Agatha Christie: And Then There Were None E3 2005 Impressions

Everyone likes a good murder mystery PC adventure. So if you're going to make one, why not turn to the ultimate mystery writer for inspiration? Nobody's sold more mystery novels than Agatha Christie, and one of her best books is the basis for Agatha Christie: And Then There Were None from the Adventure Company. A work-in-progress version of the game is on display at E3 2005, and we got a peek at how it's coming together.

The plot of the novel revolves around 10 strangers who have been invited to a special party at a mansion on a remote island. The host of the party never shows up, but instead leaves a recording telling them all that they're all going to die, one by one, because at some point in their lives, they were each involved in a murder. Whereas in the book, only the 10 main characters were involved, the game introduces a new character, the one you play. You play as a boatman who has taken these guests to the party, but you're stranded along with them, and you're in just as much danger.

The basic point of the game is to unravel the mystery as quickly as you can, as well as save as many guests as possible. The game will feature multiple endings that depend both on how you interact with the people in the game and how many guests you actually manage to save from horrible death. In terms of character interaction, each one has a suspicion meter that rises when you rub him or her the wrong way...or falls when you get on his or her good side. These rises and falls rely on the dialogue choices you make throughout the game.

The game takes place in multiple types of locations, such as the many rooms of the mansion, an abandoned fishing village, the outer cliffs of the island, and surrounding beaches. The game is played from a third-person perspective, so you'll be pointing and clicking around these locations to move your character, observing any available clues. As the game was still in a pre-alpha stage, we didn't get to see too many examples of what kinds of puzzles you'll get to experience in the game, but it sounds like you'll mostly be collecting clues, finding keys for locked doors, and similar types of adventure game fodder.

Adventure gamers will be able to get in on the mystery of And Then There Were None this holiday season. We'll bring you more on the game as it becomes available.