Agatha Christie: Death on the Nile - When a Book Becomes a Game

If an elegant detective story by Agatha Christie becomes a game some day, it will surely be a tricky hidden-objects investigation through multiple rooms and locations, with interrogations levels and of course the game will be based on the gripping mystery of life and death.

Actually, this has already happened as Agatha Christie: Death on the Nile, developed by Flood Light Games and published by Oberon Games (one of casual games sharks who gave Dream Day Wedding to the world) is now released at Big Fish Games.

Call it a book, call it a game, or a genuine investigation simulator. No matter how you call it, it fully recreates the high artistic value of Agatha Christie's work.

So, the game begins with the murder of rich heiress Linnet Doyle, who got killed while cruising on the Nile on a high-class ship S.S. Karnak with her husband. Hercule Poirot, who turns out to be in the right place at the right time, is to carry out an investigation and track down the murderer.

In order to do this, Poirot(who in fact is you) will need to sleuth for clues in all the rooms of the liner, and question each of the passengers.

A large percentage of levels feature typical hidden-objects mechanics. You are to find the clues to solve the mystery of Linnet's Death.

Look for the required objects that are listed on the left-hand side of the screen and click them. The item will immediately be crossed out of your to-find-list.

But in Agatha Christie: Death on the Nile the hidden object mechanics is especially tricky. From now on in order to find the clues, you can check different objects. From now, background of each location is no longer a steady picture, but it contains animated elements!

Just like in real life, you can lift a book resting on the floor, turn its pages in order to find the clue hidden behind the pages, or watch the wall clock ticking etc.           

Similarly to MCF Ravenhearst, after searching for clues at the usual levels you'll be offered to tackle a sliding puzzle containing a picture that will shed light on a mysterious murder and bring you one step closer to its solution.

Another stage of levels includes questioning the suspects (as every passenger is suspected). On this sort of level, you'll have a chance to meet the passengers and familiarize with their biographies to sort out who was involved in this dreadful story.  

Impressive visuals of the game indicate a profound knowledge by game designers and artists not only of Agatha Christie's work, but also the history and culture of the first part of 20^th century. Art is just classy and elegant, and so is the sound of the game.

Agatha Christie: Death on the Nile is another hidden objects chef-d'oeuvre that will take its place among such all-time state-of-art games as Mystery Case Files: Ravenhearst.          

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