Maxwell LeRoy

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After the past 32+ games - which, admittedly, have had their ups and downs - this was so disappointing. Poorly constructed, several logic holes, and a boring story brings the series to this low point. There will be a lot of people who will ignore posts from longtime fans like me, but I can assure you the quality of this game compared to previous is lower. It is much more cartoonish than previous games. Characters can't stay still, constantly swinging side to side in an awkward and distracting way. A lot of bugs concerning navigation and interface are annoying and frustrating. Several holes and errors in the story and conversations make it difficult to follow, and thus, frustrating. I didn't mind they replaced Lani Minella as Nancy. While I loved her as Nancy, and am sure no one can ever replace her iconic performances, I also understand the company wanted to change direction and shake things up. Glad they were able to have some recurring voice actors back. Nothing against this voice actress, but she felt more like a high school cheerleader than Nancy Drew. I think she sounds more of a fit for Nancy's friend Bess. I know this was targeted toward the gamer audience (of which I am not apart of), but this game feels to be too problematic in its build that I don't think it will appeal to this group and expand the fanbase. My PC (Windows 10) could barely keep up with the game. Besides for Mac, it was not even released to other consoles. As a longtime fan, I would have much rather the company do this game as originally intended before they went on the hiatus. I think they tried making this game too complex to make up for the wait, and it ultimately wasn't worth it. I'll be on the lookout for future games - especially if they are able to work out a lot of the bugs - but I won't be playing this one again. Also, note to parents: there was a blatant advertisement for the CW series in the opening credits of the game. Besides for the character name of Nancy Drew, it contains nothing in common with the franchise, and contains promotion of drugs and sexual activity of the characters. Not a prude, but considering the game is E10+, I find it odd Her Interactive would be promoting it since they have made it a point to try and shy away from promoting those types of topics previously.

The CGI visuals and sets were beautiful, as was Kenneth Branagh as Poirot. However, it did not have the same subtle plot details that made its predecessor such a classic, and besides for a flashback of Poirot on the front lines of WWI Belgium, lacked an interesting introduction of the characters. Once the characters are at the burial site of Ramses II around the 15–20-minute mark, the film begins to pick up at a better pace. Out of the cast, Gal Gadot was the biggest surprise, filling into the shoes of a more sympathetic Linette. It was nice seeing Annette Benning, and she did her best in a role poorly written. The Ottobournes and Mrs. Bowers were also great additions to the cast, and while no one can outdo Bette Davis as Mrs. Van Schuyler, she still held her own very well. Russell Brand wasn't given much to do, and I didn't recognize him, so I guess he did a good job too. The performances of Armie Hammer and the girl who played Jackie were the film's largest drawbacks. Whereas Mia Farrow commanded attention, this girl gives a wooden performance that makes Madonna look like Meryl Streep. She seemed more like a high school teenager dumped by the captain of the football team than the staker-ish jilted fiancé that Farrow portrayed more superiorly. Hammer came off as creepy and horny as hell until Linette's death, switching to overacting before largely blending into the background (which probably saved the movie). Poirot's assistant from Orient Express reprised his role, annoying as ever and battling Hammer for the most testosterone-riddled character. It certainly wasn't up on the level of the 1978 Peter Ustinov-led adaption, but it was still worth the money and time. If you liked the 2017 Murder on the Orient Express, you won't be disappointed.