The world of fictional detectives is a vast one, with Sherlock Holmes and Benoit Blanc among the notable sleuths. With the recent and upcoming films, Hercule Poirot certainly ranks among them. Agatha Christie – Hercule Poirot: The London Case, developed by Blazing Griffin and published by Microids, gives players the chance to embody this iconic detective, albeit with a few quirks and caveats. Here’s our take on the PlayStation version.
Set in the early years of Poirot’s career, The London Case begins with a seemingly straightforward task: ensuring the safety of a valuable painting. Poirot is accompanied by Arthur Hastings in this case, an insurance agent for Lloyd’s of London, creating a bit of an oddball duo thrust into solving the mysterious disappearance of the priceless artwork.
Looking past a strong premise, the character models in the game, unfortunately, leave something to be desired. Poirot himself looks good and is well animated, but other characters can look somewhat out of place, often appearing startled and odd. This relative lack of visual polish can be distracting in a game heavily reliant on dialogue and character interaction, and at times makes the game feel a bit dated compared to other adventure games.
The gameplay itself centers around a traditional point-and-click adventure format. Players scour environments, gather clues, and interact with objects, occasionally combining the items you find to advance the narrative. While straightforward and familiar in its mechanics, the game retains a sense of satisfaction when puzzle pieces fall into place and you get to feel like a real detective for a moment.
Dialogue and interaction with NPCs drive the narrative forward, featuring museum curators, actors, and preachers who all play pivotal roles in the story. Poirot’s methodical approach to problem-solving, often bouncing ideas off Arthur, reveals new nodes in a mind map. This mechanic is reminiscent of recent Sherlock Holmes games and serves to help players piece together the mystery logically.
The game’s puzzle-solving aspect is generally sensible, avoiding the frustration of obscure and random solutions seen in older point-and-click adventures – leaning into Poirot’s affinity with logic instead. Yet, there are still moments where selecting the right evidence during conversations can become a bit tedious when your own mind doesn’t follow the logic of the game, causing some trial and error. Luckily, these are exceptions.
Hercule Poirot: The London Case is a well paced adventure game. It moves players swiftly between chapters, avoiding unnecessary delays and moving the narrative along nicely. However, the game occasionally feels a bit unpolished, with recurring lines of dialogue even after actions have been completed – an area where some polish wouldn’t have been out of place.
Despite these shortcomings, The London Case offers an intriguing detective story filled with twists and turns. It’s a solid adventure for fans of traditional point-and-click games, providing a satisfying mystery to unravel. While it may not be perfect, it adds value to the detective adventure genre, reminding players of a bygone era in gaming and tapping into the detective-style narratives that have been popular in cinemas in recent years.
Score: 7.0/10
Press Play Media 