There aren’t a lot of murder mysteries on the Switch. Sure there are some hidden object games and some weird visual novels, but not many traditional mysteries. Agatha Christie: The ABC Murders sure fits the bill though. There’s a serial killer taunting a detective, a variety of crime scenes, evidence and testimony to sift through, and clues to find. The game is based on a novel by Christie from 1936 and takes place in London at that time. It features one of her most famous creations, Hercule Poirot, the rather snippy Belgian detective (though many would think him French from the voice acting). The novel was released to widespread acclaim in the 30s and has spawned radio programs, multiple movies, and two TV series, the most recent of which featured the legendary John Malkovich as Hercule Poirot and Rupert Grimes of Harry Potter fame as the inspector. In short, it’s a venerated and incredibly well-written story.
With that basis in mind, Artefacts Studio and publisher Microids released a video game version of Agatha Christie: The ABC Murders in 2016 on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. That release has finally made its way to the Switch and it’s about time! As you might surmise, you control Hercule Poirot as he attempts to apprehend the killer and the bodies and evidence pile up. Right from the beginning, you know this isn’t your standard point and click adventure as the voice acting is outstanding and the cel-shaded graphics lend themselves well to the time period and characters. Detail levels are excellent and the game controls intuitively on the Switch, both in docked and undocked modes. There’s no sense in ruining the story, as it’s one of the more interesting murder mysteries out there. Instead, let’s focus on the execution of the game itself.
During gameplay, you move Poirot about various areas and buildings in the game. He’s a bit overweight and there’s no run button but you get by. You don’t really want to move too quickly anyway, as the whole point of the game is to focus on observations that other people might miss. These aren’t difficult to find, but you’ll still have to look at everything. Find the clues in each area one by one and observe the people you interact with to glean intuition about their motivations and emotional states. Once you have enough information, you drop into the menu system to use those ‘little grey cells’ and come to logical conclusions based on the evidence you’ve collected. It’s a clean an elegant system that sounds boring, but is surprisingly compelling. The in-game dialogue and character banter is fantastic and if you end up bored, chances are you missed a vital clue that’s stopping you from progressing in the game, so go back and check the area more thoroughly!
As you play, you’re given a variety of dialogue options. The actual Poirot is not exactly the most polite of people (and that’s putting it politely), so some of the options are particularly rude. The game rewards you with ‘ego points’ for choosing dialogue that Poirot would use, but there’s nothing that forces you to be as prissy and impolite as he is. There’s a fair amount of misogynistic dialogue from various characters as well, but it all fits the era quite accurately. It’s still pretty surprising to see however, and it might turn a few players away from the game. As the story unfolds, the complexities of the case drive the plot forward and successfully hold players’ interest until the finale, which is quite solid. This isn’t a long title, weighing in at only 6-8 hours by the time the credits roll, but it’s satisfying and well-done the whole way through with decent puzzles that can be completed at an average skill level. There are a few slight head scratchers in the mix, but a little attention and tenacity will get you through almost every puzzle.
As mentioned, the voice work is absolutely excellent in the ABC Murders. Everything is carefully recorded, mixed well, and the background noises of London, while unrealistically quiet, are nice as well. The visuals blend well with the sound design and everything comes together in one smooth package to create a game that looks almost like you’re playing through an adult murder mystery cartoon. It’s a look that’s well suited to this sort of gameplay. Ultra realism would look odd here, but so would a less polished visual design and Artefacts really nailed this one. The transition to the Switch hasn’t made the game any worse for wear either, with nary a graphical hitch to be seen.
Honestly, there are really only two major issues with Agatha Christie: The ABC Murders. One is that Poirot walks a hair too slowly and you feel like you’re fighting the controls a bit. It’s bearable but mildly irritating all the same. The second, larger issue is when you’re investigating crime scenes. As anyone who plays games on a regular basis knows, response time matters. As you look around the scene for clues, you’ll find that each area that you must search has a search counter, revealing how many things you’ll have to find in the vicinity. Once you’ve completed your search, the counter will show something like 3/3 clues found. If you’re the impatient sort, you’ll then exit out of the screen, thinking you’ve found all the clues. Unfortunately, you haven’t. To actually complete your search you have to sit and wait for between 5 and 8 seconds after each search is finished and an “Observation Success” message rolls across the screen. Otherwise, the search doesn’t register, the game doesn’t proceed, and you have to do it all over again. It’s a weird little oversight or code optimization issue that definitely should be patched for the Switch release of the game.
Agatha Christie: The ABC Murders is an excellent game with a well-written story, interesting characters, and well-designed gameplay. However, it’s also a bit pricey, especially for the amount of gameplay and lack of replay value you’ll get out of it. At $30 on the eShop, it’s definitely an overpriced title for a 2016 release that’s been ported to the Switch. That doesn’t mean it’s not good, but most players probably won’t get $30 worth of gameplay out of it before the game is finished. This is a worthy introduction to Agatha Christie’s mysteries and a great interactive version of the story for players who are already fans, but the audience appeal is likely limited mostly to adult mystery fans and the occasional casual gamer. As such, the price point should probably be a bit lower or you should wait for a sale to snag this one unless you’re an absolutely ravenous fan. But don’t worry, it’s an absolutely outstanding game that’s well worth the time you put into it should you happen to pick it up!
This review was based on a digital copy of Agatha Christie: The ABC Murders provided by the publisher. It was played on a Nintendo Switch in both docked and undocked modes. All screenshots are from actual gameplay. Agatha Christie: The ABC Murders is also available on PS4, Xbox One, and Steam. Don’t hesitate to check it out!