Tesla Effect: A Tex Murphy Adventure

Tesla Effect: A Tex Murphy Adventure has been designed solely to please its Kickstarter backers, and in this respect it will no doubt succeed. It isn’t so much a throwback to Tex’s previous outings as it is a direct sequel to its late-'90s predecessor, with its narrative providing closure for those still left in the lurch by Overseer’s cliffhanger finale. However, if it was Chris Jones’ and the rest of the team at Big Finish Games’ intention to bring the series into the 21st century and have the Tex Murphy legacy continue into the future, then Tesla Effect is unfortunately far too unaccommodating to newcomers.

Just as its noir-inspired detective Tex Murphy is a “man out of time,” Tesla Effect is indeed a game out of time. Every aspect -- from the humor to the puzzles to the live action cutscenes -- feels beamed here straight from the ‘90s. Sometimes it’s charming, and others, it’s just dated. But if nothing else, Tex’s puns and underdog relatability ultimately still make this rocky, uneven case worth cracking.

Tesla Effect is a game made for the people who backed it. It has the familiar faces and places known to fans of the series, and updates the look with sharp, HD FMV. As someone without an existing tie to the series it was a good time, although there are certainly some rough spots in the game play. For Tex Murphy veterans it’s like finding an old photo album full of happy memories, and for outsiders it’s a solid, if occasionally frustrating, adventure game.