The ABC Murders (2016)
Released in February 2016, the game adaptation The ABC Murders of Agatha Christie’s 1936 novel turned out to be pleasant, small-scale puzzle entertainment. Modern, clean-lined graphics, voice acting and period-appropriate music create a polished frame for an adventure that may well fulfil a common Hercule Poirot fan’s dream: getting to put those famous little grey cells to work yourself.
The ABC Murders was developed by the French studio Artefacts Studio and published by Microïds, a company behind a number of titles that have found a fairly large audience. Among its adventure games are the Syberia series, whose two instalments released so far made an unusually strong emotional impact on me, and Still Life.
Adaptation of both book and TV series
The game follows the TV series produced between 1989 and 2013. The in-game versions of Poirot, Hastings and Japp are not voiced by the same actors, nor do they look the same, yet they feel familiar and to me actually closer to the characters in the original novel. Perhaps live actors are simply too distinctive. The game’s slight stiffness and stripped-down presentation bring the essentials to the fore, namely Poirot’s methods, and keep attention from drifting to irrelevant details, whether in people or in the environment.
I was pleasantly surprised by how good an adaptation it is. I had gone in rather sceptical, assuming this would just be trading on the name instead of on game design. The ABC Murders is light yet intelligent: calm, but not dull.
The facts, mon ami, the facts above all
The player controls Hercule Poirot himself, who starts investigating the so-called ABC murders. The killer announces each upcoming murder in a letter. The crimes follow the alphabet, starting with a victim whose surname begins with A and who lives in a town beginning with A. The murders show both rigid pattern and randomness, and in typical Poirot fashion the culprit is only revealed in the final stretch.
The investigation is built on examining crime scenes. Poirot — that is, the player — makes observations that form a picture of events and of the victim’s personality. At the same time, the circle of people involved comes into focus, each with a potential motive. These people are interviewed, and once again observations made from their words and manner feed into a pool of information. All of this is stored in Poirot’s notebook.
The environments contain “mechanical” three-dimensional puzzles: how to open an unusual box, how to get a record player working and so on. I did not particularly enjoy these, but without them the game would probably have been too easy.
The use of the little grey cells is presented as simple mind maps that the player fills in. Based on the facts, you connect pieces of information and draw conclusions, ultimately leading to the revelation of the murderer and the motive.
As you work the case, you also pick up various trophies for achievements and “ego points” awarded for especially Poirot-like behaviour. These are extraneous to the story itself but add a layer of optional collecting.
Verdict
Piecing together Poirot’s chain of reasoning and reconstructing the murders step by step made me feel like a detective. Poirot’s final accusation rests on somewhat flimsy, almost manufactured evidence, but that may not be all that far from 1930s criminal investigation methods. Once you get the murderer to confess, that is enough.
I spent just under ten hours playing. The game’s structure, both in terms of progression and narrative, is clear. At its centre is Poirot’s systematic and, in itself, straightforward approach to detective work. The clarity that runs through the whole production had a calming effect and was satisfying in the same way as a neatly wrapped polygon.
For the stylish hours of sleuthing I spent with The ABC Murders, I give an overall score of 70 points out of 100.
Availability
The ABC Murders is available for Windows and macOS, as well as for PS4 and Xbox One.