E3 06: Agatha Christie: Murder on the Orient Express Impressions

LOS ANGELES--Last year's Agatha Christie: And Then There Were None was the Adventure Company's first foray into the concept of translating the world's most famous mystery novelist's works into the PC adventure game genre. While not entirely successful, And Then There Were None had its moments, and the publisher, along with developer AWE Games, is making its second attempt this year with Agatha Christie: Murder on the Orient Express. One of (if not the) biggest mystery novels of all time, Orient Express will receive a similar treatment to the plot that And Then There Were None received. You won't play as the famous detective Hercule Poirot, but rather you'll play as Antoinette, an employee of the Orient Express who fancies herself something of a mystery buff. As the story will go, Poirot is injured in the avalanche that halts the eponymous train, and he is consequently bedridden through the whole story. Poirot will act as your guide throughout the game, helping you to solve the murder.

Murder on the Orient Express will feature 20 different characters to interact with, as well as a number of unique environments. Yes, you are confined to a train through much of the game, but you'll also be able to interact with the train station area at the beginning of the game, as well as areas outside the train post-avalanche. The developers are targeting the game at around 25 hours of gameplay, total.

One neat tidbit for Christie buffs is that the Adventure Company is currently hard at work at securing voice work from Poirot star David Suchet. Suchet played the famous Belgian detective throughout the A&E series' run, and the publisher believes adding him to the mix will give the game a great air of authenticity.

Murder on the Orient Express is currently scheduled for a November release. We'll bring you more on the game in the coming months.