Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express Review

Whether you have watched the film, seen the play, or read the book, ‘Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express’ is an instantly recognisable ‘Who dunnit?’ Murder Mystery tale of one of Agatha Christie’s most famous characters. It is regarded as one of Agatha Christie’s greatest achievements and was first published in 1934. Since then it has been adapted for the silver screen, television, stage and audible. It has had one video game adaptation before in 2006, but now the story has been given a new adaptation in video game form and this time in a modern setting.

So grab your moustache comb and prepare your deduction skills as we delve into one of the greatest murder mysteries of all time.

The story of ‘Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express’ has been told countless times and in many different ways, but like I’ve previously mentioned this version has been given a fresh modern update as opposed to its previous counterparts. Gone are the days of magnifying glasses and in there place are smart phones and HD cameras. Never would I have imagined to see Hercule Poirot navigate a crime scene and taking pictures with an iPhone. It’s a refreshing update indeed, bringing the timeless story into a modern age and making it more relatable to today’s audience.

The story itself is the same, Poirot makes his way from a hotel in Istanbul and meets his old friend Xavier Bouc who offers him a place onboard ‘The Orient Express’. Poirot excepts and after solving a mini case of a missing train ticket for a fellow passenger, he makes his way to the station and boards the illustrious train.

Things appear to be going normal, Poirot enjoys the onboard commodities and even solves the mystery of the secret ingredients to a pudding served at dinner for Monsieur Bouc. It’s that night however that strange occurrences unfold and Poirot wakes up in the morning to find fellow passenger Mr. Ratchet has been murdered in his bed.

And so begins the investigation.

Like with the Book, films and countless other adaptations, Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express follows the same story, sticking true to its routes. However it allows you to take the story at your own pace, questioning suspects in whatever order you please as opposed to the order Poirot follows in the book and films. It keeps you invested every step of the way while allowing you to feel like a true detective.

Now gameplay-wise I have to start off by saying, that if you are looking for a relaxing game that you can just stick on and start playing to unwind to after a hard day, then Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express is the game for you. From its soothing chilled-out soundtrack to its fun and deductive gameplay mechanics, it really is a super chill game to just switch off to and enjoy.

There aren’t really any challenging parts to Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express, except for a few puzzle sections here and there. Each gameplay mechanic is unique and fits its purpose within the story. The main feature is the ‘Mind palace’ similar to that of the ‘Sherlock’ games, which is a mind map of all the clues, evidence and lines of enquiry you have collected to explore throughout an investigation.

Some of these nodes simply inform you on what your next line of inquiry should be and others open up little puzzles to help expand you investigation and gather clues and possible scenarios. They range from photo reconstruction which is similar to placing puzzle pieces together to form a completed picture. Deduction of the facts and picking likely scenarios out from the unlikely to form the possible truth. Sequencing (in order) a timeline of events from facts you have gathered from interviewing suspects. And finally cross checking the information gained from interviews with evidence gathered to form the truth. Again, detective work.

Outside of the mind map, you can find other features to immerse you in your detective work.

These range from picking out a lie from lines of questioning, defusing bombs, following directions from witness statements to find locations on a map, engaging your hearing to crack a safe and also using a little bit of math and riddle solving to crack codes to digital safes.

It packs in a lot to really make you feel like you are Poirot, while engaging your brain (but not in a taxing way) to solve rewarding puzzles in order to progress the story.

It’s fun and unique and takes me back to the golden age of gaming when video games were actually fun and enjoyable and not about trying to show off or trying to rinse your wallet.

It’s surprising that Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express packs so much into its gameplay and doesn’t skimp out on the rest of it like some games in the past have been known for. Its graphics and voice acting for one are impressive for a game that’s not within the AAA league.

Moving about from compartment to compartment of the Orient Express is beautiful to look at with the ice-white snow outside reflecting the light onto the waxed wood interior giving a very authentic gleam to the carefully looked-after compartments of this luxury train. Even the character models (with the exception of a few) look like they have had the care and attention they deserved in bringing these iconic roles to life.

The only drawback is that some of the mouth movements don’t sync up to the voice and the facial animations at times look a bit bland and devoid of life. The arms as well look a bit wooden when the characters move them at times, looking less human and more mannequins.

But drawbacks aside, it still doesn’t detract from the overall enjoyment I’ve had from playing Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express. From the relaxing and fully loaded detective gameplay to the graphics, outstanding voice acting (especially Poirot) and music, ‘Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express’ was the game that I didn’t know I needed right now in a time of flops and day one disappointments.

So if you want a game that is just good fun and something you can just chill out to, then I highly recommend ‘Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express’.

Because in the end, who doesn’t like a good Murder Mystery?