Tex Murphy: Under a Killing Moon
Tex Murphy: Under a Killing Moon
Game
Game2014
Tex Murphy: The Pandora Directive
Developer Access Software
The Pandora Directive is the fourth installment in the Tex Murphy series of graphic adventure games produced by Access Software. After its creators reacquired the rights to the series, it was re-released on Good Old Games in July 2009 for Windows and in 2012 for macOS, and then released on Steam in 2014 with support for Windows, macOS, and Linux. In 2021, Big Finish Games announced that a remaster of The Pandora… From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
206 reactions from 4 sources (Bluesky, Steam reviews, Mastodon, Lemmy) · newest Nov 2, 2026 · last updated Nov 2, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
85
LovedLoved
60 positive · 11 negative
95% range 74–91%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluesky * | 20 | 4 | 65 |
| Steam reviews | 60 | 11 | 0 |
| Mastodon * | 2 | 0 | 40 |
| Lemmy * | 0 | 0 | 4 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
66 of 77 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
85% recommend · 63 yes, 11 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 74 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (85 of 98 positive).
Players praise the game's immersive story and narrative depth. [1][2][3] Many note that the graphics and controls are dated but forgivable. [1][4][5] Some reviewers report technical issues with launching or saving. [6][7][8]
Liked
Representative posts
- [6]
Game does not launch. Keeps asking for CD ROM. Seems like Steam can't fix this issue.
- [1]
Pandora Directive isn't the most beautiful game. It's got clunky controls, and graphics fighting against Namco Museum on my PS1. But it's got one thing that not even modern games have. An immersive story. After about 10 minutes of figuring out the controlls, I was hooked again. I was too young to be able to get past the first few puzzels in 97, but now I can fully understand the complexity of the story and the true …
- [3]
This is the best adventure game ever. PERIOD. To understand this, you need to play several paths and get several endings, sure you mostly play the same puzzles but your choices actually MATTER (yes, more than Quantum Break). YOU decide how things play out. In 1996 this was totally unheard from (and with FMV no less!). So get over the annoying controls (WASD was not invented yet), and enjoy a great story.
- [5]
Great story, dated gameplay & graphics. This is one of the best FMV stories out there, but searching around for 10 pixel items in the corner of a dark room gets annoying after a while. I don't blame you if you use a walkthrough since some puzzles and items are just unfair. I do however suggest you do the jigsaw puzzles and the crossword puzzle without cheating, just as little brain teasers to get your mind off of …
- [2]
Probably the best adventure game ever! I remember this game from 1996 or 1997! Was stunning in this time. Graphics is really really retro for today standard and would need some remastering but if you like adventure games, good story and not caring much about GFX get this game.
Summarised from 34 of the 206 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 13, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Players who liked Tex Murphy: The Pandora Directive talk about great story and narrative; those who didn't talk about dated graphics and clunky controls. Which matters more to you?
Critics, per Wikipedia
According to Aaron Conners of Access Software, The Pandora Directive's sales totaled "about 120,000 world-wide". A reviewer for Next Generation praised The Pandora Directive's all-star cast, three-dimensional interface, storyline, and use of both sight gags and more subtle humor. He criticized that some of the puzzles "are just too difficult, requiring unbelievable stretches of imagination and leaps in logic", but concluded the game overall to be as good as fans of adventure games could hope for. He scored it four out of five stars. In PC Zone, Chris Anderson called The Pandora Directive "without question the best adventure game of its type". Scorpia of Computer Gaming World likewise…
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 206 · most liked firstPandora Directive isn't the most beautiful game. It's got clunky controls, and graphics fighting against Namco Museum on my PS1. But it's got one thing that not even modern games have. An immersive story. After about 10 minutes of figuring out the controlls, I was hooked again. I was too young to be able to get past the first few puzzels in 97, but now I can fully understand the complexity of the story and the true power an adventure game has in story telling. It's a gripping narrative which…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Probably the best adventure game ever! I remember this game from 1996 or 1997! Was stunning in this time. Graphics is really really retro for today standard and would need some remastering but if you like adventure games, good story and not caring much about GFX get this game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is the best adventure game ever. PERIOD. To understand this, you need to play several paths and get several endings, sure you mostly play the same puzzles but your choices actually MATTER (yes, more than Quantum Break). YOU decide how things play out. In 1996 this was totally unheard from (and with FMV no less!). So get over the annoying controls (WASD was not invented yet), and enjoy a great story.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Why Tex Murphy is one of the BEST adventure game series EVER. Continuing the countdown of the greatest #adventuregame series of all time. Here is number 10. youtu.be/8-xeFJqTZ4w?... #indiegame #retrogamer #adventuregame @gamelegendsdoc.bsky.social @adventuregamegeek.bsky.social #aghnetwork
neutral · AI labelView post →I’m so extremely excited. I’ve had the good fortune of playing an alpha build and I’m absolutely floored. Blog post about my experience roaming the streets and what this means to me and the future of Tex Murphy games coming soon -Joshua #indiegame #adventuregame www.kickstarter.com/projects/tex...
