Train of thought.
When a mystery story has been told millions of times before, how can it still be a mystery? This is the challenge faced by anyone adapting Agatha Christie’s phenomenally widely-read 1934 novel, Murder on the Orient Express. And just in case anyone missed out on the book, decades of film adaptations have also solved the case again and again. This is the challenge taken on by Microids Studio Lyon, as the team packs our bags and stows us away on the legendary locomotive, playing the role of celebrated detective Hercule Poirot.
Murder on the Orient Express, like the novel, begins in Istanbul, in the grand Tokatlian Hotel. Several of the story’s ensemble cast are introduced in quick succession. Details are kept light and the player is tested on a few key facts about each character to reinforce the basics of who’s who. Since the complex relationships and interactions of figures from different backgrounds are a hallmark of Christie’s mysteries, it’s essential the characters are internalised. Microids, having opted for rote drilling of name, nationality, occupation, and age, have not found the most elegant solution, but it will at least be effective for newcomers while keeping things moving for those already familiar. The game trades the 1930s setting of the novel for the modern day, and with 2023 being the 140th anniversary of the Orient Express itself, there is a perfect excuse for Poirot and his crew of soon-to-be suspects to be stepping aboard.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
