Agatha Christie - Death on the Nile Initial Impressions
I've definitely been in a cozy mystery mood lately, and this has spilled over into video games. So when I was offered the chance to write about Agatha Christie - Death on the Nile, I jumped at the opportunity. I've always been the type of gamer to prefer solving puzzles and being forced to think things through.
After spending a couple hours with this game, I have some thoughts.
TITLE: Agatha Christie - Death on the Nile
GENRE: Adventure
DEVELOPER: Microids Studio Lyon
PUBLISHER: Microids
FRANCHISE: Agatha Christie - Hercule Poirot
RELEASE DATE: Sep 25, 2025
Agatha Christie - Death on the Nile is the latest offering from Microids, a French video game developer and publisher. They're responsible for a sizable number of games, including the previous Agatha Christie Poirot series games, the Syberia series, and oddly enough, Garfield Kart. The studio has been creating games in the series for about nine years, so you would think the formula would be refined by now. The end result is a bit of a mixed bag, but I believe it's a fine offering for anyone who wants to get their hands dirty solving mysteries.
Let's start off with the glaring negative that must be addressed: The game is incredibly ugly. The character models look like they’ve been upscaled from Telltale Games’ PS3 titles. Movement is stiff and awkward, putting them right in the uncanny valley.
While the graphics may be disappointing, the actual gameplay feels amazing. Agatha Christie - Death on the Nile starts on a very small scale. Our main hero, Poirot, is hanging out at a nightclub when someone tries to propose to their partner… only to find the engagement ring is missing. From there Poirot starts doing what he does best. Interrogating people, finding clues, and sticking his nose where it doesn't belong.
There's a few things that make the investigation bits stand out. First is the inclusion of the mind map, a separate screen where investigation leads and clues are stored. Here I could remind myself where to go next, review the facts of the case, and make conclusions about the investigation. It felt very easy to navigate, and there was a certain amount of satisfaction to be had on seeing myself fill out the chart.
The prologue let me travel the nightclub freely, and pursue leads in any order I wished, which made the mind map incredibly useful. It felt open world like, in a sense, fully submerging me into the investigation. And there's so much to do for a game that essentially has no combat (at least so far). There are character profiles to fill out, golden mustaches to collect, and even some interactive puzzles to solve. For example, there is a clock in the club owner’s office. I was able to rotate the hands and unlock the collectable inside. And hey, If I just wanted to go to the bathroom and stare at the toilet, pondering what detective life had become, that was an option too.
I had a couple of issues with the way the game plays. The controls are a tad bit awkward and clunky. Sometimes it was a bit harder than it should be to interact with the world. One thing I absolutely loathed was trying to eavesdrop on conversations. There are a couple instances in the prologue where Poirot must listen in on conversations. He must be in close enough range to hear, but if the speakers observe him listening in, they look at him like he is the rudest man ever and stop talking. While it's not explained super well, basically it comes down to this — there is a specific spot on the map Poirot needs to stand in, which I knew because when I hit the eavesdrop button, a scene would unlock of him “blending in”. In one instance Poirot sits on the couch to overhear the people below him.
In the end, the mystery of the engagement ring was pretty simple and straightforward. This should be expected as you want to start with something simple and build toward deeper, more complex cases. That said, I really feel like this is a game that isn't about the final destination, but the journey along the way.
Agatha Christie - Death on the Nile has a very promising start, and I am hopeful for the rest of the game. I do intend to play the whole thing and share my thoughts. As is, I think this game is the perfect choice for anyone who's a fan of the Nancy Drew games, the old Telltale Games, or even those who enjoyed the investigation bits of Phoenix Wright. I think this is a breath of fresh air that provides a different sort of experience for gaming, and am looking forward to seeing where my journey leads with this game.
