<s>
Charlie	B-Application
Murder	I-Application
is	O
a	O
beat	B-Application
'	I-Application
em	I-Application
up	I-Application
video	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
Ska	O
Studios	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Microsoft	O
Game	O
Studios	O
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
and	O
Ska	O
Studios	O
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
First	O
revealed	O
in	O
January	O
2010	O
for	O
Xbox	B-Device
Live	I-Device
Indie	I-Device
Games	I-Device
,	O
the	O
studio	O
announced	O
in	O
May	O
2010	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
would	O
undergo	O
a	O
"	O
complete	O
overhaul	O
"	O
and	O
be	O
published	O
in	O
2012	O
through	O
Xbox	B-Device
Live	I-Device
Arcade	I-Device
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Charlie	B-Application
Murder	I-Application
was	O
eventually	O
released	O
on	O
14	O
August	O
2013	O
to	O
positive	O
reviews	O
,	O
with	O
critics	O
praising	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
soundtrack	O
and	O
hand-illustrated	O
visuals	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Versions	O
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
,	O
Linux	B-Application
,	O
and	O
macOS	B-Application
were	O
released	O
on	O
May	O
12	O
,	O
2017	O
via	O
Steam	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
features	O
five	O
playable	O
characters	O
—	O
all	O
members	O
of	O
the	O
garage	O
punk	O
band	O
Charlie	B-Application
Murder	I-Application
—	O
who	O
fight	O
a	O
demonic	O
army	O
raised	O
by	O
a	O
former	O
band	O
member	O
in	O
an	O
attempt	O
to	O
save	O
the	O
world	O
from	O
the	O
apocalypse	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Charlie	B-Application
Murder	I-Application
has	O
both	O
single-player	O
and	O
four-player	O
online	O
and	O
offline	O
cooperative	O
gameplay	O
modes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
created	O
using	O
Microsoft	B-Device
XNA	I-Device
tools	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Similar	O
to	O
Castle	B-Application
Crashers	I-Application
,	O
Charlie	B-Application
Murder	I-Application
is	O
a	O
side-scrolling	B-Application
beat	I-Application
'	I-Application
em	I-Application
up	I-Application
game	O
with	O
role-playing	O
game	O
elements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
select	O
one	O
of	O
five	O
band	O
members	O
to	O
play	O
as	O
;	O
the	O
lead	O
vocalist	O
and	O
band	O
namesake	O
Charlie	B-Application
Murder	I-Application
,	O
guitarist	O
Lester	O
Deth	O
,	O
bassist	O
Tommy	O
Homicide	O
,	O
backup	O
vocalist	O
Kelly	O
"	O
Skelekitten	O
"	O
Skitten	O
,	O
or	O
drummer	O
The	O
Rexecutioner	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
can	O
complete	O
the	O
game	O
alone	O
,	O
or	O
can	O
team	O
together	O
with	O
up	O
to	O
three	O
other	O
people	O
,	O
through	O
either	O
offline	O
(	O
with	O
all	O
of	O
the	O
players	O
using	O
the	O
same	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
)	O
or	O
online	O
cooperative	O
gameplay	O
(	O
co-op	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
use	O
an	O
in-game	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
phone	O
to	O
manage	O
their	O
inventory	O
,	O
level	O
up	O
,	O
read	O
emails	O
that	O
explain	O
game	O
mechanics	O
,	O
and	O
scan	O
QR	O
codes	O
that	O
unlock	O
items	O
and	O
give	O
the	O
character	O
money	O
or	O
followers	O
(	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
experience	O
point	O
equivalent	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
's	O
protagonist	O
,	O
Charlie	B-Application
Murder	I-Application
,	O
is	O
a	O
member	O
of	O
a	O
garage	O
punk	O
band	O
of	O
the	O
same	O
name	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Under	O
the	O
name	O
Lord	O
Mortimer	O
,	O
Paul	O
forms	O
his	O
own	O
band	O
,	O
Gore	O
Quaffer	O
,	O
and	O
makes	O
a	O
pact	O
with	O
a	O
demon	O
,	O
raising	O
an	O
army	O
of	O
demons	O
and	O
undead	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
destroy	O
Charlie	B-Application
Murder	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
order	O
to	O
stop	O
the	O
apocalypse	O
,	O
Charlie	B-Application
Murder	I-Application
must	O
defeat	O
Gore	O
Quaffer	O
in	O
a	O
Battle	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Bands	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
flashbacks	O
neither	O
paint	O
Charlie	B-Application
Murder	I-Application
in	O
a	O
wholly	O
positive	O
light	O
,	O
nor	O
Paul	O
in	O
a	O
wholly	O
negative	O
light	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Charlie	B-Application
Murder	I-Application
has	O
an	O
in-game	O
talk	O
radio	O
station	O
,	O
which	O
plays	O
in	O
enemy-free	O
areas	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
If	O
the	O
player	O
collects	O
all	O
the	O
pieces	O
of	O
Smockula	O
and	O
has	O
them	O
equipped	O
during	O
the	O
final	O
battle	O
,	O
then	O
Lord	O
Mortimer	O
is	O
incapacitated	O
instead	O
of	O
killed	O
,	O
and	O
Charlie	B-Application
Murder	I-Application
confronts	O
the	O
demon	O
who	O
granted	O
Mortimer	O
his	O
power	O
,	O
a	O
being	O
known	O
as	O
the	O
Angel	O
of	O
Chaos	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Charlie	B-Application
Murder	I-Application
was	O
first	O
announced	O
in	O
January	O