positive · AI labelView post →Joshua Cleveland (me) put pen to paper to and gushes over Why Tex Murphy Is One of the Best Point-and-Click Adventure Game Series Ever Made. #adventuregame #fmv #fmvgame #indiegame #pcgame @bigfinishgames.bsky.social @underakillingmoon.bsky.social adventuregamehotspot.com/blog/5552/wh...
neutral · AI labelView post →Played halfway through this game. For you old enough to remember the good old 486DX computer with the state of the art double speed CD rom reader; this was the game that break the mold with incredible 640 x 480 Full motion video on your DOS system. Plus you have the added bonus not having to change your config.sys file and autoexec.bat to get enough memory for the game on your current gaming rig! ^_^ The game is very simple compared to modern games, but oh heck, it is still as fun to play as…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →MON DIEU! My retrospective on the 2nd Tex Murphy game, Martian Memorandum, is now up. Let's get our asses to Mars! youtu.be/Iw08YzZ4HGk #adventuregames
neutral · AI labelView post →#LogLoads64 Mean Streets You need to read the manual to play this game and as such - I have no idea if it is any good. But, the year is 2033 and your name is Tex Murphy. Being a P.I. on the #C64 never felt so slow. I *will* look at this. At some point. Anyone actually played it? Is it any good? 😆
neutral · AI labelView post →oh my god. they're remaking Tex Murphy: Under A Killing Moon??? how did i not hear there was a kickstarter for this??? this game CHANGED ME. and i think launched me on the path of my lifelong love affair with noir www.kickstarter.com/projects/tex...
positive · AI labelView post →This game is full of clever puzzles and good humor. The graphics are pretty low-res by today's standards, and the controls are bit awkward at first, but if you can move past those things it is a fun adventure game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →guest review by LVL WON of Tesla Effect: A Tex Murphy Adventure! was it worth the wait? is the FMV revival in good hands? find out here, and only here: nebula.tv/videos/innue...
neutral · AI labelView post →Leaderboard Golf (1986) A great early golf simulator by Access Software, who'd go on to make Links (as well as the Tex Murphy games) years later. When this was released, it was the most authentic golf game around, with realistic physics and rotoscoped animations. 1/3
neutral · AI labelView post →I really start to love the adventure game Tex Murphy Under a Killing Moon! This game makes me laugh over and over again! It has many funny characters, too! Ardo Newspop reminds me somehow on Weird Ed Edison from Maniac Mansion! 😄 Thanks so much again, @darkcrowind.bsky.social! 🫂
positive · AI labelView post →Beach Head (1983) This was the first big hit from Access Software, who'd later go on to make games like Leaderboard Golf, Links and the Tex Murphy-series. It's an action game where each level is a separate mini game. The goal is to lead a seaborne assault on the enemy's fortress. 1/3
neutral · AI labelView post →Game does not launch. Keeps asking for CD ROM. Seems like Steam can't fix this issue.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I remember playing this as a kid. What a totally unique experience it was back then. This is easily one of the best adventure games on all time. Playing it again after so many years has only made it better.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My friend @darkcrowind.bsky.social and I started playing Tex Murphy: Pandora Detective! 😊 @spacequesthistorian.com thanks again for your video about @moralrecordings.bsky.social's patch! The controls now feel like a regular FPS game and it's pleasant to play Pandora Detective. 😊
positive · AI labelView post →If you've never played the Tex Murphy games, SHUT YOUR MOUTH and buy the bundle right now. They are campy future detective noir mysteries, and I love them all so much! They're fantastic, worth the price store.steampowered.com/sub/45894 Tesla Effect on sale too store.steampowered.com/app/261510/T...
