Released in 1997 during the final stages of the golden age of point-and-click adventures, the game was eventually a commercial failure and out of print nearly a year later. It was extremely expensive to make at the time, and a lot of effort was made to make it as historically authentic and convincing as possible. They even found an old abandoned Orient Express stowed away for 50+ years on a rail yard somewhere in Athens giving them first hand sources to make the legendary train come to life.

The game itself in a nutshell is a murder mystery. You have received a telegram from your friend Tyler Whitney to meet him on the train to take a journey from Paris to Jerusalem, as he has found something that might interest him there. Unfortunately the protagonist misses the train thanks to unforeseen circumstances with the law, and the only thing Tyler is greeted with is patrolling police on the lookout. Still that doesn’t stop the protagonist from boarding the train thanks to a friend and her motorcycle. On board you are free to explore the train, but your first task is to reunite with your friend whom should be waiting in his compartment. As you open the door you are met his mutilated and clawed up body. Determined to find out what happened you hide his body, take his identity ready to seek out and find the killer of your friend.

What makes this game so unique and not like anything you have ever previously played is how the whole game is played in real time. The clock is always ticking on the Orient Express and you have both passengers and crew going about their own things no matter if you’re there to catch them in the act or not. By making it this way you never feel like the game is tailor made for you. Just sitting in the smoking car eavesdropping as the passengers babble on might give you important information or clues to your case or impertinent discussions about anything 1914 related topics or just ordinary daily life stuff - which is still very interesting mind you thanks to some of the most realistic and deepest characters I’ve ever seen in a video game. Never have I played a game with this level of historical authenticity, you are immediately immersed in this game and convinced that you are a passenger on the Orient Express on the eve of World War 1.

Being in real time you will obviously miss tons clues, discussions, dialogue and events the first times playing it. Every time I come back to this game I always find new and undiscovered information. You are of course still able to rewind or fast forward the game at your leisure if you feel like experimenting with different routes. The game features a bunch of endings and only the most determined will make it all the way to Constantinople and find out the truth about the fate of his friend.

I highly recommend this game for any fans of point-and-click adventures who wants to try something different. It contains a compelling story, excellent characters and great voice acting who all speaks in their natural language; may it be Russian, English, German, Serbian, Arabian or French. The graphics are cartoony, but very stylish – I think it fits great for this game. All the characters are based off real actors who were mo-capped into the game so it still contains a very realistic look despite having cartoony colours.

The Last Express is a classic adventure game with a riveting story and brilliant atmosphere, it is perhaps my favourite story told in a mystery adventure rivalled only by some of the LucasArts classics.

I've played through this game multiple times over the last decade and I always enjoy the experience, it's like watching an excellent mystery movie, with interesting narrative and likeable characters and conversations which stick with you even after the game concludes.

However.

DotEmu has sacrificed what made this game a 'must have' in any collection, marred the game play with tool tips and icons which ruin the atmosphere of the game.

Sure, it plays in a higher resolution, and has compatibility with newer operating systems, but in the process DotEmu seem to have removed sound effect files such as the bustling wind from the carriage windows when they're opened.

I know it seems silly to nitpick on such minor details, but these minor nuances are what made me fall in love with this game.

Back on the subject of tool tips, the achievement icons that pop up in the middle of the screen when cinematic are playing.
And these can't be turned off. Not at all.
There is no option to turn off achievement or character bio/unlock popups, and they linger on-screen for up to 10 seconds.

The inclusion of (but to merit the ability to disable) tutorials is an insult to this game. Sorry you had to take the time to write them into the game, sadly they don't scream "GOLD EDITION" when the original title was a test of wits and observation skills, rather than telling you that the person you needed to talk to was currently having breakfast and you should annoy them.

I wouldn't recommend this VERSION of The Last Express solely that there are better, unadulterated versions available from other distributors, and simply put the term GOLD EDITION only exists because of a unlockables screen, which ultimately ruins the experience.

If the above could be toggled on/off or even removed, or even a purist setting, which disables on-screen prompts and hints, I would instantly regard this as the best version of the game available.

I love this game. One of my all time favorites. This version is unfortunately broken. Issues I've noticed in the first hour of playing are: Missing sound effects and sounds that sound worse than the original somehow (open a window on a moving train and theres suddenly silence, all ambiet noise gone. close the window and hear the train again) , Buggy cursor that wont change context (always stuck on left arrow or turn around for example), and also there are some strange resolution issues.

Now even if all that were fixed I can't honestly say that the "improvements" add that much to the game. It's pretty much the same game as before but with more (annoying) popups and hints.

