The Last Express

The Good
How innovative can an adventure game be? We had it all, hadn't we: Point 'n Click, real actors, 1st perspective. And yet the Last Express is so very much different from other games, that it is no wonder it didn't get very good reviews. One needs some time to realize the depth of the game.

This adventure is the one and only real time adventure I have encountered so far. Not like Blade Runner, where the label reads real time, but the story development still focuses on your progress. The train offers the designers a closed area, where the time really runs through your fingers. The other passengers lead a live of their own, walk through the coaches, talk to each other, eat and sleep. I played through the game four times and still I encountered some new stuff.

The graphics are interesting, too. Real actors have been caught in stills, repainted and integrated in the game as "cartoon" characters. This works much better than the usual blue boxed personnel in front of a rendered background. Last Express looks very different from other adventure games. This is of course also due to the first person perspective.

The Bad
The main character is, well, no one you would go out on a beer with. He is a terrorist, a killer and his arrogance adds into the picture. This makes it kind of difficult to identify yourself with Robert Cath. Unless you're a terrorist yourself, I guess.

Unfortunately has the graphics style also a big minus on the other side. While adding to a great atmosphere, the pictures are stop-motion. Meaning that the game blends over from one still picture to the next one. Much like movement in the ZORK graphic adventures. Only important scenes are completely animated. I guess this is due to the high amount of data. The Last Express already eats up three CDs. But boy would I be happy about a DVD Rerelease - with smooth animation all over. ( I know this is less than probable)

The Bottom Line
The Last Express is a great adventure with an impressive, luring story. You'll need some time though, to get into the plot and to become familiar with the strange stop motion first perspective view. Try to buy the game with the packaging. At least the German release had a great double cover with some beautiful pictures and printing on the inside.