positive · AI labelView post →One of the best FMV games out there.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →And what I never played personally, I watched let's play's and walkthrough's on early YouTube. With this in mind, while I never even heard of Tex Murphy or Phantasmagoria until well into my late teens / early twenties, I *did* sink my teeth into a... very strange little FMV PC game.
neutral · AI labelView post →I grew up on these streets. And by "these streets", I mean "Under a Killing Moon was actually my first Tex Murphy game", but I couldn't resist using this because I thought of it immediately. It was that or Atari 2600's Street Racer.
neutral · AI labelView post →The game as a whole is pretty bad, which hurts that much more because the acting, basic story, and titular character are actually good. **Way too many bugs. Can't tell you how many times I had to fidget around, trying to click in a puzzle solution at different distances and from different angles, because the game kept crashing at certain parts. This wasn't my computer's fault; these are old, well-known bugs. **There are a lot of horribly designed abstract puzzles that wouldn't have made…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Today on Quest Quest, the adventure game podcast, @decafjedi.com and I discuss one of the great FMV games: Under a Killing Moon. Tex Murphy has to solve some low-rent Blade Runner mysteries as rendered in cutting edge 1994 technology. Listen here or where ever: zencastr.com/z/1vuG9S4B
neutral · AI labelView post →Part 2 of my Tex Murphy: Under a Killing Moon playthrough just went up on YouTube! I'm really loving this game so far, and I'm especially impressed with what a technological marvel it was for 1994. Join me live tonight on Twitch at 9:30 p.m. ET for more FMV gumshoe adventuring! twitch.tv/decafjedi
positive · AI labelView post →The latest episode of Quest Quest: The Adventure Game Podcast is here! In this episode, @bvigeant.bsky.social and I discuss mystery adventure games. We're talking Laura Bow, Tex Murphy, Gabriel Knight, Sherlock Holmes, and more! Give it a listen! zencastr.com/z/GBfXea5d
neutral · AI labelView post →I think more devs should make a radio drama entry in their video game series like the Tex Murphy devs
positive · AI labelView post →My "Fair & Balanced Retrospective" on Under A Killing Moon, the third Tex Murphy game, premieres tonight on YouTube: youtu.be/rbmshHiOHfA Come hang out in the chat and watch it with us. Time: 10 PM CET / 4 PM EST / 1 PM PST #adventuregames #retrospective #TexMurphy
neutral · AI labelView post →Playing my first 'Tex Murphy' game.
neutral · AI labelView post →Absent of any exaggeration, The Pandora Directive (the sequel to Under A Killing Moon) is possibly the greatest adventure game of all time. No, it is not an Interactive Movie (albeit Access Software themselves describing the game as such). The Pandora Directive, instead, is a point and click adventure game with various narrative branches leading to their own unique ending options. It just so happens that this game features FMV. So, rather than being a game where the entire basis of the gameplay…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Had another great time playing Tex Murphy: The Pandora Directive with my friend @darkcrowind.bsky.social! We came across a newspaper article in the game that… hasn't aged very well. On one hand it's kind of funny, but on the other hand I feel bad for Bruce Willis and for the late Paul Reubens.
neutral · AI labelView post →I’m glad the Kickstarter for Tex Murphy Under A Killing Moom Remake has passed $300,000 so then we can get the moon child expansion and play more on there. Now onto $500,000 so then we can get PlayStation 5 and Xbox console ports. Onwards. www.kickstarter.com/projects/tex...
