The Last Express

The other reviewers have said it better than I could, but I just wanted to add my praise for this wonderful game. I rarely play adventure games but I played this one right after it was released and it has stuck with me ever since. I purchased it within two seconds of seeing that it was available on GOG. Seriously.

This game doesn't get mentioned in discussions of the best adventure games even half as much as games like Grim Fandango or King's Quest VI or [insert game here,] and that's a shame. Because The Last Express is not just an amazing game, but the only game of its kind. Unfolding nearly in real-time, with a voice cast including native speakers of English, Russian, Serbian, Arabic, French, and German (if I remember correctly,) and using a strange and beautiful rotoscoping technique for much of the animation, it feels, looks, and sounds like no other game. The soundtrack alone justifies paying $6 for this game. It has great replay value, too, since every passenger has their own schedule and you never know what sorts of conversations and encounters you might miss while you're in another area. It's not too difficult, though a couple short action sequences will take at least two tries for most players. There are just a few of these, though, and even the most action-averse shouldn't have trouble with them. The plot, too, is one-of-a-kind. There's no single, central plot, but instead a medley of intertwining subplots set against the backdrop of the days before the outbreak of World War I. Every passenger on the train has their own motivations, and the ways in which their stories connect makes for some really wonderful moments. There are spies, rebels, secret lovers, murderers, and a bevy of other unique and captivating people to get to know. After finishing this game for the first time, I watched the ending cinematic five or six times. In my opinion it bests the endings of favorite like Grim Fandango or Full Throttle. It's unexpected and explosive and final and uncertain and deeply sad, and totally in keeping with the rest of the game. If you want adventure, mystery, tragedy, romance, humor, and history--or if you're just sick of stupid plots and bad accents in games and movies today--pick up The Last Express. Really.

Before playing this game i had never played or even heard of it. I went in expecting some cheap, budget point and click adventure but what I found was was of the most artistique and charming games i've played in a long time. The effort that went into this game is astonishing with an authenicly recreated 1914 train and what are essentialy hand drawn animated graphics. This game also features a compelling story and characters that are genuinly intresting, after 5 minutes I was hooked and couldnt stop until the credits.In conclusion, this is a truely unique expierence that every pc gamer looking for something a little diffrent should play You wont regret it!

It is difficult to analyst why this game is so good. There are a few games that try to be like this, such as Titanic: Adventure out of Time, but that falls short in every respect. The Bioware RPGs may get close to it in terms of dialogue, characters and acting, but the need to make the plot "epic" in length makes them all ultimately repetitive and boring. Only indie games such as Passage and Limbo can match its emotional power. Maybe it is just that the surprise success of Myst made the makers of The Last Express overestimate the intelligence and maturity of the audience.

this game was very good however it was shorter then i though it would be and had more fights then i would have liked in a point-and-click and the real time aspect of the game was not apparent. the ending was a bit sudden and i wish Thar was sequel to finish the story of Robert Cath