Board The Last Express for iOS

[Marshall Honorof]

Board The Last Express for iOS

Now you can play the classic railway mystery while actually on a train.

The "mystery on a train" setup is not what it once was. Back in the 20th century, it seems like all you needed for a decent detective yarn was a train and a murder (bonus points if it's in Europe during the Victorian era), and bam: instant drama. This formula worked for everything from Silver Streak [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_on_the_Orient_Express], and it came to the land of gaming as The Last Express fifteen years ago. This point-and-click adventure game is now making its way to iOS, so a whole new generation can experience the joys of railway homicide and intrigue.

In 1997, Jordan Mechner of Prince of Persia fame released The Last Express to considerable acclaim. The game, which channels equal parts Agatha Christie, Alfred Hitchcock, and Steven Spielberg, casts the player as Robert Cath, an American traveler aboard the last pre-World War I voyage of the famed Orient Express from Paris to Constantinople. The game uses puzzles, light animation, and a prodigious amount of voice acting to weave its yarn. The iOS port aims to keep the game basically the same, while adapting the controls for a touchscreen and making the interface a bit more user-friendly.

Ever since the advent of the Nintendo DS, the point-and-click adventure genre has seen a mild resurgence. Its relaxed pacing, emphasis on logic over twitch reflexes, and touchscreen friendliness makes it an attractive choice for quick bursts of play. The Last Express did not do very well in its initial run, but now it will get a second chance to wow people with its interesting story and innovative mechanics - or else leave them frustrated with its fifteen-year-old production values and design decisions. All aboard!

Source: Siliconera [http://www.siliconera.com/2012/09/24/the-last-express-travels-to-iphone-and-ipad-this-week/]

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[lacktheknack]

I played it on its first run.

Bloody awesome game.

Bloody hard game.

Bloody unfair game.

But, bloody awesome game.

(Seriously, I must have gotten arrested in the first five minutes about ten times before I figured out which way to go first. Totally worth it.)

 

[maninahat]

I'm glad this is getting a second release as it deserves more people noticing it.

That said, I didn't like the game when I played it. The terribly awkward and unwieldy story meant I had no idea why I was doing what I was doing, and once it started to introduce fantastical elements - well - that's when I gave up.

 

[dyre]

I remember playing the game, loving the premise, the setting, the artwork, the characters, the inclusion/mention of "obscure" historical stuff like the US occupation of Cuba and the Dreyfus affair in France. It's pretty much a game you spend five minutes playing and fall madly in love with, especially if you're interested in early 20th century history. But goddamn is it hard and confusing. I didn't want to look up any hints because:

1. There are supposed to be like 9387603 ways to complete the game, but you miss certain information no matter how you complete it. I wanted to do it my own way, and I felt the game deserved an honest, no-hints, attempt.
2. I wanted the rewarding feeling of completing a really tough game.

In the end, I was just too stupid, and got totally lost and gave up

I've had it on my computer for a long, long time now. I don't really want to play it on a phone though; it does a disservice to the excellent (apparently hand drawn) artwork. Might give it a try on the PC again, when I feel up to it.

PS: You might want to add that it's a real-time point-and-click game (and time is SUPER important in this game. Everyone follows different schedules and you'll miss tons of important events if you lose track of the time).

 

[batti]

this game might be good, but i get the uncomfortable feeling only a CD-I game can give you.

i think the CD-I has tainted rotoscoping for me for the rest of my life.

Those mouths, the horror...

 

[The Cheshire]

Kids, it aint so hard, I managed to beat it when I was 11 and with a medium level of English. I recall surviving Viena as a rather twisted puzzle, but asides from that it's fairly easy. I beat it 4 times back in 1997, its one of my favourite games ever, and it withstands the pass of time, except for the animation.

I'll buy it right now, it has a great story, way better than most games today.

 

[yourbeliefs]

If you don't feel like playing the game yourself but want to see what happens you can watch the game cut as a cartoon, done by Mechner himself..:
http://kotaku.com/5167189/classic-pc-adventure-game-re+released-as-cartoon?tag=the-last-express

 

[IamLEAM1983]

This is all kinds of awesome. If only more adventure games from the olden days got ported...

WHERE'S MY MYST III EXILE ON iOS AT, UBISOFT?!

 

[jaymiechan]

i have friends that got this game, discs and all, at a Goodwill. i played it; dodged getting arrested two ways. Going through the bathrooms after immediately dumping the body to dodge the cops, and hiding the body under the seat until near crossing the country lines.