Step into the shoes of the famous Belgian detective in Agatha Christie – Hercule Poirot: The London Case.
The British Museum has just recently admitted that they have lost several works of art in recent years, deeming them “untraceable” and having the director step down in the aftermath of such a scandalous admission. If only they had a famous literary detective jump out of the page to help solve this case for them. Agatha Christie – Hercule Poirot: The London Case is a brand new video game tasking you with tracing just that, priceless artifacts.
Developed by Blazing Griffin and published by Microids, Agatha Christie – Hercule Poirot: The London Case sends the famed detective Hercule Poirot to London as he is summoned by the chief commissioner of police to aid in ensuring safe passage for an invaluable work of art. Agatha Christie Limited, the company that manages the iconic 20th-century writer, was also involved with the project, and throughout the mystery, it is clear to see the faithful recreation of her work.
After a brief cinematic introduction wrapping up with the painting “The Penitent Magdalene” on fire, the prologue kicks off. Poirot’s inquisitive adventure begins on a ship, where instead of dropping you right in action with a murder, the first case that eases you in is something light. While on the ship to London, a lady lost her cigarette case, and it is up to your investigative skills to try to find the culprit of this straightforward case.
This is where Hercule inadvertently meets Arthur Hastings, which fans of the famous detective will surely recognize, and they must work in tandem to keep the work of art safe. An exciting element of Poirot’s adventure is that, ironically, he is opposed to his new colleague’s ideas. Poirot & Hastings’ differing ideologies often clash and lend themselves to thoughtful dialogues and character development.
Poirot’s unique personality is portrayed to perfection, with his unrelenting commitment to the truth and flair for the dramatic that fans of the Belgian detective will truly enjoy playing as in Agatha Christie – Hercule Poirot: The London Case. For fans of the literary series of the Agatha Christie novels, it is a delight to see these characters jump from the paper so faithfully and come to life by people who care about the source material.
Once you’re let off to explore and sniff around for clues, the isometric gameplay takes precedence. As expected from Agatha Christie – Hercule Poirot: The London Case, there is a great focus on being thorough and having an eye for detail. You must analyze objects in the different rooms and make sense of them while also interviewing suspects. You can rotate the camera to look at the space from different angles and try to look for any detail you missed.
After the brief prologue and a fancy video introduction of paintings of England in the 20th century, the mystery begins in the museum. Agatha Christie – Hercule Poirot: The London Case asks you several easy-to-answer questions about the new characters around you and links them to the works of art in the museum.
Most answers having to link the works of art are quite straightforward. This little detour is a great way to get easily acquainted with the cast, as once things get going, you’ll be able to have a better grasp of the main players in this plot.
The painting Poirot and Hastings are tasked to look after is suddenly stolen, and they must work together to solve the case. Once Hercule Poirot is in the museum, the game is afoot and no one is safe, and everyone’s a suspect. He needs to analyze everyone around him for any possible leads. A profile of each suspect is available at all times to review their background and remark on any further possible involvement in the case.
As the case unfolds with an ever more complex and larger scope that was initially proposed than just taking care of a painting, Poirot’s investigation takes him all over London. From the museum to the church, passing through a famous newspaper, this story, while contained, takes you all over the famed city. The reflection of puddles of water while walking down the rainy streets of the capital of the United Kingdom is a nice touch.
Hercule Poirot’s assignments and investigations include going all the way into a photography dark room and methodically developing pictures step by step with the help of your trustworthy sidekick, Hastings. Untangling a web of lies and deceit is no simple task, yet Hercule Poirot is charged with doing precisely just that and passes with flying colors.
A pillar of each chapter’s mystery is the mind map, where Poirot needs to go to link clues with each other to reveal new thoughts to further investigate and open opportunities for conversation. Linking existing evidence results in deductions and further lets you progress and use the clues to be found in each room. There are also tools you find in each case, and it is up to your ingenious intuition to know where and how to use each item Agatha Christie – Hercule Poirot: The London Case gives you.
After a few wrong tries, the mind map’s clues and answers that might be related start to glow, permitting you to enjoy the narrative and letting you focus on the mystery instead of the deductive skills, which, while important, are not the main focus of the game. No penalty for wrong answers makes the game rather lenient.
In the process of exploring 20th-century London, there is no way for Poirot to even jog instead of just walking slowly, and this is somewhat of a detriment to the overall pace of the adventure. It could also be part of the nature of the character, who is always overanalyzing and unable to move too quickly without upsetting his so-called “little gray cells.”
After most of the avenues of inquiry have been exhausted, the Belgian detective must travel to different places in London, though Agatha Christie – Hercule Poirot: The London Case does not do a great job of telling you this. With no clear hint as to how to proceed, at certain parts of each chapter, you are found aimlessly wandering around at each of the previously visited areas with the hope that one of the needed items or suspects needed to proceed randomly spawn without your knowledge.
While the sleuthing can sometimes feel like busywork, once all the clues are in place, and you solve the mind map with ease, the brilliance of Poirot and your logical conclusions feel exceptionally rewarding, Poirot’s incisiveness moves the plot forward as he pressures each suspect into revealing their true motives.
Agatha Christie – Hercule Poirot: The London Case starts as a slow burn but, through the methodical observations of its titular detective, devolves into a satisfying ending. Avid readers of the Hercule Poirot series are bound to find a pleasant mystery to solve here. To be in the shoes of the detective and sniff out clues in scenes of the crime will satisfy the most eager of fans.
