Under a Killing Moon
Encyclopedia
Under a Killing Moon is the third installment in the Tex Murphy
series of adventure games produced by Access Software. In Under a Killing Moon Tex again fights the forces of evil as he tries to stop a dangerous cult
from destroying the world. Under a Killing Moon combined full motion video
(FMV) cutscenes with a 3D
virtual world to explore.
In its day, Under a Killing Moon was one of the largest video games ever, arriving on four CD-ROMs (although some material was duplicated among the four to reduce the amount of swapping).
An Under a Killing Moon movie was in the works starring Soleil Moon Frye
in a prominent role. Frye appeared on The Jenny Jones Show
to plug the movie during its early production stages, but the project was ultimately scrapped.
After its creators reacquired the rights to the series, it was re-released on Good Old Games on June 16, 2009.
San Francisco in December 2042. After the devastating events of WWIII, many major cities have been rebuilt (as is the case with New San Francisco), though certain areas still remain as they were before the war (as in Old San Francisco). WWIII also left another mark on the world: the formation of two classes of citizens. Specifically, some people have developed a natural resistance against radioactivity, and thus are normal or "Norms" -- everybody else are Mutant
s in some form. Tensions between the two groups have risen dramatically since the end of the war, and Norms and Mutants usually do not get along. The Mutants are usually forced to live in the run-down areas of cities such as Old San Francisco. Tex lives on Chandler Avenue in Old San Francisco. All his friends are Mutants, though he is a Norm.
. Tex has hit rock bottom. Recently divorced from his wife Sylvia, out of work, low on cash, and living in a rundown part of Old San Francisco, Tex realizes that he has to get his act together. Tex sets out to hunt for work. He finds it quickly once he discovers that the pawnshop across the street from his apartment
has been robbed. Tex quickly solves the case, and feels his luck has begun to change. Then a mysterious woman calling herself Countess Renier, having heard good things about Tex, hires him to find her missing statuette.
Everything seems great at first. The Countess is promising to pay Tex more money than he's seen in his life. But everything quickly goes downhill when Tex finds himself unwittingly involved in the affairs of a dangerous cult.
Under a Killing Moon has many unique characters, and stars several well-known actors such as Brian Keith
, Margot Kidder
, Russell Means
and the voice of James Earl Jones
.
. It is also notable that these graphics did not use raycasting techniques like Doom, but true texture-mapped polygons that allowed players to look in all directions, and ran in resolutions up to 640x480.
Tex Murphy
Tex Murphy is a series of five adventure games from Access Software, designed by Chris Jones. The games feature the titular character, performed by Chris Jones himself...
series of adventure games produced by Access Software. In Under a Killing Moon Tex again fights the forces of evil as he tries to stop a dangerous cult
Cult
The word cult in current popular usage usually refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre. The word originally denoted a system of ritual practices...
from destroying the world. Under a Killing Moon combined full motion video
Full motion video
Full motion video based games are video games that rely upon pre-recorded TV-quality movie or animation rather than sprites, vectors, or 3D models to display action in the game. In the early 1990s a diverse set of games utilized this format...
(FMV) cutscenes with a 3D
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
virtual world to explore.
In its day, Under a Killing Moon was one of the largest video games ever, arriving on four CD-ROMs (although some material was duplicated among the four to reduce the amount of swapping).
An Under a Killing Moon movie was in the works starring Soleil Moon Frye
Soleil Moon Frye
Soleil Moon Frye is an American actress, director and screenwriter. Frye is best known for her childhood role as the title character in sitcom Punky Brewster, and as Roxie King in Sabrina, the Teenage Witch.-Early life:...
in a prominent role. Frye appeared on The Jenny Jones Show
The Jenny Jones Show
The Jenny Jones Show is an American syndicated daytime tabloid talk show that was hosted by comedian/actress/singer Jenny Jones. It was produced by Telepictures and was distributed by Warner Bros. Television Distribution...
to plug the movie during its early production stages, but the project was ultimately scrapped.
After its creators reacquired the rights to the series, it was re-released on Good Old Games on June 16, 2009.
Setting
Like all Tex Murphy games, Under a Killing Moon takes place in post-World War IIIWorld War III
World War III denotes a successor to World War II that would be on a global scale, with common speculation that it would be likely nuclear and devastating in nature....
