{"id":36325,"date":"2023-08-29T14:57:25","date_gmt":"2023-08-29T12:57:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1880376"},"modified":"2023-08-30T03:58:33","modified_gmt":"2023-08-30T01:58:33","slug":"hercule-poirot-the-london-case-review-roundup-is-the-new-agatha-christie-game-worth-playing","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/hercule-poirot-the-london-case-review-roundup-is-the-new-agatha-christie-game-worth-playing\/","title":{"rendered":"Hercule Poirot: The London Case review roundup \u2014 Is the new Agatha Christie game worth playing?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Can the sequel challenge David Suchet\u2019s own interpretation of the beloved Belgian detective? <\/p>

By Matt Poskitt\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Tuesday, 29 August 2023 at 12:57 PM<\/p>

\n\n

Poirot is back. And no, we\u2019re not talking about the upcoming Kenneth Branagh<\/a> movie.<\/p>\n

This is the new Blazing Griffin Studio video game, Agatha Christie \u2013 Hercule Poirot: The London Case, where players can don the Belgian detective\u2019s famous moustache for themselves in a high-stakes murder case.<\/p>\n

Hercule Poirot: The London Case is a new original story that introduces Arthur Hastings, Poirot\u2019s famed sidekick, as both are charged with the safe transport of a priceless work of art on its way to be displayed in London.<\/p>\n

Naturally, things don\u2019t go to plan, forcing the detectives to work together to solve the mystery. This will include scouring the city for clues, interviewing suspects and witnesses, and utilising Poirot\u2019s famed little grey cells to build mind maps and draw the connections together, and ultimately crack the case.<\/p>\n

Now launched globally, Agatha Christie \u2013 Hercule Poirot: The London Case is available on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X\/S, Nintendo Switch and PC. It acts as a sequel to 2021\u2019s Hercule Poirot: The First Cases, with expectations pretty high \u2013 considering the latter earned itself the BAFTA Scotland\u2019s Best Game Award in 2022.<\/p>\n

Does it live up to the Agatha Christie name, though?<\/p>\n

Agatha Christie \u2013 Hercule Poirot: The London Case review round-up<\/b><\/h2>\n
\"Hercule\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Hercule Poirot: The London Case.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

So, what are the critics saying about Agatha Christie \u2013 Hercule Poirot: The London Case? Well, early reviews point to a mix of average to good responses. It\u2019s also worth being aware that, at the time of writing, there are only a handful of reviews online, with six available on OpenCritic<\/a> and zero so far on Metacritic<\/a>.<\/p>\n

First off, GodisaGeek<\/a>\u2018s Lyle Carr awarded the game a 6\/10 score, saying: \u201cFans of point-and-click games will probably have a decent time with Hercule Poirot: The London Case, but it has its fair share of issues.\u201d<\/p>\n

These problems were noted by Carr as \u201cthe quality of the voice acting\u201d as well as how \u201cslowly\u201d Poirot himself moves. That said, they did feel it \u201cgets the job done and you still feel like a genius when you find something new and realise how it fits into the overall picture\u201d.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, Mary Billington of Video Chums<\/a> was more positive, with an 8\/10 rating.<\/p>\n

Plenty of praise was put towards the narrative and how it helped them to really dive \u201cinto the lives of quite a large cast\u201d, and there was opposition to Carr\u2019s view of the voice acting, with Billington instead finding it to be of \u201chigh quality\u201d.<\/p>\n

The same was said for the \u201cenjoyable writing\u201d that helps make up for the character\u2019s stiffness.<\/p>

Writing for PlayStation Universe<\/a>, John-Paul Jones commented that \u201cHercule Poirot: The London Case is an enjoyable, if unambitious detective yarn\u201d with a 6\/10 score awarded.<\/p>\n

While it was criticised for its \u201csimplicity\u201d, they did find that \u201cthe resolutely relaxed and accessible detective beats on offer mean that newcomers will find few better introductions to the genre and should probably feel free to add a point to the review score\u201d.<\/p>\n

GameSpew<\/a>\u2018s Kim Snaith fell right in the middle of the average score at 7\/10. While the reviewer noted that it\u2019s \u201can intriguing tale that\u2019s filled with twists and turns\u201d they did also lament that \u201cthis is a budget title and it shows\u201d.<\/p>\n

Finally, Gabriele Barducci of The Games Machine<\/a> felt it deserved an 8.2\/10, saying that Agatha Christie \u2013 Hercule Poirot: The London Case \u201cis a game that is better looking, bigger and more fun\u201d than its predecessor.<\/p>\n

He further adds that \u201cthe developers use the same formula as the previous title, for a game that confirms all the excellent production qualities\u201d.<\/p>\n

If this sounds like something you\u2019re interested in playing, Agatha Christie \u2013 Hercule Poirot: The London Case can be picked up at Amazon<\/a> across PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X\/S and Nintendo Switch for an RRP of \u00a334.99. It can also be found on PC (Steam)<\/a> for \u00a324.99.<\/p>