➤ Agatha Christie - Murder on the Orient Express, the review of a game that goes beyond the novel 🕹

The review of Agatha Christie - Murder on the Orient Express, a video game based on the novel by the British writer that however goes beyond the original work.

The French editor Microids and Hercule Poirot have formed a solid alliance, it is now clear. The company not only published Hercule Poirot: The London Case at the end of August, but is now ready to distribute the new Agatha Christie - Murder on the Orient Express on PC, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch and Xbox.

It may seem a bit exaggerated that Microids has decided to release two games about the Belgian detective so close to each other (and it is a bit, we must admit), but the truth is that they are two adventures that are less similar than one might think. , especially from a gameplay point of view. However, we have to catch a train, so let's not waste time and immediately get into the car with him. Review of Agatha Christie - Murder on the Orient Express.

From the past to the present, the new Poirot

Agatha Christie - Murder on the Orient Express, the review of a game that goes beyond the novel — An elegant corridor of the Orient Express

Agatha Christie - Murder on the Orient Express is obviously inspired by the British writer's original work, but with several innovations that may intrigue even those who already know the plot. First of all, the version of the video game is set in 2023, adding smartphones and replacing elements such as the pipe with an electronic cigarette.

Poirot also changes, which unlike the two previous Microids games (The First Cases and The London Case) moves away from the "curvilinear" aesthetic and proposes an always dignified and mustachioed investigator, but with more rigid lines, which really does not clash with his typical seriousness and composure.

The most important changes, however, are the completely original ones. In fact, a very important figure will soon appear on the train, but invented by the Microids team: Joanna Locke, an American detective who followed at home the story that is the basis of the game and linked to the murder that gives its name to the work. In this review we do not want to give you too many details about it: those who know what we are talking about do not need explanations and new Poirot fans will be able to discover every detail by playing.

What we can say is that Joanna is a narrative and gaming tool that allows developers Taking players back in time and out of the Orient Express.. In fact, we will experience a series of flashbacks in the role of the detective, which will give us a closer look behind the scenes of the murder. Also, this must be said, Agatha Christie: Murder on the Orient Express goes beyond the original story, creating a second ending of sorts. When we think we are done and have practically reached the conclusion of the novel, Microids stops the credits and continues with a discovery that expands the original story, building on what we have discovered up to that point and adding some new surprises, so that even Historical Poirot fans have a whole new mystery to solve.

This is an understandable and welcome choice, as it does not cancel the original work, but simply adds an additional layer to the events of the novel in an overall believable way. Regardless of the ending, Agatha Christie: Murder on the Orient Express has the advantage of being based on a book of the highest level, full of Character that has been well recreated and adapted to modern times.. Some have a little more punch and stage presence, while others tend to stay a little more in the background during the adventure, but overall it is impossible not to be passionate about history and the Orient Express, which fascinates even in 2023 for its elegant carriages. To better experience the narrative component, we also suggest opting for the French dubbing instead of the English one (subtitles are in Spanish), as many characters are better represented in this version.

Joanna's flashbacks also give a added oomph to the story making it even more dramatic, since we can see up close the events of the past, which in the novel are just a distant story. The Microids adaptation is therefore an excellent way to discover (or rediscover) Agatha Christie's novel.

Agatha Christie - Murder on the Orient Express: narration and puzzle

That the plot is a strong point of Agatha Christie - Murder on the Orient Express could also be taken for granted, but evidently many are not satisfied with a narrative adventure that does nothing more than make us read dialogues.

Agatha Christie - Murder on the Orient Express, from a gameplay point of view, tries to distance itself from The First Cases and The London Cases. The first was pretty much just a narrative game, while the second tried to push a bit more of an adventure/point-and-click style. The new title, however, abandons the isometric view in favor of a third person with camera behind your back. This is a more "modern" choice, but also almost mandatory considering that most of the adventure takes place in the narrow spaces of the train. The third person, which in some interactions becomes the first person, helps to better present the scenes where the investigations take place.

These work in a very classic way. Hercules (or Joanna) explores the environments and interacts with a series of items that become clues. There's no real The First Cases/The London Cases-style mind map (or Frogwares-style, if you love other detectives too), as there's no need to connect clues together to reach new conclusions. However, we will have to do it regularly expose a lie of the suspects, selecting the false phrase in your statement and choosing what evidence disproves it. They are always very simple sequences and, furthermore, failing has no penalty: you can immediately try the rest of the options, the only penalty being the loss of a couple of trophies.

What will require a little more action on our part will be the solve puzzles, linked to the objects we will find. However, the gameplay varies significantly between the section of the game based on the novel and the original part, the latter being much denser with complex and more original puzzles and puzzles to solve. In the "first" part (which lasts 4/5 of the entire game), we will have to complete too many banal and already seen sequences, such as "move four boxes without placing the large ones on top of the small ones" or "place all the gears to make the machinery." These are overused ideas in puzzles of this type and sometimes even a little ridiculous: Poirot agreeing to postpone an interrogation to fix a mechanical citrus juicer is a little funny, but not in a good way. These are small things though and the puzzles help break up what would otherwise be long sequences of pure dialogue.

In the second part, as mentioned, the level rises. In a couple of situations, some steps are a little less clear and it is no coincidence that we decided to put them to the test. track system inserted in Agatha Christie: Murder on the Orient Express. In fact, the developers have created some hints to help those who get stuck: the first suggests what to do, the second hint gives a very clear explanation and the third gives the solution. However, we only need help a couple of times, so on average we can say that it is not a difficult match.

While expanding the gameplay a bit in the second phase, Agatha Christie - Murder on the Orient Express It's still a primarily narrative game. and it is recommended above all for those who want to live a good story and less so for those who are looking above all for a title where they can exploit their gray matter. Furthermore, it is certainly not a game for those looking for a top-level graphical impact: the railway environments are nice and well maintained, a little less than the original areas invented by Microids (also due to the fact that they are often a little larger) . The worst thing, however, are some animations that in some dialogue sequences bring out all their rigidity, somewhat ruining the feeling of identification. However, Agatha Christie - Murder on the Orient Express is a classic mid-budget product and those who usually buy this type of production know well that they should not expect too much.

Conclusions

Tested version PlayStation 5 digital delivery PlayStation Store Price 39,99 € Holygamerz.com 8.0 Readers (11) 8.7 your vote

Agatha Christie - Murder on the Orient Express is a narrative adventure with puzzle interludes, which will appeal to Poirot fans, old and new, thanks to a good recovery of the original novel and a valid final addition that expands the already known story. It's not designed for those who want a complex research title to figure out nor for those who want a cutting-edge graphical presentation, but if you know what you're getting into you'll hardly be disappointed.