If you're looking to revisit this game or just now discovering it, know that this version is a mess and that 2 years after its release it still has a seriously amatuerish and hacked together feel. I guess it's fairly cheap though, so thats something....

The Last Express is a very unique game. When i played it for the first time it was kind of hard for me to understand the gameplay mechanics and how everything works but when i've got it, it became a really good game.

This game is a like an early attempt of making interactive movie-like game which became more popular recently. It plays like an interactive movie combined with point&click style gameplay. And on top of that it has one really interesting but very stressful mechanic - time never stops.

This is a train mystery game. Everything happens in the train and you must learn what is happening and uncover the mysterious murder. You need to interact with other characters, question them, explore the train, get some items and try not to die. Yes you can die because of bad decisions. Speaking about decision, they affect other characters and their behavior. You will need to be extremely careful to not ruin everything.
You're always under pressure because the clock is ticking and everything changes on the train. Characters move to other wagons or disappear. There are also some quick time events. Overall it felt like this game was ahead of its time.

Graphically the game is simply beautiful. It was released in 1997. You hear? This is a game from the last century and it still looks great. Characters are nicely drawn, action scenes are wonderfully animated and characters in general are nicely done.

I definitely recommend this game. The price is ridiculous and this is a real classic. If you love mystery and puzzle solving this is a game for you.

Pros

• After 22 years it still looks great
  
• Unique gameplay
  
• Choices and consequences
  
• Good story

Cons

• -

My curator page

The Last Express is in many ways a truly classic adventure game, with its inventory puzzles, escalating plot and tried-and-true interface. However, its extreme nonlinearity, the inclusion of violent scenes, and a sense of being what is in reality a completely timed game set it apart from standard pure adventure fare. Quite frankly, I haven't clenched my teeth this hard since 1994 when I was in labor with Mini Minnie! I also have not played one computer game for this many hours in a row in years. By the end of my train journey, poor Mini was penciling up signs for what she wanted and waving them beside my computer desk!

Will the Orient Express make it to its final destination in Constantinople? How many passengers will live to see it? Will Robert Cath find a "happily ever after romance," or will it be "duty before cutie?" You'll just have to buy your own first-class ticket and find out! The End

The Last Express Gold Edition is a point and click adventure game developed by Dotemu.


As the player, you slip into the role of the young American Robert Cath. In July 1914, Europe faces the First World War. Cath has been asked by longtime friend Tyler Whitney to meet him on the Orient Express. On the train he finds his friend murdered. Cath, who fears that he could be linked to the murder, takes over the identity of the dead man and tries to solve the murder on her own. Not an easy undertaking, as it turns out, because the political turmoil of the approaching First World War also (and especially) left its mark on the passengers of the train. The adventure lives on the one hand from its diverse characters and on the other hand from the dense atmosphere. Mechner describes a time of upheaval that is characterized by great uncertainty and in which there is little space for the needs of the individual. Accordingly, the plot is unusually demanding for a computer game and demands a lot from even older players.

In addition to the main plot to solve the murder, Mechner weaves numerous secondary threads into the plot, such as the fate of Serbian extremists who want to take control of the train, or in the delicately hinted love story between Cath and a passenger who become one of the most moving credits in computer game history. But also the mysticism typical of Mechner finds its place. A classic Russian poem, the Firebird, forms the basis for a subplot with a surrealistic touch, which becomes more and more important towards the end.


+ great crime story
+ detailed hand-drawn backgrounds
+ impressive soundscape
+ interesting characters and subplots
+ make decisions
+ Achievements and trading cards


- more setting options would have been great


The Last Express Gold Edition scores with its great score and impressive soundscape. The lively characters and decision-making also add depth to the whole thing. I can only recommend the game.



The Last Express Gold Edition ist ein Point & Click-Abenteuerspiel, welches von Dotemu entwickelt wurde.


Du als der Spieler schlüpfst in die Rolle des jungen Amerikaners Robert Cath. Im Juli 1914 steht Europa vor dem Ersten Weltkrieg. Cath ist von seinem langjährigen Freund Tyler Whitney gebeten worden, sich mit ihm im Orient-Express zu treffen. Im Zug findet er seinen Freund ermordet vor. Cath, der fürchtet, man könne ihn mit dem Mord in Verbindung bringen, übernimmt kurzerhand die Identität des Toten und versucht fortan, den Mord auf eigene Faust zu klären. Kein leichtes Unterfangen, wie sich herausstellt, denn die politischen Wirrungen des nahenden Ersten Weltkrieges haben auch (und gerade) bei den Passagieren des Zuges ihre Spuren hinterlassen. Das Adventure lebt zum einen von seinem mannigfaltigen Charakteren und zum anderen von der dichten Atmosphäre. Mechner beschreibt eine Zeit des Umsturzes, die von großer Unsicherheit geprägt ist und in der wenig Platz für die Bedürfnisse der Einzelnen bleibt. Dementsprechend ist die Handlung für ein Computerspiel ungewöhnlich anspruchsvoll und verlangt selbst älteren Spielern Einiges ab.

