Customer Reviews

Agatha Christie: And Then There Were None

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Length:: 4:00 Mins

I review games for the Wii on youtube. To see more of my reviews go to www.youtube.com/wiiviewr.

First of all, it's important to explain what type of game this is. This games is a traditional, 2D, point-and-click adventure game. You walk around and explore, talk to people, collect objects and clues, and solve puzzles. I'm a big fan of these types of games, but if you're not as a rule, I would skip this.

As a long-time adventure gamer, I was waiting for the Wii release to play this game. If you've already played it on PC, don't bother. It's exactly the same. The Wii controls are barely used, and when they are it's kinda annoying.

This game definitely has its flaws. It's not a great game. The action is pretty slow and sometimes repetitive. It's not exciting or unpredictable (especially if you've read the book, which I have.) The game is actually not very linear, in that you can do a lot of optional actions and you can do things at different times. That gets confusing sometimes because I felt that I had not done things I wanted to do and was afraid I wouldn't get a chance. But I did.

I have resorted to a walkthrough for a few parts of the game, but I have a low frustration tolerance, so that's not strange. In all, I've been really enjoying my time playing this game. I can't quite put my finger on what I like, but it's soothing and relaxing. I have been monopolizing the TV for several days playing it.

So, if you have liked this type of game in the past, I would recommend it. I understand the later PC games in the series are improvements on this game. I hope they do Wii ports of them as well. Otherwise I'm going to have to get them for PC.

I love a good murder mystery and this is the first one for wii. Yes, it took forever to complete and there were some very tedious times trying to figure out what you needed but all in all I got wrapped up in this game and hope there are more in the genre coming out. I DID have to go online and find some cheats in the middle of the game or I would have never finished and just given up but I still enjoyed it. If you are a fan of Christie you will like the game. It is geared towards adults and I think most high school and college kids would find it too slow to be fun.

My suggestion: borrow it, play it, return it.

Let me first admit that I have never read the Agatha book, or played the PC game. So I started with a blank slate. I will also admit that I am an ADHD gamer, and wasn't interested in this game. But my wife wanted a low action, easy-to-play, 7th Guest puzzle game.

She did not get what she wanted. My wife lasted only about an hour in the game, and then she was done. I lasted 2 more hours, and then I was done. I decided I wanted to see the ending, so I turned to a strategy walk-through cheat guide on the Internet. With the guide's help, the game was over in a few more hours.

I used a walkthrough guide based on the PC version, and found it 99% identical to the Wii game. So if you played this on the PC, there is really no need to buy the Wii version. Yes, there are a few puzzles that you can use the Wii motion-controls, but I found these very few controls to be awkward and unresponsive. Opening doors drove me crazy throughout the game (and I opened a ton of doors in The Godfather).

The game has a few puzzles that require you to assemble various inventory items together. But these puzzles are NOT required in order to complete the game - they are just sidebars that provide superficial entertainment. And if it wasn't for the cheat guide, I don't know how anyone would have ever figured out some of these puzzles, or where to pick up the inventory items. For instance, the location of the antidote appears to be completely random (and only makes sense AFTER you know the ending).

The puzzles did not drive the plot along, and the plot did not move you to and through the puzzles. This is what separates this game from some of the other historic success stories in this genre.

The only requirement to moving the plot along was talking to the other characters. The main challenge was to find where the characters have walked off to. So it was really just several hours of wandering around, checking the same rooms over and over and over again, hoping to bump into a character.

And save your game often, because there are some bugs. My game froze at the raft scene and I had to restart from an earlier save - which only prolonged my misery.

Every puzzle takes time to decipher, unravel and unlock.

So are the intricate twists and often-times red-herrings of this game. Those that dismiss it are looking for a quick answer. But true fans of the mystery genre rely on wit, observation and listening. All the facts are there. It is up to you to discover them.

There are four endings to the game based on what you do within. Follow the book, and you just might be right. Follow your instinct, and see where it takes you.

With that said, I must admit I have not fully solved the game yet. Neither have I resorted to reading "cheats on the Internet". But I continue to press on in search of the fiend. If you buy this game, be prepared to be challenged. And let your brain, not the Internet, help guide you to the solution. After all, isn't a challenge you sought in buying this game??

It is a fantastic journey so far, and I'm sure my concluding review will be the same.

And so will yours.

