Welcome to Snapshot! In a nutshell – Snapshot is a little feature that provides a snapshot of information on a game that we have checked out or have been playing recently. The article will feature screenshots, and a general overview of our opinion of the game without a review score.

 

Wales Interactive and Good Gate Media are back with another Full-motion video experience in video game format. After success between them with titles such as The Complex, Late Shift and Bloodshore, we see a new unique take on a murder mystery with new title Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus? The genre of FMV games is not particularly a crowded catalogue, so personally, I love to grab any opportunity to play through these acted adventures. Occasionally it is nice to kick back and relax and partake in decision-based games interacting with what almost feels to be a short movie. Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus? is an unusual FMV murder mystery with a twist. Here Uncle Marcus has been poisoned. In the annual family quiz, you will have to uncover the truth and try to save him before it’s too late. Impressively the entire production was shot and edited during lockdown simultaneously in London and Los Angeles.

The Cast

Perhaps the star of the show here is Andy Buckley who featured in The Office and Jurassic World. He plays Uncle Marcus who has been poisoned and on the brink of death, and the premise is to find out who has it in for him. Also featured are Abigail Hardingham (Nina Forever, The Missing), Susannah Doyle (Black Mirror, Drop The Dead Donkey, About A Boy), Robbie Kay (Once Upon a Time, Pinocchio), Georgia Small (Five Dates) and Al Weaver (The Complex).

I was keen to see how the acting played out here, especially since the entirety of the story was shot in the homes of each cast member. It’s interesting to learn how an experienced bunch of actors and actresses work together in unprecedented times out of their own comfort zone. The majority of acting work across the globe is shot on set with large crews and equipment so, despite their wealth of knowledge, this would have been totally new to them.

Setting the Scene

Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus? Has an extremely bizarre yet possibly believable story. Uncle Marcus has been poisoned at a family business meeting. You play the role of Abby, the niece of Marcus and after conversing with him, he has instilled his trust in you to find out who wanted him dead. Abby’s mother hosts an annual family quiz every year on her birthday and you must use this opportunity to interrogate family members in a subtle manner. Whilst participating in the quiz, you can make several choices in which family members you’d like to play with. This also brings scenarios where you’d enter a private chat with them thus deciding further what you’d like to ask them. In between these moments you’ll also be dipping back into a conversation with Uncle Marcus where he will be putting pressure on you to find out answers.

Gameplay

Being an FMV experience, the gameplay is obviously minimal. The only time you are expected to interact is when you are given a decision to make. This could be picking one of your family members to team up with on the quiz or asking questions. Picking your choices demands an extremely quick response as you only have a few seconds to decide. This felt a little too fast as you almost didn’t have time to think about how you wanted to react. Perhaps slower pacing on this would have been warranted but maybe the team wanted to leave the tempo as a rapid-fire answer to increase the pressure of the scenarios you were facing.

As you uncover any evidence this will be stored in the game menus alongside a family tree. Whilst you can see each character and year of birth, it would have been nice to see maybe a small introduction to gauge them as a person. You can refer to this evidence at any point by pressing the start button and after each round of the quiz, you can gather and recap any intelligence you have gathered. You will notice a health bar appearing in the top left corner of the screen to indicate how much longer Uncle Marcus has before he pops his clogs.

Visuals & Audio

Visually Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus? was crystal clear in all areas of the length of the scenes. I would say it is akin to watching a show on Netflix in 4k resolution. Menus were bright and vibrant and the style of the font on screen complimented these aesthetics. The transitions from the entire family talking together to then speaking with an individual or Marcus was illustrated very well. It gave you the sense that you were actually listening to a live video call.

Voice acting made up 99% of the game audio. The cast did a fantastic job to get into character and after a few runs through the story, you start to feel a connection with them. Marcus replicates being in pain in an authentic manner and using Abby to investigate really makes you want to conclude the outcome. Abby’s sister Lottie really simulated your typical 20-year-old girl with a tinge of attitude towards her clan. The elder family members come across as elegant and really well-spoken. There is a variance of personalities and ultimately this does generate more of a challenge in fusing together your suspicions.

In Conclusion

Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus? is certainly one of the more unique FMV games I’ve had the pleasure of playing. The story whilst believable is bizarre with some unusual twists, especially in one particular area of the game. Ultimately I’ve written this review without spoiling any of the story as this is the meat and potato of the whole package.

If you’re wondering how long it takes to play through then you’re looking at around 50 minutes which is ideal for gamers’ limited for time. Replayability is there as it is possible to get through the entirety without gaining enough evidence to accuse someone and you do have the option to pin the blame on every individual if you have the information at hand. This allows for potentially six or seven playthroughs before you’re fully satisfied. Personally, I’d recommend this to anyone who adores murder mystery as a genre or investigative-style game. For the low price point, the potential of several plays to crack the case is worth the few short hours you’ll have with it.

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