Neben dem Hauptplot um die Aufklärung des Mordes webt Mechner zahlreiche Nebenstränge in die Handlung ein, so etwa um das Schicksal serbischer Extremisten, die den Zug in ihre Gewalt bringen wollen, oder etwa in der zart angedeuteten Liebesgeschichte zwischen Cath und einer Passagierin, die zu einem der bewegendsten Abspänne der Computerspielgeschichte führt. Doch auch die für Mechner typische Mystik findet ihren Platz. So bildet ein klassisches russisches Gedicht, der Feuervogel, die Basis für einen surrealistisch angehauchten Subplot, der zum Ende hin zunehmend an Bedeutung gewinnt.


+ tolle Kriminalgeschichte
+ detailliert handgezeichnete Hintergründe
+ eindrücklichen Klangkulisse
+ interessanten Charakteren und Nebenhandlungen
+ treffen von Entscheidungen
+ Errungenschaften und Sammelkarten


- mehr Einstellungsmöglichkeiten wären toll gewesen


The Last Express Gold Edition punktet mit seinem tollen Score und eindrücklichen Klangkulisse. Auch die lebendigen Charaktere und das Treffen von Entscheidungen verleihen dem Ganze tiefe. Ich kann das Spiel nur weiter empfehlen.

Let's get something out of the way: this is an amazing game, a delight for experienced adventure game players with an awesome, complex and rich story.

HOWEVER.

On this "gold" edition they completely ♥♥♥♥♥♥ up the interface and they tried to dumb it down to a level that makes me twitch. Unsuccessfully - this will never ever be a game for casual gamers or the "hey I feel like trying a point & click game" kinda guy, no matter how much they destroy the game's atmosphere with their stupid tutorials, pop ups and help icons.

In summary:

I 100% RECOMMEND THIS EPIC AWESOME ONE-OF-A-KIND GAME. Plus 1%.

I 0% RECOMMEND THIS RIDICULOUS GOLD EDITION. Don't support their views that they can make more money by ruining something that was never broken in the first place. You don't need the stupid achievements, you need to experience this amazing gaming and cinematic experience the way it was meant to be experienced!

You will fall in love with it.

- An old school nerd.

Note on my playtime: I keep the original version of this around at all times and have completed it over a dozen times over the years. I got this thinking it would be the same and I was sorely mistaken.

Compare starting a new game in this to starting a new game in the original. Within 10sec of you getting in control you'll see how horrible this version is. Just find and play the original. There are no improvements to be had here and this version is a dog's breakfast of Facebook generation pop-up trash. This is one of my favourite games of all time. The -original- is a masterpiece and I -would- recommend everyone play that instead of this weaksauce, tooltip-filled ambiance-murdering piece of garbage.

The original game had one of the simplest, most intuitive interfaces imaginable and it went hand it hand with a deeply immersive atmosphere and memorable story. How does the "Gold Edition" improve on this? Apparently by filling all four corners of the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ screen with bs tooltips, unwanted hints, permanent options/toggle buttons etc etc to the point that they may as well throw an ad banner on there. Then there's the constant bloody pop-ups and the stupid chapter intros. They've completely ruined the game. If you've played the original, this version is not playable.

As far as the "improved visuals" go, there are none to be had. Seems they've just taken the original work and stretched it. Framerate is noticeably lower than the original during FMVs. They've cut out sections of the FMVs as well for no ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ reason whatsoever.

Just please, for the love of god, don't financially support this sort of dumbed-down bastardization of gameplay. This is an atrocity against the original masterpiece. Needs moar refund button.

Really the best mystery game I have ever played. The graphics are not mind blowing but, artistic, I suppose. Its very simple stills animated together to look like movement combined with live action/animated movement. Really a great game for people interested in mystery. Very well done.

Animated interactions (e.g. all spoken interactions with other characters) do not actually appear to have subtitles or any way to enable them, contrary to what Steam indicates. As a deaf person, this makes the game unplayable. Very frustrated and disappointed.