In terms of game mechanics, this game leaves a lot to be desired. Sometimes it's repetitive, or doesn't make sense, or you have to go online and look for clues from others who've already solved the mystery. To anyone who says it's not worth the time or it stinks, I truly understand that.

Having acknowledged that, I still love this game, and I'll tell you why. First, I have read almost every Agatha Christie novel and I love them. I've seen both film versions of this one and I've seen the play done really well. So I love the story so much and the setting so much, it's worth it for that alone. My husband and son played this with me and watched me play it for hours. My son helped me draw a map of the rooms in the mansion and keep track of clues, so it was a fun mother-and-son bonding thing. My husband and son both said that one of the things they love most about it is the soothing soundtrack, from rain storms to music. They also love the quaint English dialogue - they still quote some of the games lines from time to time.

In short, I'd say this game is like a beloved family member - yes, they leave a lot to be desired, yes other people might not enjoy their company (and you know why), but you love them anyway.

I'm not an avid gamer. I just got the Wii for myself a couple of months ago, and have found most games frustrating, and not particularly interesting. This appealed to me, because I love puzzles, and I don't have to be a pro-gamer to manage the controls (just the remote, it doesn't require the nunchuk).
But, considering the state of the art of gaming, I was amazed at how primitive the graphics are. Rather reminds me of the old days of "King's Quest"! And, as the previous reviewer has said, there seems to be no rhyme or reason for solving puzzles - the main thing is to talk to each "suspect" so you can move on to the next chapter. And for heaven's sake, listen closely, because if you miss something in one of the little video clips, there's no way to replay it!

But, I'm playing with it, so it still has my attention. (a lame excuse...)

This is a GREAT game! We started the game Monday night and finished it last night (Wednesday). It's a hard game to stop playing and I loved the clever mysteries within the story. Tha narration is also well done ,creepy, and intriguing. There is absolutely NO need fo a strategy guide or a walkthrough if you have enough intelligence and/or patience for puzzles. Clues are all over the house for codes & you can't get stuck if you talk to everyone and explore all areas. Your actions trigger the next actions. Search an area, talk to everyone, then search again. Easy enough. The only point we got stuck at was the second to last chapter when we couldn't find one of the guests. 10 minutes later we talked to everyone in a different order and were feeling stupid for our oversight.
I DO NOT recommend this game for inexperienced, casual, or impatient gamers however! Like Silent Hill & Resident Evil, advancing depends on figuring out how to put items together, where to use them, and who to talk to -but on an easier scale puzzle-wise. The controls are easy to use with the Wii remote and includes things like turning doorknobs and digging with a shovel, which adds to the interactive intrigue of the game.
It is also made by The Adventure Company who are known for their excellent puzzle/mystery games. If you can't sit still for a few hours to read a book, you would probably be better off playing Super Smash Bros or something similar. Also, it is impossible to die playing this game so you can really enjoy the story unraveling. To those who love only survival horror with constant enemies and battling crazy zombie/demons, you may be bored. I love many survival horror games but find an overdose of enemies around every corner to be distracting...
A final warning to people familiar with the book -the ending has been changed to suit a video game and to insert a playable character, but at the end you are treated to the end of the original story as a bonus in the form of a voice-over letter.
I can't wait to get the next 2 games!!

I really liked this game. I'm not sure why everyone seems to think it was so hard. It took a little bit of time to figure some of the stuff out, but that's kind of the point. If it was super easy, it wouldn't be any fun. There are a few annoying quirks, mainly having to twist open all of the doors. But the annoying quirk isn't that big of a deal once you get used to twisting your hand every three minutes.
So I would recommend this game to anyone looking for a slow paced (this is not an action game) game with a good storyline.
By the way, if you are looking for a mystery game- buy this before the Nancy Drew White Wolf game- that game is TERRIBLE. You can read my review for that game for more details.

I love Agatha Christie's work, especially when Poirot is the featured sleuth. While I didn't expect this game to be as rich as Christie's works, I was expecting a more entertaining experience. In a word, this game is boring. This is true because the game is befuddled with notes and objects and an endless searching of rooms. The Wii aspect of this game could be so much better, as well. You don't get to do much more than click and twist your wrist to open doors, which you must do so many times you begin to wonder about whether you might aggravate a bad case of carpel tunnel. This could have been great. Someone ran out of money or creativity in its making and needed to cash in early, it would seem.