The Last Express (1997)
The Last Express is a 1997 point-and-click video game made by Smoking Car Productions and Brøderbund Software.
The Last Express places American doctor Robert Cath aboard the Orient Express in July 1914, days before the outbreak of World War I. Jordan Mechner built the game around a real-time simulation: every passenger follows their own schedule across the three-day journey whether or not Cath interacts with them, and conversations loop and shift as circumstances change. The rotoscoped art draws on Art Nouveau illustration, and the political tensions aboard the train, involving spies, revolutionaries, and a mysterious cargo, mirror the larger catastrophe about to descend on Europe.
Quick answers
What is The Last Express about?
The Last Express places American doctor Robert Cath aboard the Orient Express in July 1914, days before the outbreak of World War I. Jordan Mechner built the game around a real-time simulation: every passenger follows their own schedule across the three-day journey whether or not Cath interacts with them, and conversations loop and shift as circumstances change. The rotoscoped art draws on Art Nouveau illustration, and the political tensions aboard the train, involving spies, revolutionaries, and a mysterious cargo, mirror the larger catastrophe about to descend on Europe.
When was The Last Express released?
The Last Express was released on 30 March 1997.
Who made The Last Express?
The Last Express was made by Smoking Car Productions and Brøderbund Software.
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The Last Express in our writing
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A few thoughts on The Last Express
The Art of Point-and-Click Adventure Games documents the design tradition The Last Express pushed to its limits. For a non-game companion, the rich period atmosphere and ensemble of morally complex figures also connects to the ensemble drama of Life Is Strange in its attention to character consequence.
Stories set on trains where the journey is the mystery
The Last Express traps you on the Orient Express 48 hours before World War I breaks out. Every passenger has an agenda. These works use the same confined, high-stakes stage.