San Francisco in December 2042. After the devastating events of WWIII, many major cities have been rebuilt (as is the case with New San Francisco), though certain areas still remain as they were before the war (as in Old San Francisco). WWIII also left another mark on the world: the formation of two classes of citizens. Specifically, some people have developed a natural resistance against radioactivity, and thus are normal or "Norms" -- everybody else are Mutant
Mutant
In biology and especially genetics, a mutant is an individual, organism, or new genetic character, arising or resulting from an instance of mutation, which is a base-pair sequence change within the DNA of a gene or chromosome of an organism resulting in the creation of a new character or trait not...
s in some form. Tensions between the two groups have risen dramatically since the end of the war, and Norms and Mutants usually do not get along. The Mutants are usually forced to live in the run-down areas of cities such as Old San Francisco. Tex lives on Chandler Avenue in Old San Francisco. All his friends are Mutants, though he is a Norm.
Plot
In Under a Killing Moon the player plays as Tex Murphy, Private InvestigatorPrivate investigator
A private investigator , private detective or inquiry agent, is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private detectives/investigators often work for attorneys in civil cases. Many work for insurance companies to investigate suspicious claims...
. Tex has hit rock bottom. Recently divorced from his wife Sylvia, out of work, low on cash, and living in a rundown part of Old San Francisco, Tex realizes that he has to get his act together. Tex sets out to hunt for work. He finds it quickly once he discovers that the pawnshop across the street from his apartment
Apartment
An apartment or flat is a self-contained housing unit that occupies only part of a building...
has been robbed. Tex quickly solves the case, and feels his luck has begun to change. Then a mysterious woman calling herself Countess Renier, having heard good things about Tex, hires him to find her missing statuette.
Everything seems great at first. The Countess is promising to pay Tex more money than he's seen in his life. But everything quickly goes downhill when Tex finds himself unwittingly involved in the affairs of a dangerous cult.
Under a Killing Moon has many unique characters, and stars several well-known actors such as Brian Keith
Brian Keith
Brian Keith was an American film, television, and stage actor who in his four decade-long career gained recognition for his work in movies such as the 1961 Disney family film The Parent Trap, the 1966 comedy The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming, and the 1975 adventure saga The Wind and...
, Margot Kidder
Margot Kidder
Margaret Ruth "Margot" Kidder is a Canadian-born American actress. She is perhaps best known for playing Lois Lane in the four Superman movies opposite Christopher Reeve, a role that brought her to widespread recognition....
, Russell Means
Russell Means
Russell Charles Means is an Oglala Sioux activist for the rights of Native American people. He became a prominent member of the American Indian Movement after joining the organisation in 1968, and helped organize notable events that attracted national and international media coverage...
and the voice of James Earl Jones
James Earl Jones
James Earl Jones is an American actor. He is well-known for his distinctive bass voice and for his portrayal of characters of substance, gravitas and leadership...
.
The virtual world
Under a Killing Moon was the first Tex Murphy game to fully utilize interactive 3D environments. The player controls Tex from a first person perspective. The virtual world allows full freedom of movement, and as such allows the player to look for clues in every nook and cranny. Though action games with 3D environments and first-person perspectives had been popularized by Doom the previous year, it was unusual at the time to see these characteristics in an adventure gameAdventure game
An adventure game is a video game in which the player assumes the role of protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving instead of physical challenge. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media such as literature and film,...
. It is also notable that these graphics did not use raycasting techniques like Doom, but true texture-mapped polygons that allowed players to look in all directions, and ran in resolutions up to 640x480.
Conversations
Under a Killing Moon was the first Tex Murphy game to stray from the traditional adventure game dialogue format of providing options that showed exactly what the player's character would say. Instead, descriptions of the dialogue choices were given, providing some mystery to what Tex would say.Cast
- Chris JonesChris Jones (Access Software)Christopher Jones is a videogame designer and finance professional. He is most famous for his series of interactive movies starring the hard-boiled, out-of-his-time gumshoe Tex Murphy, played by Jones himself, a private investigator that lives in the San Francisco of the middle of the 21st...
as Tex MurphyTex MurphyTex Murphy is a series of five adventure games from Access Software, designed by Chris Jones. The games feature the titular character, performed by Chris Jones himself... - Brian KeithBrian KeithBrian Keith was an American film, television, and stage actor who in his four decade-long career gained recognition for his work in movies such as the 1961 Disney family film The Parent Trap, the 1966 comedy The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming, and the 1975 adventure saga The Wind and...
as The Colonel - Margot KidderMargot KidderMargaret Ruth "Margot" Kidder is a Canadian-born American actress. She is perhaps best known for playing Lois Lane in the four Superman movies opposite Christopher Reeve, a role that brought her to widespread recognition....
