has a unique character and atmosphere, and is quite unforgettable. The writing and acting are top-notch; I have not seen better in any game out there. In fact, it is hard to find that in movies.

Half man half pizza
Half man half pizza

Brilliant game, I am someone who grew up playing on my dads PC back in windows 95 days and remember vividly playing Under a killing moon this is just an updated version. Sure the graphics are not the best and to be honest once you play an hour or so you don't really care either as the important aspects such as story and puzzles are all there and they are just as perplexing as ever. I totally recommend this to anybody who enjoys traditional point and click games (like myself) or just likes a good puzzle game with a solid story.

Pros - Story, Characters, Puzzles, Tex Murphy feel,
Cons, Graphical limitations
8/10 would recommend

Common Goblin Encounter
Common Goblin …

fun satirical FMV detective game that was quite enjoyable. Minor nitpicks I have with some of the puzzles in the game but can be forgiven thanks to hints and enabling of item finder via your flashlight.

captnsidney
captnsidney

This game is great! All Tex Murphy Games are great. I wish they would remaster the old ones or start cranking these out every year. For as much garbage as there is out there, this franchise deserves a lot more.
Play this game.

coldstart606
coldstart606

A new classic adventure game from the likes of some of the best creators in the space. Gumshoe detective, noir, cyberpunk with slapstick humor and memorable characters.

Anonymous
Anonymous

To my mind, the greatest unheard voice in the Film Noir genre, if this were a movie instead of a game, it would be aat the top of boxoffice

[Cogo]Olfer
[Cogo]Olfer

The game is great. I really recommend it if you played previous ones, I played Pandora Directive and this was a huge time travel with such new features and so much Tex like "action".

Thrymm
Thrymm

If you were a fan of the old Tex games, this was good. Wasn't great, but waiting 16 years for a new Tex Murphy game brings back the fun. I'd only recommend for fans of the other games.

pr3t3nd3r
pr3t3nd3r

I'm giving this a recommendation mostly based on the story and the FMV cutscenes, because I really love them. You get some fantastic moments of old school FMV acting here. However, I can't say the same for the first-person point and click adventuring and some of its moon logic puzzles.

Hello Toonie
Hello Toonie

It's kinda good. There's a bunch that's not great, like the graphics are primitive and the story is practically incomprehensible, BUUUUT it's funny and heartwarming and dumb and dadjokey and a weird throwback for sure.
Want more Tex!!

Musgo
Musgo

The game is not nice looking, it is a good puzzle game, it only serves to those people that played the old games.

Catinkontti
Catinkontti

+ An excellent mixture of FMV and adventure gameplay
+ Acting, there is no weakest links, but only winners!
+ Who thought that the blend of cyberpunk and film noir would make such a great story
+ Soundtrack
+ The hard work and love they have put in their game outshines the small budget flawlessly

- Graphically a bit chipped especially moving humanoids aren't from this millenia
- Thee could have been space for more puzzles and investigation
- Connections to earlier games go beyond understanding of modern Tex Murphy fans

Tesla Effect - the latest installment of Tex Murphy games is still one of the best modern FMV games in steam. Inspired by Blade Runner and Total Recall for example mixed with classical Film Noir the story is really entertaining and full of excitement and charm. The main character is Tex a private detective who has lost his memory and to get it back he must solve the case which becomes more and more deeper by each picked clue.

The game is indie and was launched by 600k kickstarter, but does not feel like it. While the game's gameplay graphics are old and cheap it is the cutscenes which make it glow and actors do great jobs even if they were not the cream of Hollywood. Especially the main man of the development team and protagonist player Chris Jones is so full of energy and wit that it just wipes out even the most woeful face. The greenscreen is used frequently the quality has been taken seriously.

Tesla Effect takes around 14 hours to beat and there is actually quite many things to do between amazing cutscenes. The immersion of detective work is there, but the puzzles could have been a little bit harder. On the other hand though game never felt stalling the progress too much making it easy to stay interested with the story. There is also some options to make the game more difficult or easier.

