Classic literature can stand the test of time for so long that it sees itself get reinvented numerous times.

For a book like Death on the Nile, for instance, there’s the classic original film, TV adapations, as well as the more recent efforts with Kenneth Branagh and an all-star cast including Gal Gadot.

And now this year, with Microids who have been successfully reinventing the Poirot series in game format, a reimagining of Agatha Christie’s classic novel, only it’s now set in the 70s.

The psychedelic disco styling and fancy haircuts definitely take some getting used to, especially when playing as the moustache twirling Poirot as he can feel a little out of place, but it at least freshens up a commonly known story and plays with some new ideas that don’t make everything about to happen entirely predictable.

Especially when playing as a dual protagonist in Jane Royce, a brand new character added to the narrative who is something of a private detective in their own right and has their own motivations for being involved in the story.

Death on the Nile mostly follows the core storyline that is primarily underpinned by a love triangle between Simon Doyle, Linnet Ridgeway and Jacqueline de Belfort, leading toward solving a murder mystery on the Nile itself. But ahead of that is some context setting and story development you won’t have seen before.

And with that does, unfortunately, come a bit of padding. It’s not until Chapter 3, for instance, that you get on the Nile itself and before that, find yourself solving mysteries of a night-club, of a hotel and in Majorca, each filled with distinct puzzles. Some of which are very drawn out, and some that definitely make you feel quite accomplished.

As with previous Agatha Christie games from Microids, you have a mind map for Poirot and Royce where they can their own deductions and piece the story together with pieces of information picked up in conversation and facts learned over the course of the game. Even if the sleuthing score feels overly familiar after a few loops and gets a bit repetitive to listen to.

As you progress, you’ll make key decisions about the adventure and be able to link certain facts together to make deductions which can then help you progress the story and the case. You can also make decisions, for instance, that determine the trajectory of the story – creating motivations for your characters. And this dialogue gives some nice back and forth to really paint the picture of each and every scene.

Then there’s Character Profiles which you will gradually fill in as you learn more about the characters through dialogue and the course of the story. These are great referral points to come back to if you need to understand a person’s motivation and what they’re trying to do across the wider context of the story. For instance, you might learn someone is someone elses cousin indirectly by a passing comment or learn someone’s first name from a note.

Finding their secrets is a great way of staying ahead in the investigation. And the way it’s all handled is really smooth and enjoyable as you wander each chapter in third person, chatting to suspects, admiring the scenery, looking for hidden clues and yes, those silly golden moustaches!

For the most part, Death on the Nile plays really well – even portably on Steam Deck – and is a good old fashioned adventure game that is pretty stunningly designed. As mentioned, some puzzles are a bit tedious – there’s a jukebox puzzle that feels unnecessarily never-ending – and some have some quite surprisingly obscure solutions that will take some time to mull over. The story can also be a bit slow and padded at points, but the wider mysery at large, is an enjoyable romp you’ll feel compelled to see through.

Verdict

Agatha Christie – Death on the Nile is a mostly enjoyable romp that has some good writing, compelling mysteries and interesting takes on a well-known story. It’s not always perfect, there’s padding and some puzzles are particularly perplexing, but the general vibe of the game is worth seeing through as it’s mostly well polished and plays pretty solidly and consistently throughout.