as Bartender - Russell MeansRussell MeansRussell Charles Means is an Oglala Sioux activist for the rights of Native American people. He became a prominent member of the American Indian Movement after joining the organisation in 1968, and helped organize notable events that attracted national and international media coverage...
as The Chameleon - James Earl JonesJames Earl JonesJames Earl Jones is an American actor. He is well-known for his distinctive bass voice and for his portrayal of characters of substance, gravitas and leadership...
as The Big PI in the Sky - Michail Bailey as Lowell Percival
- Mindy Lawson as Eva Schanzee
- Rebecca Clay as Alaynah Moore
- Monique Lanier as Countess Renier
- Kevin L. Jones as Mac Malden
- Sandy Jensen as Eddie Ching
- Doug Vandegrift as Rook Garner, Sal Lucido and Beek Nariz
- Randall Edwards as Louie Lamintz
- Suzanne Barnes as Chelsee Bando
- Jeri Christian as Francesca Lucido
- Aaron Conners as Ardo Newpop and Moonchild Technician #2
- Steve Barnes as Clint The Bum
- Brian Ferguson as Hamm Underwood
- Willie Walker as Franco Franco
- Shannon Engemann as Melahn Tode
- David Madsen as Ferrel Pus
- Richard Haslam as Pug
- Kris Mickler as Sylvia Linsky
- George Manousakis as Rudy
- Mark Mcarthur as Marcus Tucker
- Mark Hulka as Paul Dubois and Tex Murphy Stunt Double
- Travis Driscoll as Security Guard
- Nathan Larsen as Moonchild Technician #1
- Dave Pehrson as Eddie Ching Thug #1
- Wayne Braithwaite as Eddie Ching Thug #2
- Jay Richards as Mick Flemm
- Brandon Wright as Monks
- Les Oswald as Captain Wallaby
- John Berven as Delores Lightbody
Characters
- Tex MurphyTex MurphyTex Murphy is a series of five adventure games from Access Software, designed by Chris Jones. The games feature the titular character, performed by Chris Jones himself...
: (Chris JonesChris Jones (Access Software)Christopher Jones is a videogame designer and finance professional. He is most famous for his series of interactive movies starring the hard-boiled, out-of-his-time gumshoe Tex Murphy, played by Jones himself, a private investigator that lives in the San Francisco of the middle of the 21st...
) the game's protagonist, a down-on-his-luck private investigator. - Chelsee Bando: (Suzanne Barnes) Owner of the local newsstand and a source of information. Tex states that Chelsee is a mutant, though this is not apparent from her appearance.
- Rook Garner: (Doug Vandegrift) Owner of Rook's Pawnshop, at which Tex agrees to solve a robbery.
- Francesca Lucido: (Jeri Christian) Owner of Slice O'Heaven Pizza. She suspects that her husband Sal is having an affair.
- Louie Lamintz: (Randall Edwards) Owner of the Brew & Stew.
- Ardo Newpop: (Aaron Conners) Owner of the Golden Gate Hotel. He is described as eight feet tall and of low intelligence.
- Clint the Bum: (Steve Barnes) A homeless man normally found in the alley behind Rook's Pawnshop. He is a chocoholic.
Novelization
A novelization of the game was written by Aaron Conners in 1996. Although the basic plot, characters, and setting remain mostly the same, it differs significantly from the game, providing a great deal of extra information, new characters, character deaths, and more detailed character motivations related to the main plot involving the Moonchild, while removing scenes and characters from the game that did not relate to the Moonchild plot, creating a more singular Chandler-esque mystery novel. The final ending of the game (meeting The Colonel and Eva in the bar, and dancing lessons with Delores Lightbody) is also changed to continue this style.Other Tex Murphy games
- Mean Streets (1989)
- Martian MemorandumMartian MemorandumMartian Memorandum is a dystopian cyberpunk/noir PC adventure game that was originally released in 1991 for PC. It was developed and published by Access Software. The game is the second in the series of Tex Murphy mysteries; its immediate sequel is Under a Killing Moon...
(1990) - The Pandora DirectiveThe Pandora DirectiveThe Pandora Directive is an adventure game for the PC. It takes place in the world of Tex Murphy, hero of Mean Streets, Martian Memorandum, Under a Killing Moon, and Tex Murphy: Overseer....
(1996) - Tex Murphy: OverseerTex Murphy: OverseerTex Murphy: Overseer is the 5th installment in the Tex Murphy series of adventure games for the PC. In it, the player controls Private Investigator Tex Murphy as he recounts the story of his first case to his girlfriend, Chelsee Bando...
(1998)