Agatha Christie: Murder on the Orient Express Impressions May 12,2006 -
We want to give away the ending to Agatha Christie’s original Murder on the Orient Express in this article, but we just can’t. It’s a blockbuster, easily the best conclusion of any Christie mystery. Dreamcatcher knows this—and they also know that there’s no reason to make an adventure game with an ending fans of the source material are already familiar with. Thank goodness, too, because if an Agatha Christie game is just an interactive version of the book, there’s no reason for fans to play it.

But like the previous Christie Adventure, And Then There Were None, there should be plenty of reasons for mystery enthusiasts to dive in. Dreamcatcher plans on using the sound design to the greatest advantage. Unlike None, which featured a beautiful but sparse piano score. Murder on the Orient Express proffers a full, sweeping orchestral soundtrack, which nicely sets the mood in the lovely, snowy environments. Obviously, you’ll spend plenty of time on the train, but the swooning music and floating flakes of snow gives the setting a plush atmosphere.

The gameplay consists of traditional 3D characters with artistic 2D backgrounds. You don’t play as Hercule Poirot, although he will offer assistance via the in-game help system. Pixel hunting is also kept to a minimum: with the click of the mouse, you can actually pinpoint all interactive objects without wasting time hovering your mouse pointer over every inch of the screen.

There’s plenty of story in any Christie novel, so we doubt anyone will be disappointed with the amount of intrigue and suspense. To further the immersion factor, Dreamcatcher hopes to employ the talents of David Suchet, the talented actor who plays Poirot on the A&E network. Adventure gamers needing a quality whodunit won’t find much that’s new in Murder on the Orient Express, but they likely won’t mind, thanks to a lovely score and all sorts of intrigue.

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