Loco Motive is a brand new point and click adventure that turns to the classics for its inspiration, providing an intriguing murder mystery for players to solve aboard a lavish locomotive – hey, that’s the name of the game! This is a detective story where none of the three main player characters are proper detectives. Instead, the case of a murder on a train is left to be solved by Arther Ackerman, an estates attorney, Herman Merman, a novelist who fancies himself as a detecitive, and Diana, an inexperienced agent.
Loco Motive takes place on a luxury train called the Reuss Express, owned by the Unterwald family. This family made its fortune in trains, and is headed by the matriarch Lady Unterwald. At her ripe old age, she has decided to pass on her legacy but, before the big reveal of who her heir will be, she is murdered! Cue panic and subterfuge as the guests on the train try to figure out what is going on, while the murderer tries to keep away from the spotlight. It is not an original idea for a murder mystery – Murder on the Orient Express might even be considered the most famous of them all – but the premise is a classic for a reason.
You first step into the shoes of Arthur Ackerman, who had been tasked by Lady Unterwald to update and maintain her will. Arthur is a bit of innocent soul who loves nothing more than bureaucracy and sorting paperwork. He can also be a bit bumbling but is definitely the most lovable and endearing of the three characters. That may be because you play as him for the largest portion of Loco Motive, meaning you get to know him better.
Then there’s Herman Merman, a novelist who thinks he is a detective and has an over inflated ego. He is also a memorable character, mostly because he shouts his name a lot, though he can be grating and was unlikeable at times too. You spend the least amount of time with Diana, a first time field agent. She’s a likeable character too, especially as she learns how to work in the field. Of the three, Arthur will be the favourite of the majority.
What is great across all three characters, and the supporting cast, is the voice acting. Each character has a distinct personality because of the voices they have been given and it elevates the experience of Loco Motive. This in turn makes the comedy of Loco Motive stand out too, with absurd situations made funnier because of the excellent delivery by the actors.
A point and click adventure has to have puzzles in it that are headscratchers – something a little bit obtuse, but that can ultimately be worked out by a player. For the majority of Loco Motive, the puzzles toe that particular line, encouraging out of the box thinking to figure out solutions. There were a couple of puzzles though that did really stretch the thinking, eventually leading to needing help from the hint service, making you wonder how you would have solved the problem without clicking items randomly to get the right result.
As a clever twist, the hint service is incorporated into the world of Loco Motive. It is a service run by an actual detective who you call up and he gives advice. The first time you call for a hint for a specific puzzle he will give a small clue, laying the breadcrumbs to nudge you in the right direction. Keep asking and the clues pretty much point out the answer. Having Herman call this detective is fun, as Herman does not like him.
Loco Motive has a very good art style, one that will be familiar to those who have any experience with 2D point and click adventures of yesteryear. You do not have to worry about trying to click on everything in a scene to see if you can interact with it, as you can highlight all of these items in a room, meaning there’s less wasted time.
There are a couple of moments when Loco Motive can fall down slightly, such as the hint system not being available to help with a couple of scenarios, and an instruction box on how to switch between characters not disappearing from the screen. Within the narrative, some characters will discuss things with you about situations that are yet to come to pass, which can lead to some confusion about what to do next.
