The Last Express

1997 retro games PC games

Point-and-click adventure game with the twist. Actually quite few twists.

The Last Express starts aboard the Orient Express in July 1914 while the train leaves the Paris for Constantinople. Your character received a telegram from a friend pleading to join him on that journey, but without explanation why. This actually could be tricky because you are wanted by the police for the killing of an Irish police officer. Nevertheless, you jump aboard the train from a moving motorcycle and stumble upon... a dead body of your friend in his compartment. Looks like someone really wanted him dead, his head was smashed, there is blood on the floor and an empty box in the corner, which most likely was containing something valuable. And there is another problem - in just a moment a steward will come to the compartment to check up on you and there you are, wanted by the police for a murder and standing next to a dead body...

The Last Express was a project of Jordan Mechner (known for Karateka and Prince of Persia), who used his experience with animations to create characters in this game. You walk down the corridors of the Orient Express and can stumble upon other characters doing normal things, while you try to figure out how to survive in the situation you were dropped in. Also, The Last Express used a real-time element, which means things happen, no matter if you take part in them or not (at least that is the theory), which means if you miss a dialogue between two people because you were in some other part of the train, you will not know what had happened. Unless you will use the other interesting mechanics in the game, which is turning back the clock. Not literally, but you can replay parts of the story and look for different outcomes or elements that you missed the first time.

Of course, this non-linear approach to the gameplay was original, but also had some drawbacks. On one hand, you could have a slightly different story each time, but on the other hand, playing through the same scenes over and over again could be frustrating, and the game does not do a great job pointing you in the right direction. Also, the dialogues are beyond your control, so in some situations it seems that your character knows more than you do, or he bluffs his way through events without your intent to do so.

Overall, it was a well devised game, which can be a great adventure game if you will put enough effort into wandering through the nuances of the plot.

Our rating
★★★★☆

Video
★★★★☆

Audio
★★★☆☆

Playability
★★★★☆