It feels like only a few weeks ago that we were getting to the bottom of a case, as Agatha Christie’s rotund moustached Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. But he’s back once again with a whole new title, Agatha Christie: Murder on the Orient Express, though there have been a few changes since the last grand adventure.
Firstly, this title is developed by Microids Studio Lyon instead of Glasgow-based Blazing Griffin studio, who were at the helm for the past two Poirot titles.
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The second big change is that this instalment has moved away from the more classic David Suchet’s portrayal of the detective. Agatha Christie: Murder on the Orient Express has gone for an edgier current take on him, inspired by Kenneth Branagh’s big screen version.
Classic Poirot
But beyond these big shake ups the games sticks to its guns, in that it is mostly faithful to the source material; while modernizing elements and the gameplay.
Once again seeing you collecting clues, interviewing suspects and drawing conclusions to hopefully crack the case.
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You are tasked with solving a murder aboard the luxury train, the Orient Express, which creates a perfectly contained crime scene – as all the clues and suspects are within its carriages.
Plus, the train has had to stop in the middle of nowhere due to a snow drift blocking its path. So, you are stranded with nothing else to do, than to find the truth and get to the bottom of the most sinister of crimes. Typical.
Clue Though
If you have read the book or seen one of the many adaptations, you’ll have a few gut feelings of what’s going on as well as how things will unfold. Agatha Christie: Murder on the Orient Express has a colourful group of passengers aboard; from a grizzled army captain to a Russian princess.
Gameplay wise when not collecting clues or talking, you’ll be solving a number of different puzzles that will open up options for you to gather more information. From fixing an orange juice machine, to reorganising a fridge. You never truly know what you’ll be facing next.
These are fun additions that add an extra layer to things in Agatha Christie: Murder on the Orient Express. For example, puzzle solving doesn’t end there, as you’ll also have to decipher the clues you collect. You then have to piece it all together so that timelines do not conflict.
Or you can combine different statements to come to conclusions to use against the suspect and ultimately catch them within their own lies.
Long Trip Aboard
The game will clock in at about eight or nine hours to complete, which may surprise you for a game set in one location. Though it has a few surprising tricks up its sleeve that go beyond our Belgian hero. However, we’ll leave these revelations for you to discover. No spoilers.
But it’s within these revelations that the developers have gone mostly off the beaten track of the original tale. And this is a brave move that adds depth to the title as well as a true sense of the unknown.
Look of Agatha Christie
Agatha Christie: Murder on the Orient Express has a dated visual art style, but it holds things together. The train looks the part mostly, though you better be ready to see the same carriages over and over as you move back and forth through them.
Sound is period accurate but the voice acting is a little dated. The vox work has a PS2-era vibe to it in ways. Agatha Christie: Murder on the Orient Express also features a few questionable accents and Poirot does ham it up a fair bit himself.
As for any issues, I would say like past games there is no real difficulty curve or fail state. The game just bounces you back till you strong arm the right answers more often than not. And even then, there is also a hint system to really get you over the line.
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Agatha Christie: Murder on the Orient Express is a faithful retelling that, in places, sticks a bit too close to the source. Fans will know the outcome of this ‘whodunnoit’ hours before the pay off. However, there is more to this case than meets the eye and even if you are a hardcore fan, there is something of here for you.