2010	O
in	O
a	O
Ska	O
Studios	O
blog	O
post	O
as	O
an	O
Xbox	B-Device
Live	I-Device
Indie	I-Device
Games	I-Device
title	O
set	O
for	O
release	O
in	O
March	O
2010	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
,	O
Ska	O
Studios	O
founder	O
James	O
Silva	O
announced	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
in	O
development	O
for	O
an	O
unidentified	O
platform	O
and	O
would	O
no	O
longer	O
be	O
released	O
through	O
Xbox	B-Device
Live	I-Device
Indie	I-Device
Games	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Joystiq	O
noted	O
that	O
the	O
demo	O
ran	O
on	O
Microsoft	B-Device
XNA	I-Device
Game	O
Studio	O
4.0	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
designed	O
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
,	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
computers	O
,	O
and	O
Windows	B-Application
Phone	O
7	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ska	O
Studios	O
announced	O
in	O
May	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
to	O
undergo	O
a	O
"	O
complete	O
overhaul	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
would	O
be	O
released	O
through	O
Xbox	B-Device
Live	I-Device
Arcade	I-Device
in	O
2012	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
eventually	O
released	O
in	O
August	O
2013	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
Summer	O
of	O
Arcade	O
,	O
an	O
annual	O
Xbox	B-Device
Live	I-Device
Arcade	I-Device
promotion	O
known	O
for	O
releasing	O
several	O
of	O
the	O
platform	O
's	O
most	O
acclaimed	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ska	O
Studios	O
 '	O
first	O
games	O
,	O
including	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Device
Live	I-Device
Arcade	I-Device
game	O
The	B-Application
Dishwasher	I-Application
:	I-Application
Dead	I-Application
Samurai	I-Application
(	O
April	O
2009	O
)	O
,	O
were	O
developed	O
entirely	O
by	O
James	O
Silva	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Michelle	O
Juett	O
was	O
a	O
tester	O
for	O
The	B-Application
Dishwasher	I-Application
:	I-Application
Dead	I-Application
Samurai	I-Application
,	O
and	O
the	O
two	O
met	O
in	O
person	O
for	O
the	O
first	O
time	O
at	O
the	O
September	O
2009	O
Penny	O
Arcade	O
Expo	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Charlie	B-Application
Murder	I-Application
was	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
games	O
that	O
the	O
two	O
worked	O
on	O
together	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Charlie	B-Application
Murder	I-Application
music	O
was	O
produced	O
by	O
Silva	O
and	O
sung	O
by	O
the	O
pair	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Silva	O
proposed	O
to	O
Juett	O
at	O
the	O
Charlie	B-Application
Murder	I-Application
booth	O
at	O
PAX	O
2011	O
,	O
using	O
an	O
in-game	O
cutscene	O
built	O
in	O
as	O
a	O
secret	O
for	O
the	O
occasion	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Charlie	B-Application
Murder	I-Application
was	O
the	O
third	O
Ska	O
Studios	O
game	O
published	O
by	O
Microsoft	O
Studios	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
required	O
Ska	O
Studios	O
to	O
create	O
picture	O
packs	O
(	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
Live	O
account	O
customizations	O
)	O
,	O
but	O
was	O
not	O
responsible	O
for	O
the	O
Windows	B-Application
Phone	O
8	O
game	O
mechanic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Charlie	B-Application
Murder	I-Application
was	O
promoted	O
as	O
a	O
free	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
download	O
with	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
Games	O
with	O
Gold	O
program	O
during	O
the	O
month	O
of	O
June	O
2014	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Charlie	B-Application
Murder	I-Application
received	O
"	O
generally	O
favorable	O
"	O
reviews	O
,	O
according	O
to	O
video	O
game	O
review	B-Application
aggregator	I-Application
Metacritic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Critics	O
felt	O
that	O
the	O
music	O
and	O
visual	O
style	O
complemented	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
punk	O
rock	O
theme	O
,	O
and	O
Official	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
Magazines	O
Cameron	O
Lewis	O
praised	O
the	O
game	O
for	O
being	O
rich	O
in	O
personality	O
and	O
detail	O
without	O
being	O
over-polished	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Critics	O
compared	O
the	O
game	O
to	O
Ska	O
Studios	O
 '	O
previous	O
side-scrolling	B-Application
beat	I-Application
'	I-Application
em	I-Application
up	I-Application
games	O
,	O
The	B-Application
Dishwasher	I-Application
:	I-Application
Dead	I-Application
Samurai	I-Application
and	O
The	B-Application
Dishwasher	I-Application
:	I-Application
Vampire	I-Application
Smile	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Game	O
Informer	O
noted	O
Charlie	B-Application
Murders	I-Application
similarity	O
to	O
the	B-Application
Dishwasher	I-Application
series	O
,	O
and	O
Destructoid	O
's	O
Chris	O
Carter	O
believed	O
that	O
Charlie	B-Application
Murder	I-Application
was	O
an	O
improvement	O
over	O
the	O
previous	O
games	O
,	O
in	O
both	O
presentation	O
and	O
in	O
the	O
amount	O
of	O
personality	O
that	O
the	O
characters	O
had	O
.	O
</s>
