Agatha Christie: Murder on the Orient Express (2023)

Years ago, I read a review of the game "Fingerbones" which included the critique that the player spent so much time walking back and forth that they lost any sense of momentum in the story. And honestly, that's one of the big problems with trying to create a game adaptation of "Orient Express". Imo, it's one of the finest Christies--certainly one of my favorites--and that claustrophobic setting serves it very well on the page. But not, perhaps, so much in a video game.

To their credit, the developers recognize this and try to break it up with other chapters that take you off the train, but those run into their own issues. They tried to put a fresh new twist on the story by adding additional characters and story, as well as updating to the modern age. I can appreciate the intent, but a lot of it fell flat as many of these new developments just left me with a sense of "okay...why?" These new things felt grafted on rather than integrated, and in the end I was left with the sense that instead of making a full commitment to "modern reboot" or "classic story", the game tried to occupy an unsatisfying middle ground. They might have been better advised to take on some of the long-standing novel questions (the infamous "who was the woman in the kimono?" debate) if they were looking for a fresh spin.

Three stars out of my customary four tops mean this is not a bad showing. If you're interested in the concept, it has some good things to offer. It's just not what it could have been, which is a real shame.