Agatha Christie – Hercule Poirot: The First Cases from Microids and Blazing Griffin on PS4 is a new take on the beloved character. Check our Agatha Christie – Hercule Poirot: The First Cases review!
Agatha Christie – Hercule Poirot: The First Cases from Microids and Blazing Griffin on PS4 is a new take on the beloved character. You can think of it as a Batman: Year One type of scenario in which we get to learn more about the early cases of Hercule Poirot, the beloved protagonist at the center of many of the classic novels from author Agatha Christie. I previously reviewed Agatha Christie – the ABC Murders from Microids, a cell-shaded murder mystery adventure based on the book of the same name, so I was definitely up for checking out this new adventure on Sony’s console.
You will get started with a Prologue chapter, during which you’ll get to learn all of the basics. Talking to all characters is fundamental for you to find all the information and clues you’ll need to solve each chapter. A bracelet has been stolen, and Madame Van den Bosh, the lady of the house, already has a suspect: Florette. Elizabeth, who had rushed to the street to find an officer, believes that Florette is innocent. To keep track of all of the characters you meet, their profiles will be added to your notes section, and you can check them by pressing the Triangle button.
After the Prologue chapter, the game’s main story will begin. During his first years as a detective, Hercule Poirot ends up being invited by the influential Van den Bosch family to a reception – the same family you met during the Prologue. The occasion? The announcement of their daughter’s engagement. Unfortunately, things take a turn for the worse when a snowstorm descends on the town, thus trapping everyone inside of the manor. To make things even worse, one of the guests is murdered! It’s up to Hercule Poirot to find all the clues needed to find the killer before it’s too late!
Whenever you find an interesting area of investigation, an objective will be added to the mind map. It is there that you’ll be able to see all of the evidence you’ve gathered. You’ll move cursor around the screen to highlight each piece of evidence as you review what you’ve learned so far in order to put your grey cells to work. You can zoom in and out with the R2 and L2 buttons, so that you can get a better look at each area. When you find a point of interest, press the X button to interact with it.
As you find more and more clues, you’ll be able to make deductions. As to not spoil things too much, allow me to go back to the Prologue chapter. After you’re done talking to Elizabeth, you will notice a set of muddy footprints, which is added to the clues you’ve found up to that point. If you move towards the gazebo, you will notice there’s a waterlogged patch of grass on the garden. Thanks to these two clues, in particular, you can make a deduction about how the muddy footprints are the result of the rain from earlier, and that while two sets of footprints lead the way from the house, only one muddy set returns – rather hastily it seems.
The way you talk to each character will also be important if you want to open them up to new lines of questioning. You could, for example decide to be understanding when following up on one question, and then be empathetic, so that you can ask one final question based on the deductions you’ve made up until that point. Other characters might react better to a more direct line of questioning, so you’ll have to experiment based on what you’ve learned about each character´s personality.
As for the trophies, Agatha Christie – Hercule Poirot: The First Cases has a full list with a Platinum trophy for you to add to your collection. The list is split into 38 Bronze trophies, 4 Silver trophies, and 4 Gold trophies. As for the objectives that you’ll have to complete, they include completing the game’s Prologue and each of the chapters, meeting all characters, visiting all locations, making 25, 50, 75, 100, 125, and 150 deductions, and uncovering a secret or a memory from each of the characters in the game, to name some examples.
Agatha Christie – Hercule Poirot: The First Cases is a fun adventure that has you taking on the first years of the beloved detective’s career. Its fixed camera setting, the slow-paced nature of the experience, and having to use the mind map at all times to make deductions it’s something that is not going to be for everyone. But if you’re a fan of the character and Agatha Christie’s novels, then you’re going to love what this game has to offer. Agatha Christie – Hercule Poirot: The First Cases is out on PlayStation 4 with a $29.99 asking price.
Disclaimer
This Agatha Christie – Hercule Poirot: The First Cases review is based on a PlayStation 4 copy provided by Microids.