It's a shame that the other Tex Murphy games are so old that they have itches in working modern systems, not to mention they might be barely fun to play on modern day standards, because the storyline might make even more sense if I knew what was there before. Whatsoever the game is more independent piece than a straight sequel.

To mark it out how much I like the game I do say that it is the best FMV game out there in steam (which I have played) and even on its full price each spent dollar is worth it. In best case scenario we might be having a new Tex Murphy game quite soon.

pica_69
pica_69

This game was amazing, I absolutely love the cheeseball acting, the amazing riff on noir detectives, the ridiculous and entertaining cut scenes, all of it. This is absolutely worth the 20 bucks, and it seems like a game you can change up a bit through repeat plays

Plackers
Plackers

The FMV stuff is great and the writing for them is delightful.

The downside here is just the actual game itself. This could've been either on rails where we're just looking at a room with a map to travel around to others. Hell, just give me FMV scenes between puzzles and that'd be fine. That being said there is an excellent compromise here where you can just ask the game to tell you where something is, it will, and now you don't have to backtrack/pixel-hunt (I forgot about the flashlight almost immediately).

Late Shift came out not too long after this and I feel like that was a better execution of a similar technical premise. You could also do those choose your own adventures on Netflix (e.g. Bandersnatch, You vs. Wild, maybe a future Tex Murphy project hint hint please please). Because you're not here to play a "game" really. You're here for some fart-noir and that's good enough.

KraK Atau
KraK Atau

Very fun FMV game.
If you're a fan of the Tex Murphy series, this newest adventure will definitely make you smile.

Akhlys
Akhlys

My first FMV.

From an adventure standpoint it's solid, nothing spectacular tho.
Relatively few areas to explore, and the gravical fidelity is not that great. A detriment is that some of the things are night impossible to see thanks to mostly not even darkness but coloring, but most of the game that's not an issue. Annoying was that the same chest/desk/etc model you could open earlier reappears but non-interactable, while looking as if they were.
But on the good side, the amount of stuff Tex gives often funny comments towards is legion and in general it has quite some funny scenes.
The real live acting was pretty good, honestly I expected worse. Does fit/improve the game, but I don't know how much of that is just because I never played an FMV and was pleasantly surprised.

All in all, good game. 14h with examining everything, so I guess 20 bucks are good.

Swordfire
Swordfire

A game worth of the Tex murphy series.
But i have to say that the puzzles are easier than past games.

Xenfox
Xenfox

Imagine this game was developed in the early 90's and it's a great time. It seems that the game was intentionally built to look like a game from that era and it has that feel to it. If you like narrative games with first person puzzle elements this is a fun time.

Anonymous
Anonymous

I'm a Tex Murphy fan from way back (officially I started with Martian Memorandum although I had access to Mean Streets later), so it is no surprise that I am love this game because of my bias. I liked the scenes, the puzzles, the humour, the story, the ending. I'd jump at the next one if it was ever made.

MechLen
MechLen

For me it is the most polished Tex. Sadly probably the last one. I like the story, the environment, the great music, and of course the acting itself ;-) It's really great fun!
Pitty that this movie noir genre isn't popular among young generations. End of one era ...

fawallen
fawallen

Terrible gameplay, padded story, puzzles that hurt my eyes.

The full-motion video is goofy and charming, but you spend 90% of the game staring at every floor and surface pixel-hunting for the right item. The other 10% is waiting for glacial animations on puzzles and recovering from the eardrum-destroying sound effects.

Any resolution 1080p or higher renders the game completely unplayable because of the poorly placed puzzle cameras.

cluseau1
cluseau1

I love all the Tex Murjphy Games and I like this even more than under a killing moon and I bought one of the firs copies when it first came out on CD.