positive · AI labelView post →If you've ever wondered whether you'd enjoy a Tex Murphy adventure game, I feel like this clip is a solid litmus test. "I'm going to be playing some songs that I know YOU'LL LOVE."
neutral · AI labelView post →Game 11: Tex Murphy: The Pandora Directive Another one I'd been meaning to play for a while - I loved Under a Killing Moon, and this one is just bigger and better. More ambitious, and with a tremendous story. An all-time great in the FMV niche, easily.
positive · AI labelView post →Just wrapped up another adventure game gem with my friend @darkcrowind.bsky.social -- Tex Murphy: Under a Killing Moon! 🙌✨ This one really surprised me, and we had so many laughs along the way! #AdventureGame #Adventure #Game
positive · AI labelView post →Speaking for myself but in 1995 or whatever I didn’t even know what the term rendered was. Game looked cool but I liked Tex Murphy Under a Killing Moon for state of the art graphics lol
neutral · AI labelView post →AGFF Update: Aaron Conners will be at the event answering your Tex Murphy questions. Aaron is the writer and co-designer of the Tex Murphy adventure game series. There are still a handful of tickets available. You can get them at adventuregamefanfair.com #agfanfair #texmurphy
neutral · AI labelView post →We've just launched our new studio alongside the announcement of a new game! We're proud to present the teaser trailer for 'The Last Ark' www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJ-o... For more info about the game & the new studio created by one of the devs. of the Tex Murphy series visit: terabbitstudios.com
neutral · AI labelView post →Well. Another old game that's barely playable on windows 10. The issues here are simply the games age. The controls for navigating your way around various scenes are simply broken. Subsequently it is way too easy to miss vital clues that are needed to advance the story. The 2nd but more crucial issue is that the game save function does not seem to be working all that well. After playing for a while and trying to work my way past its control issues, I saved the game and left it for a spell.…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My favorite FMV adventure game from the 90s and the absolute best of the Tex Murphy series. Pandora Directive uses the same DOS-based 3D engine as Under a Killing Moon, but this time the story is much more epic and mature, with many more puzzles, vastly improved cinematics, and multiple endings based on how you treat the other characters. Tex is still his good humored self, though he can have a cruel streak if you decide to play him that way. The writing is really exceptional, featuring a smart…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I recommend starting with the Tex Murphy games then moving on to some of the less talked about ones: Black Dahlia The X-Files Game Harvester Burn:Cycle Frankenstein: Through the Eyes of a Monster Lost in Time Johnny Mnemonic Star Trek: Borg Goosebumps: Escape from Horrorland The Last Express
positive · AI labelView post →Assuming no technical hiccups, I'll be starting my first #Twitch stream today at 7:00 pm EST, as part of #DOSember. My plan is to play #Freedoom (using the DSDA #Doom source port) for the first hour then moving on to #TexMurphy : The Pandora Directive. https://www.twitch.tv/whiskytangofoxtrot/
neutral · AI labelView post →The graphics are so ridiculous... BUT, this doesn't matter!!! It's a splendid game. It is difficult, it is intrigant, it is funny, it is a challenge for your mind. And the protagonist, Tex, he's a joke. hahahahahahaha
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm usually a pretty lenient guy who doesn't get upset easily. But I can't get over these elevator controls in Tex Murphy: the Pandora Directive (our DOS Game Club game of the month). I mean... the button for 1st floor is at the top? And 2nd floor at the bottom?? Wtf??? #dosGaming
negative · AI labelView post →I just backed Tex Murphy: Killing Moon Rising on Kickstarter! You'll get to see me in-game as a Moon Child Technician! 😅 Even as a bad grunt, I love the idea of being in a game - and it's a remake of a game I feel everyone should have played! www.kickstarter.com/projects/tex...
neutral · AI labelView post →Game 12: Tex Murphy: Mean Streets I decided to get through this one in my own time (for a particular reason) and thought it was... alright. Once you understand how the game wants to be played, it's pretty interesting. However, it does drag a bit once you've done the same thing several times.
