Agatha Christie: Hercule Poirot - The First Cases

First Cases is a significant change of direction from The ABC Murders, Poirot's last outing also published by Microids. Stepping comfortably into visual novel territory and casting aside the puzzling that would hold back narrative flow, your fantasy is one not of being Hercule Poirot but rather of enjoying a Poirot novel. The Switch let's you indulge in that as you would a great book, whether in the wingback of your stately home's library or, indeed, on the toilet of your bedsit. For storytelling, the game format is ideal – even ingenious. The trademark Christie web of connections between events, evidence and the psychology of the characters is planned out in front of your eyes – either to pore over on a diagram or to stroll through in the neatly presented settings. The game's main limitations are the inanimate world and workaday writing that fail to lend the sparkle of life to a well-machined story. Nonetheless, while puzzle-loving gamers shouldn't pick this one up, visual novel fans and Hercule-heads won't be able to put it down.

The First Cases is a good tribute to one of the classic characters of fiction, and anyone who likes to curl up with a good mystery should find this to be to their liking as well.

It's a beautiful mystery story that you can enjoy much more if you think you're reading a Hercule Poirot novel, not playing Hercule Poirot.

Nice adventure game with popular Belgian detective and good dialogs.

Master detective Hercule Poirot makes another attempt to the jump from book pages to gaming platforms in an ambitious new adventure. Unravel the mysteries of the Mnemosyne House in order to solve a murder. Collect evidence and combine information to light your path to the cold, hard truth.

Agatha Christie - Hercule Poirot: The First Cases is a book you are invited to explore at your own pace

Poirot's latest outing is a better proposition than The A.B.C. Murders a few years ago, but it's not quite perfect. With no puzzles to solve, evidence that's easy to locate, and mind maps where guidance is closely at hand, there's very little challenge for adventure genre aficionados. The story is entertaining, Poirot is represented very well, and what gameplay exists has been created competently, but it sometimes feels more like a visual novel than it does a genuine adventure mystery game.

Agatha Christie - Hercule Poirot: The First Cases is nothing revolutionary, but nevertheless it's a thrilling six hour adventure for both the diehard fans of Agatha Christie or any newcomers.

Now here we have a solid Poirot-style mystery, but the experience is dragged down by shallow gameplay, frustrating deduction boards, limited exploration, and uneven presentation. Despite a good story and decent voice acting, the game’s restrictive design and awkward logic puzzles leave it feeling more tedious than clever.

Agatha Christie — Hercule Poirot: The First Cases brings an original story, but it's a worthy homage to the Queen of Crime. With a gameplay and plot that are both interesting and compelling employing logical reasoning, it's hard not to feel yourself in the actual role of a young, but eccentric detective Hercule Poirot, whose method to solve crimes is explored faithfully. Maybe it'll be better appreciated by the fans of Agatha Christie, who are already used to her narrative style, but it can be enjoyed by all police novel fans.