Audish
Audish

I’m old enough to remember the purported death of point-and-click adventures, and full-motion video games in particular, so it’s been a real joy to see their resurgence in the 21st century. FMV games have made a surprising comeback, no doubt buoyed by cult hits like Contradiction and Her Story. But before these, in fact, there was another return to FMV glory happening. The old Tex Murphy saga had been left hanging back in the 90s, but through the magic of Kickstarter, everyone’s favorite hard-boiled post-apocalyptic gumshoe would be brought back for one last case. That’s Tesla Effect, and while it captures so much of the charm and character that made these games classics in the first place, it also stumbles hard in some of its efforts to modernize and innovate.

Tex Murphy is our eponymous private investigator, holed up in a historic district of post-war San Francisco in the 2050s. He’s got a heart of gold but his head’s seen better days, because he can’t quite recall the last seven years of his life. Familiar faces in the neighborhood recall him turning dark and callous, a far sight from the classic quippy, charming Tex that’s just come around. It turns out that Tex’s amnesia is wrapped up in a century-old mystery, encompassing Nikola Tesla, secret societies, a lost treasure, and more than a few figures from past games. With help from the locals (at varying levels of enthusiasm), some eagle-eyed searching, and some real leaps of logic, Tex might just unravel a conspiracy that threatens the entire world.

Let’s get the obvious out of the way: this is, first and foremost, a game for Tex Murphy fans. Right from Tex’s office, there are conspicuous references to previous games and cases, going so far as to play actual clips from the original games when you examine them. The actors who played the original characters reprise their roles here, and immediately become the stars of the show through some genuinely funny writing and a massive amount of charm. Even without having the background of the previous games, I fell in love with all of these characters, Tex chief among them. He’s an incredibly earnest main character, snarking constantly but doing so with plenty of heart so as to never become too tedious or sour about it. The dialogue and cutscene-heavy portions of the game are absolutely the highlights, and the introduction of new characters is always a thrill.

Where Tesla Effect goes wrong is in how it wanders away from the strength of its characters. The main gameplay here is not traditional pointing and clicking as you might expect, but rather a first-person adventure. Tex has the run of his neighborhood and a few supporting locations, wandering around freely to examine anything that falls within his cursor’s purview. Most characters do not appear as 3D models in the game, and their dialogue scenes are triggered by activating doors or entering rooms. Early on, you’re mostly running around from one establishment to the next, testing dialogue options on characters and following up on leads and lines of inquiry. Between these FMV scenes, you’ll go hunting for items hidden around the environment and do some old-school item combining and using to solve mostly simple puzzles. Later in the game, though, the dialogue scenes become fewer and further between, and the first-person scavenger hunts start to take up the bulk of your time.

It was honestly dramatic to me how quickly Tesla Effect fell from my graces. I was 100% on board with this one for the first two-thirds or so, cackling madly at the high-quality yet cheesy FMVs and wracking my brain to turn up the items I needed. Things take a bit of a turn around the halfway mark, as you head off to a puzzle and item-hunt-heavy building with very little dialogue to break things up, but the payoff is worth it. From Night 8, though, the game swerves hard into that puzzling and item hunting, and never really recovers. The tone of the game goes from goofy noir to this weird solitary horror, Tex stops quipping so much, and lots of things start showing up to randomly kill you. I don’t know if the budget for the actors ran out, or if the ending was rushed, or what could have happened, but the last third of the game becomes a tedious slog, culminating in a finale that doesn’t really wrap much up and has some truly perplexing elements.

I don’t think Tesla Effect is a bad game, per se. I also don’t think it’s one that’s only for Tex Murphy fans, because I came in cold and had a grand old time, at least at first. But it’s a game that falls off hard by the end, and your enjoyment of it is going to hinge mightily on how much issue you take with that. For me, I’m still happy with the time I spent with the characters, and the old-school puzzling that got me to that break point near the end. I’d be lying if I said I was satisfied with the ending, but I’d also be lying if I said it ruined the game for me. Really, FMV games are such a precious, charming commodity that it’s hard to fault one even if it is as uneven as this. As long as you know what you’re getting into, I think you’ll come around to our good buddy Tex.

Did you enjoy this review? I certainly hope so, and I certainly hope you'll check out more of them at https://goldplatedgames.com/ or on my curation page!