Mystery fans are no strangers to the brilliance of Agatha Christie, one of the OGs in 20th-century literature. Only recently have her works begun to make the crossover into video games, with one of the most intriguing ones yet on the near horizon. We had the opportunity to chat with David Chomard, head of studio at Microids Lyon, about Agatha Christie – Death on the Nile to learn more about the game and how it bridges the gap between modern mystery literature and video games. It’s a fascinating look at the game set to make its debut later this month.
Please introduce yourself, your company, and your role in it.
I’m David Chomard, Head of Studio at Microids Studio Lyon, an internal studio of Microids. The studio specializes in developing detective games. Founded in 2021, we have already adapted Murder on the Orient Express, which was released in 2023. Agatha Christie: Death on the Nile is our second project.
How did you find inspiration for a video game from Agatha Christie nearly 100 years after the book was written?
Agatha Christie’s books are truly timeless: Death on the Nile was written in 1937, but the characters and the investigation still feel believable even today. The real challenge when adapting her work into a video game is finding ways to innovate and bring a fresh perspective to the story.
What prompted the change in setting to the 1970s and the addition of a second protagonist?
By setting the story in the 1970s, we can easily take the player to New York, London, Mallorca, and Cairo thanks to long-haul flights. It also allows us to design more complex puzzles using cassette players, Polaroids, Super 8 cameras, and more. The locations and fashion of the 1970s help create a unique visual identity that sets this adaptation apart from other versions of the book.
By introducing Jane, the second protagonist, we are able to bring something new to the story: she has her own original investigations that run in parallel to Poirot’s storyline from the book. Jane’s style is also very different from Poirot’s: she runs, picks locks, fights, shoots… all things Poirot would never do. Her chapters are more action-driven, while Poirot’s are more cerebral.
Will Agatha Christie’s fans find nods back to the original novel outside the setting and Poirot? How so?
Of course! The game’s storyline stays completely true to the original. We added parallel and complementary storylines to enrich the experience, but we never altered the core story from the book. For those who have read or seen Death on the Nile, they won’t feel lost.
What is the basic storyline of the game?
Poirot finds himself on a cruise along the Nile with a murder to solve. Meanwhile, Jane, a private detective, is investigating another murder that takes her on a journey across the globe. Eventually, the two investigations collide.
What inspired you to blend genres such as narrative adventure and detective game?
Since we’re following the storyline of the book, it’s important to set the stage with narrative sequences that introduce the characters and the context. The player needs to understand each suspect’s motivations and potential motives, which requires a strong narrative foundation. But above all, it’s a game that must give the player the freedom to investigate. They should truly feel like a detective, solving the case themselves. It’s all about finding the right balance.
What type of player are you targeting?
Naturally, we’re targeting fans of detective games, both gamers who enjoy a real challenge and casual players who want to relive an Agatha Christie story. To support that, the difficulty level is adjustable: for those who like a challenge, the game offers much harder puzzles, no hints, red herrings, misleading clues, and more. It’s on par with the toughest detective games on the market. On the other hand, in Story mode, the game guides the player step by step, ensuring they never get stuck.
We also designed the game to require no dexterity-based mechanics, making it fully accessible to players with limited mobility.
Please explain the mindmap and confrontation systems.
The mindmap represents Poirot’s brain: it’s where the player connects the clues they’ve collected, as well as their next objectives, such as “interrogate Mr. X.” It also includes logic-based tasks like “Reorder the events in the timeline.”
A new feature in Death on the Nile is the ability to connect clues to make deductions, as seen in other detective games. But our unique twist is that the player also has to answer, “Why can I connect these clues?” We want players to feel clever, making the right deductions on their own, just like a real detective.
Confrontations are another original gameplay feature: someone tells you something, and out of the four statements they make, one is a lie. But you can’t just guess; you also have to pick the right piece of evidence that proves they’re lying. It’s very rewarding for players when they succeed.
What challenges have presented themselves in creating a game based on such a well-known IP?
Our biggest challenge was creating an investigation that would still be engaging, even for players already familiar with the original story. To do that, we added a number of side cases for Poirot, events that are only briefly mentioned in the book. For example, at the beginning of the novel, Poirot visits a club, has a drink, sees a few characters, and leaves. In the game, we imagined a jewel theft happening at that moment, turning it into a full original investigation. Similarly, in the book, Poirot mentions a burglary in a house in Mallorca; we turned that into a full case for Jane.
The other major challenge was turning a linear narrative into a non-linear game: the player needs the freedom to investigate in whatever order they choose. That requires a lot of design work to account for all possible paths.
Also, in the books, Poirot spends most of his time interviewing suspects. That’s enjoyable in a novel, but in a game, it can quickly become repetitive if that’s all you do. So we added a wide variety of gameplay mechanics, lots of puzzles, tailing sequences, eavesdropping, searching environments, crime scene reconstructions, and more.
What have been the most rewarding aspects of building Death on the Nile?
We’re quite proud of having stayed true to Agatha Christie’s original work, while also bringing real gameplay and fresh story elements. The player should truly feel like they’re stepping into Poirot’s shoes and feel just as clever as he is.
When is the game coming out and on what platforms?
Death on the Nile launches worldwide on September 25, on Switch, PS5, Xbox Series, Steam, Epic Store, Windows Store, and GOG.
Please add anything else you’d
I hope all aspiring detectives will enjoy our adaptation. We poured our hearts and energy into it to deliver a unique and fun experience.