neutral · AI labelView post →Tex Murphy - Under a Killing Moon, an all-time favorite game of mine is about to get a faithful remaster! 🤩 www.kickstarter.com/projects/tex... Shout-out to stellar artist @aghoulprince.bsky.social for this amazing fanart of me playing the game on stream a few years back 🫶🦄✨️
positive · AI labelView post →The bedroom I'm staying in has a fancy conversation pit that slides open to become a huge lava filled trash incinerator. For some reason I understand this installation to be a reference to a Tex Murphy game.
neutral · AI labelView post →Did you know... FMV game legend Chris Jones, aka Tex Murphy, provided voiceover for Radio August in The Shapeshifting Detective!
neutral · AI labelView post →Great story, great game, very well put together. i like the talk about aliens and roswell crash i found this walk thru most helpful~thx adventure gamers https://adventuregamers.com/walkthrough/full/tex-murphy-the-pandora-directive-mission-street-the-good-path
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great story, dated gameplay & graphics. This is one of the best FMV stories out there, but searching around for 10 pixel items in the corner of a dark room gets annoying after a while. I don't blame you if you use a walkthrough since some puzzles and items are just unfair. I do however suggest you do the jigsaw puzzles and the crossword puzzle without cheating, just as little brain teasers to get your mind off of the world. For an FMV game, the acting isn't bad surprisingly. Maybe it's because…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is an awesome game. I wish more from this series was on Linux. It works flawlessly on Ubuntu 16.04.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I had no idea the Tex Murphy games originated in my home state of Utah, so that was pretty cool to discover in this episode. The series is a big adventure game blind spot for me, but I don't know that I'm necessarily in a rush to rectify that after this discussion, which I really enjoyed.
neutral · AI labelView post →The game starts much in the same was as Under a Killing Moon, slowly investigating your case. But very soon, your inventory is filled to the brim with items, you have a dictionary worth of conversation topics and a lot of places to visit without knowing if you are done with whatever you're suppose to do. Then during day 7 (out of 10), the game decides to just ♥♥♥♥ the player over. There's a very strict time limit to explore a pretty huge place and do quite a few things in order to survive.…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great game, though the controls are absolutely terrible... unless you use the mouselook mod that enables modern WASD/mouselook controls. It makes the game immediately 1,000% more enjoyable and you'll spend less time getting the camera in place just to click on an object https://github.com/moralrecordings/tex3-mouselook
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Heya folks, here's a new retro intro, this time featuring the 1996 FMV game Tex Murphy: The Pandora Directive by Access Software. #texmurphy #videogames #retrogaming #fmvgames #intro
neutral · AI labelView post →Away for the weekend celebrating Pal's birthday, so dropping next weeks schedule now! Tues & Thurs 7pm GMT we'll be starting our first Retro playthrough of 2026, the long awaited Tex Murphy: Under a Killing Moon! There's a chance of a game showcase stream on Saturday, too, details closer to the day!
neutral · AI labelView post →Electronic Games (1995): "Welcome to the year 2042. Fill the shoes of Tex Murphy (played by Chris Jones), an out-of-work private investigator living in the war torn ruins of Old San Francisco." #texmurphy #retrogaming #retrogames www.abandonwaredos.com/abandonware-...
neutral · AI labelView post →My video on the 4th #TexMurphy game, The Pandora Directive, is up in Early Access for my Patreon supporters: https://www.patreon.com/posts/early-access-f-b-136683233 If you are subscribed to my #PeerTube channel, you may have seen that it got published there by accident for a few minutes. If you saw the link, cool. If not, you'll see the video along with everyone else in a couple of days. 😅 #adventuregames #fmvgames
neutral · AI labelView post →I really start to love the adventure game Tex Murphy: Under a Killing Moon! This game makes me laugh over and over again! It has many funny characters, too! Ardo Newspop reminds me somehow on Weird Ed Edison from Maniac Mansion! 😄 #Adventure #AdventureGame #Game #TexMurphy #Classic
positive · AI labelView post →
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