For Agatha Christie’s birthday, Microids is pleased to reveal a Dev Diary video for Agatha Christie – Hercule Poirot: The First Cases, exploring the game’s inspirations and ambitions with exclusive behind-the-scenes footage. Developed by the studio Blazing Griffin, in collaboration with Agatha Christie Limited, Agatha Christie – Hercule Poirot: The First Cases is a detective and adventure game starring a young Hercule Poirot before he became the legendary detective we all know and love! The game will launch September 28th 2021, on PC (Steam), Xbox One consoles, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch, and will be backward compatible on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X | S. The release date is set to October 5th 2021 for North America, and October 12th 2021 for Australia & New Zealand.
In this Dev Diary, Neil McPhillips and Justin Alae-Carew (both Co-heads of Games) explain how they tackled the creation of a brand-new and original Hercule Poirot experience yet stayed authentic to the franchise. Agatha Christie – Hercule Poirot: The First Cases’ gameplay illustrates perfectly how the game is aimed at recreating a multi-faceted core detective case. The game offers a narration fully integrated in gameplay mechanics and the story, being told over a series of chapters and acts, feels like a classic Poirot novel.
The immersion is enhanced by the mindmap feature, illustrating the detective’s thinking process. Story-wise, the writing of an engaging murder case for the game, intended to be as compelling as the Queen of Crime’s, was achieved thanks to the contribution of TV & film writers from the studio, closely collaborating with the game’s narrative designers. Finally, to offer a refreshing take on our iconic detective, the studio has chosen to set the game during Poirot’s youth, when his fame had not yet been established and he’d have to struggle to make his voice heard, at a time when the world was changing drastically and raised many socio-economic issues, embodied by a varied cast of characters archetypes.
*** In addition to today’s Dev Diary, the developers put together a comprehensive video summarizing everything you need to know about Agatha Christie – Hercule Poirot: The First Cases. The video features gameplay footage and is narrated by the developers themselves!
Synopsis:
In his early years as a detective, a young Hercule Poirot is invited to a reception by the influential Van den Bosch family, for the announcement of their daughter’s engagement. But tensions among the guests run high as a snowstorm descends on the town, trapping everyone inside the manor. The happy event is soon marred by the murder of one of the guests! Poirot being in the right place at the right time immediately begins to investigate. What buried secrets and deadly rivalries will he uncover?
Key features:
- (Re)discover the legendary detective in an untold crime story, by playing as Hercule Poirot at the beginning of his detective career, when he still has everything to prove.
- Put your little grey cells to the test by using your deduction skills to connect clues together in your mindmap. The mindmap will allow you to visualise and link the elements of the case in order to draw your own conclusions… and shed light on the culprit in a surprising denouement!
- Solve a complex murder case and find out what hides behind the deceptive appearances of the Van den Bosch family.
- Question all the suspects and glean crucial information from them without their knowing. Pick up on all suspicious behaviour as you uncover the dark secrets and rivalries of the Belgian upper class.
- Explore a luxurious house full of buried mysteries. Uncovering the murderer won’t be the only puzzle you’ll have to solve…
About Microids
Microids is a French video game publisher. Founded in 1985, Microids’ editorial strategy now focuses on 4 major areas: adventure games, racing games, retro gaming and games inspired by iconic titles. By collaborating with renowned studios and authors (Pendulo Studios, Eden Studios, Benoît Sokal, Paul Cuisset, Philippe Dessoly and Pierre Adane), Microids has become a major player in international video games. Taking inspiration from legendary titles, including Asterix & Obelix, and Titeuf, Garfield, Fort Boyard, XIII and Blacksad, Microids reaches a wide audience and creates original adventures which give gamers the chance to play as some of their most beloved characters.
About Agatha Christie Limited
Agatha Christie Limited (ACL) has been managing the literary and media rights to Agatha Christie’s works around the world since 1955. Collaborating with the very best talents in film, television, publishing, stage and on digital platforms ACL ensures that Christie’s work continues to reach new audiences in innovative ways and to the highest standard. The company is managed by Christie’s great grandson James Prichard.
