Tex Murphy: Under a Killing Moon fan remake!

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Features by Adventure Game Hotspot staff
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Access Software's Under a Killing Moon was ahead of its time when it launched in 1994. But now, more than 30 years later, there's no question that the venerable Tex Murphy classic has started showing its age. If only someone would remake it! It's not going to be Chris Jones's own company Big Finish Games – not with the planned remaster of The Pandora Directive still on hold – but Tex's fan base is nothing if not devoted, and one of them has stepped up to fill the void.

For the past year or so, indie developer Yuval Dorfman has been working hard to re-create the first chapter of UAKM, and in his latest video feature, Adventure Game Hotspot's own Joshua Cleveland invites Yuval to share what he's achieved so far, and the results are impressive, to say the least.

From Tex's own faithfully rebuilt office, to the various shops and businesses on Chandler Avenue, Yuval has made 2042 Old San Francisco look better than ever, and all completely seamless with no loading screens to bog things down. There are no characters – either Mutants or Norms – or live-action video in place yet, but the new engine allows for things like dynamic lighting and weather effects that just weren't possible originally. So now steam rises from the sewers as a steady rain falls from the blood-red skies, with lightning crackling in the distance. Slick!

But this isn't just a 1:1 remake, as there will be upgrades to the antiquated interface as well. The controls will be more intuitive and comfortable, the view screen will be significantly larger, and the inventory opens at the top, where items can be zoomed in and rotated for further inspection. You can interact with more of the world, as well, including a fully explorable Brew & Stew diner, a flashlight to illuminate those darker spaces in real time, and the ability to physically affect the environment itself. (Hoops, anyone?)

Of course, this isn't the first fan attempt to remake a Tex Murphy game (R.I.P., Poisoned Pawn), and a LOT will have to go right to bring the project to fruition, including the blessings of the series creators and a Kickstarter to finance the rest of the project. For now, though, Yuval is aiming to complete and release the first chapter in its entirety, and we can't wait! So settle in, have a watch, and we're sure you'll be every bit as excited as we are about the prospect of a shiny new/old Under a Killing Moon on the horizon.