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Murder In The Abbey (released in some countries as The Abbey) is an adventure video game, developed by the Spanish studio Alcachofa Soft and released in 2008.[1][2] The game is inspired by the 1987 title La Abadía del Crimen.

Gameplay

Screenshot

The majority of the gameplay involves interrogating monks using the standard gameplay of a detective-themed adventure game. In addition, players collect an inventory of useful items, and have to complete logic puzzles.[3] The game has a 3D-character-in-2D-backdrop art environment.[4]

Plot

The game is set in the Middle Ages, and its storyline is inspired by the historical 1980 murder mystery novel The Name of the Rose. When a monk named Leonardo of Toledo is ordered to deliver the young Bruno to the Nuestra Señora de la Natividad Abbey for study with the local monks, a "dark, dastardly murder interferes with this kiddie drop-off".[3]

Development

Games4women observed that the "credits were heavily populated by German and Spanish names which most likely accounted for the authentic feel of the game".[5] GameWatcher noted: "As a game set in a Christian monastery it deals with Christian themes of morality and right and wrong".[6]

Around 70 minutes of music was written for the game, composed and directed by chief developer Emilio de Paz himself, and recorded by the Prague Symphony Orchestra.[7]

Critical reception

Adventure Classic Gaming gave the game a glowing review, writing it had "an exceptional production of an outstanding story, accompanied by fun, intuitive puzzles that seldom bog down the plot's progression".[8] Similarly, Tap Repeatedly said the game had "a delightful, pleasantly surprising medieval mystery featuring colorful graphics, stiring music and excellent voice acting".[9] Multiplayer.it likened the game's art style to that of Disney.[10]

GameSpot said "Murder in the Abbey may not be entirely original, but it's an adventure with a lot of personality".[3] IGN concluded: "Between the could've-been-awesome art, the never-could've-been-awesome-in-a-million-years voice acting, and the fact that monastery intrigue is a very niche proposition to begin with...Murder in the Abbey utterly fails to be something I can recommend to anyone".[4] The Adrenaline Vault acknowledges the game is "populated by a cast of quirky characters".[11] The Escapist reasoned that "we barely ever get to feel like we're participating in the investigation, just witnessing it. That's a big failing".[12] DieHardGameFan deemed the title a "poorly done video game rip off" of The Name of the Rose.[13] LeftStickRight noted the game has "relatively dark material...while the art style is a little cartoony", resulting in something that is "as disturbing as Missing but not as absurd and irreverent as The Curse of Monkey Island".[14] Gamewatcher concluded that "fans of pure adventure games should really enjoy this title".[15]

References

  1. ^ "Murder in the Abbey". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 2021-10-27. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
  2. ^ "Murder in the Abbey for Macintosh (2009)". MobyGames. Archived from the original on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
  3. ^ a b c Brett Todd. "Murder in the Abbey Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 2016-04-08. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
  4. ^ a b Emily Balistrieri (10 September 2008). "Murder in the Abbey Review". IGN.
  5. ^ "Murder in the Abbey - Review". games4women.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
  6. ^ "Murder in the Abbey PC Review - GameWatcher". gamewatcher.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
  7. ^ "Adventure Corner - Previews - The Abbey - First Facts". 2007-03-01. Archived from the original on 2007-03-01. Retrieved 2018-02-25.
  8. ^ "Murder in the Abbey - The Abbey - Review - Adventure Classic Gaming - ACG - Adventure Games, Interactive Fiction Games - Reviews, Interviews, Features, Previews, Cheats, Galleries, Forums". adventureclassicgaming.com. Archived from the original on 2015-09-12. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
  9. ^ "Murder In The Abbey - Review - Tap-Repeatedly". Tap-Repeatedly. Archived from the original on 2015-10-13. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
  10. ^ "Multiplayer.it". Archived from the original on 2016-03-07. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
  11. ^ "Murder in the Abbey PC review". The Adrenaline Vault. Archived from the original on June 30, 2011.
  12. ^ "Review: Murder in the Abbey". The Escapist. Archived from the original on 2016-03-11. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
  13. ^ "Tabletop Review Shadows of Esteren: The Monastery of Tuath". diehardgamefan.com. Archived from the original on 2015-10-03. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
  14. ^ http://www.leftstickright.com/2008/09/16/monks-gone-wild-murder-in-the-abbey-review/#sthash.uK6awcfQ.dpuf [dead link]
  15. ^ "Murder in the Abbey PC Review - GameWatcher". gamewatcher.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-11-02.

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