Agatha Christie Hercule Poirot: The First Cases Reviews
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.
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 a solid adventure game. Poor mouse and keyboard support detracts from the overall experience, but the product as a whole is a worthy rendition of Agatha Christie's books.
Review in Italian | Read full review
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.
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.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
Nice adventure game with popular Belgian detective and good dialogs.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
Agatha Christie – Hercule Poirot: The First Cases is a very well conducted and connected story, giving the feeling that you are not only playing a game, but also reading a book by the Queen of Crime. With well-built characters, there are some moments that are a little predictable, but others are quite surprising, thus delivering an excellent experience for lovers of the genre.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Agatha Christie - Hercule Poirot: The First Cases is very good. The nature of the game and the setting are not impressive, but the other components form a production worth attention. Especially for enthusiasts of solving criminal puzzles, who probably keep an eye on this game anyway.
Review in Polish | Read full review
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.
Agatha Christie - Hercule Poirot: The First Cases is a book you are invited to explore at your own pace
Review in Greek | Read full review
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.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
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.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
All of the twists you can see coming from a mile away. The deduction system is atrocious and offers nothing aside from an aggravating experience. On top of that, there’s absolutely no challenge, which makes playing it feel almost worthless, especially since you know how the story will end long before it actually does. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but if you’re looking for a Hercule Poirot game, you should play Agatha Christie: The ABC Murders instead. At least that game has fun puzzles and an actual level of challenge.
Agatha Christie – Hercule Poirot: The First Cases is a great game for those who wish to keep their brain and ‘little grey cells’ active. Although the exploration and investigation portion of the game is linear and guided, logically working out what key information links together is very satisfying and rewarding, especially when you get it right the first time. The story is very loyal to the source material, offering a new Poirot adventure that feels like Agatha Christie wrote it herself, complete with brilliant voice acting which is slightly let down by the inconsistent volume levels and quality. If you’re a fan of the famous detective and logical thinking, you’ll really enjoy stepping into his shoes and mind as you solve the mysterious cases within Agatha Christie – Hercule Poirot: The First Cases.
Overall, I do believe the game is interesting at best if you just want to challenge yourself and become a detective but this is not how I envisioned myself as a detective. Agatha Christie – Hercules Poirot: The First Cases is a good game but you’d have to really be into this detective stuff if you want to give it a chance.
The collection of mystery games available on the Switch is slowly rising as the years pass. It can be very hard to find a good mystery game. A good mystery needs to hook you in. Keeps you guessing while also encouraging you to press on, and satisfy you with its ending as everything is tied together. While there can still be a few lingering questions, the major ones had better be answered. And if you are going the route of incorporating gameplay, it needs to be interactive and engaging enough. With The First Cases, this is a mystery game done very well. The storytelling is tight, doesn’t overstay its welcome, and has a nice mix of twists while also keeping everything believable.