Agatha Christie: And Then There Were None (2005 Video Game) User Reviews

a credit to Agatha Christie.

[aakohrs121 · 8/10 · 27 June 2011]

Although the graphics were a bit odd at times (well, after seeing that "kiss" between two characters where their lips never actually touch, I would have say more than a bit) and there was a lack of "action-packed" game play, I would have to say this game is a credit to Agatha Christie in every way, including the "surprise" ending.

You play as Patrick Narracott, an added eleventh "little Indian" (which the game refers to as "sailor boys"). Some might complain this game can be uninteresting because of its dependency on tasks like, "bringing Dr. Armstrong his medicine bag" to continue plot, but I have found that, as mentioned in another review on this site, if you truly are a fan of the book and Christie, you will truly enjoy this game. Unlike in other Adventure Company games (cough-cough, Orient Express), most of the tasks seem necessary to the game and I never found any to be overly drawn out.

The music and the weather on the island definitely rank among the better aspects of the game (yes, the weather. no, no sarcasm intended). The music is always apprehensive and moody, which changes from a fast-to- slow pace, or vice versa, depending on the situation in play. The weather on the island is similar and sets the stage well for the murders of ten people. Speaking of which, YOU (yes, you) have the "choice" of deciding how you want the Christie's story to end (hence, the advertised "suprise" ending), depending on how you play. (i.e. I would save near the end, so you can go back and watch each of the different endings. -- All I'm going to say is that some are more satisfying than others...or at least for Narracott they are ;) ) You also have the option of viewing the original ending, as told by Agatha Christie, which is a nice touch by The Adventure Company.

Overall, this adaptation of how the "ten little Indians" meet their fate is well done, both in its background appearance (minus the world's first "lipless" make-out session) and actual game play. Each character is so well "illustrated" in the game that even staunch Christie-fans would approve of its liberties from the original book. And however brilliant a writer Agatha Christie may be, she cannot "literally" (ha...ha?) bring to life her characters, no matter how many adjectives she can fit on two-dimensional piece of paper. The Adventure Company did something Christie could not - they brought the third-dimension, the human element, to Agatha Christie's well-woven novel And Then There Were None.

Save your money

[Jimmy-128 · 3/10 · 16 August 2007]

I rated it so low simply because of the subject matter; arguably the greatest murder mystery ever written, And Then There Were None should have had a superb video game adaptation, instead of the mediocre one we get.

The layout of the screens is clumsy. Standing directly behind the couch in the drawing room, for example, you have to go to the far window, then make a left and go to the fireplace, and then make another left to talk to anyone on the couch--you can't simply walk around and talk to them. Likewise, the constantly shifting perspectives make getting from one place to another tedious and cumbersome.

Worse, there's a lot of "busywork" involved that has absolutely nothing to do with investigating the murder. For example, Fred (the viewpoint character), spends a good chunk of the first half of the game building materials for a parachute to take him off the island--which, of course, you know is going to fail, because then you wouldn't catch the murderer, now, would you?

Finally, you definitely want to have this page handy: http://www.uhs-hints.com/uhsweb/hints/attwn/1.php because there's a lot of stuff you have to do that you'd never figure out in a million years.

As a cinematic experience quite good as a game a bit frustrating

[chrichtonsworld · 4/10 · 8 September 2007]

This game has a wonderful premise. It puts you in charge of a real exciting murder investigation. Or so it seems. Because what sounds so promising and has been for earlier movies didn't translate that well to this game. There is lot of running involved without any help of some sort of a travel system. You will do a lot of things that are unnecessary and don't have an impact on the murder mystery. In order to advance you mainly have to talk to all of the remaining characters in the game. This sounds easy. And if they stayed in one place it would be a piece of a cake. But the problem is that some characters do have the habit to wander. And the game does cheat in this aspect. Because one moment a character can be found in his room and a second later he can be gone and not to be found again. Which of course is improbable. Also most of the time you are limited to go outside when it rains (which is most of the game). This doesn't make any sense when you know that there is a killer around who can go outside and kill any moment. You do get the chance to snoop on people while they are sleeping in their rooms. But this also can be tedious since we don't actually learn anything useful. The biggest flaw of this game is that the game is too linear. Solving puzzles,riddles and talking to characters don't have real consequences for the end result. You can't prevent the murders. From what I have seen there are two main endings (one with some variations made up by the producers of the game and the original ending from the Agathie Christie novel) This game would have been the perfect opportunity to have more possible endings and murderers. At least it could have tried more to give you the feeling that you actually solved the mystery yourself. Only redeeming factor of this game are the cinematics and scenery that are beautifully rendered. I do have very mixed feelings about the atmosphere. On the one hand it is beautiful,dark and realistic. The sea water for example looks amazing,especially when it storms. But on the other hand there is a major lack of suspense. You never really feel threatened. (There is one moment that does give the impression of danger but simply is used to make the story more interesting. To bring in perspective: You can't die in the game!) And we don't get to find out who the characters really are and what they are about. No depth at all. In any production based on a Agatha Christie novel this is the most important factor. If you are able to ignore the game play and other elements that are important for a good adventure you will have an enjoyable experience watching the story unfold. But even then I will recommend to skip this and read the original novel in stead!