After reviewing The London Case a little while ago, I was very curious to see what Murder on the Orient Express had to offer. Upon investigating this new Agatha Christie release, I discovered that it wasn’t developed by Blazing Griffin. Instead, Microids employed their own Studio Lyon to create what might be the most refreshing Agatha Christie game thus far, though it isn’t without issues.

The first thing that struck me about Agatha Christie: Murder on the Orient Express is that it is a modernized version of the story. Instead of being a period piece (like the previous games), this adaptation takes place in 2023. It is a strange juxtaposition considering Hercule Poirot himself feels somewhat out of place in the modern age.

Essentially the plot involves Poirot being roped into solving a murder aboard the titular train. He is surrounded by suspects and will have to unravel the truth of the case before the train arrives at its destination. Along the way, Poirot meets a new character named Joanna Locke, an American cop who has her own story that intertwines with the classic Agatha Christie narrative via flashbacks.

If you have played the previous Agatha Christie games, Murder on the Orient Express takes the best elements of all of them. Surprisingly, instead of being an Isometric game, this is an over-the-shoulder Third-Person experience. You’ll investigate environments for clues, talk to suspects to gain information, and then make connections via the Mind Map.

Murder on the Orient Express focuses more on the puzzles and mystery elements. The game asks you to profile characters based on information that has been revealed in dialogue, rather than outright giving you the details. The mind map also works similarly to previous games, letting you make connections and coaxing you to the right conclusions. This time around you also have optional questions that just test your own deductive skills. They don’t penalize you if you’re wrong, it just tests how well you’ve picked up on things.

To my delight, I noticed that not only is there a hint feature available, but there is also full voice acting. There are a few other accessibility features as well which were lacking in the previous games. I was mildly annoyed by how simple some of the puzzles were and how self-congratulatory Poirot gets when you correctly deduce something. Those are minor gripes with Murder on the Orient Express though, considering how engaging it is.

The voice acting is fantastic, the visuals (and animations) are well done, and overall Studio Lyon has done a great job. I complained about the walking speed in The London Case. However, even though Poirot only has one speed in Murder on the Orient Express, the environments are small enough that it doesn’t feel like a drag.

Overall, while I was initially thrown off by Murder on the Orient Express’ modern take, I really liked it. It has a few annoying elements (like Poirot congratulating himself regularly) but the more I played the more I enjoyed it. Joanna Locke’s storyline adds some freshness to the mix as well, injecting something different into the classic story.

If you’re a mystery fan, Murder on the Orient Express is a must-play. If you were concerned about the Agatha Christie games after The London Case, give this one a chance. Even if you are new to the series or Agatha Christie’s work, Murder on the Orient Express has a lot to offer.

A Nintendo Switch Review Copy of Murder on the Orient Express was provided by Microids for this review.

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Agatha Christie: Murder on the Orient Express

$39.99 USD

8.5

Score

8.5/10

Pros

• Intriguing modernized mystery
• Joanna's flashback case is fascinating and ties in beautifully
• Simple controls
• Great Voice acting
• Accessible gameplay

Cons

• Poirot with a Smartphone is strange
• Poirot is very self-congratulatory which gets annoying
• Some puzzles are overly simplified