Loco Motive is an old school point and click adventure and puzzle game at its core. The game takes place in the 1930s aboard a luxurious train called the Reuss Express. It’s the eve of a momentous speech given by Lady Unterwald about who will take over her entire company. But moments before giving the final name, fate strikes and Lady Unterwald is being murdered. This turns the game into a classic whodunnit, where through intricate puzzles and talking to a diverse cast, you need to figure out not only who committed the murder, but also what their motive was.
The game features a classic point-and-click mechanic. By clicking in the world, you can move your character, interact and look at various objects, talk to people aboard the train and combine objects you’ve collected. You’ll be immersed in the adventure thanks to the pixel-art style graphics and a diverse fully voice acted cast. In fact, I felt that the voice acting really added to the atmosphere of the game. The various people aboard the train all have their own personalities and characteristics and this really came through in the voice acting.
Gameplay wise, this game really brings back the classic point and click mechanics. As you move through the train, there are various objects to click on and people to interact with. Some objects you can collect, while others merely give a bit more of a glimpse in the world of the game. By talking to the people aboard the train, you learn more about who they are and what possible motives they might have for committing this murder. Most conversations have multiple options to choose from.
The puzzles in the game are diverse, however sometimes they can be a bit challenging. I was stuck doing a puzzle early on in the game for quite a while. Even though I had an idea of what I needed to do, I simply couldn’t get the object that was needed for completing it. After trying out several things, it turned out that I forgot to spoke with a specific individual aboard the train, who would eventually give me the object that was needed to complete the puzzle.
This is both a good and a bad thing about the game. It means that it really pays of and sometimes even is necessary to talk to everyone on the train. While most characters really add to the fun of the game, it’s sometimes also annoying that you have to sit through all the conversations, just to move the story and the game forward.
The game starts off with the character of Arthur, the attorney of the late Lady Underwald. Later on in the game, you actually get to play as 2 other characters as well.
While the plot of the story might not be super deep (it basically boils down that someone was murdered over money), I feel that the crazy cast of characters and their dialogue makes this game still very worthwhile. With it’s playtime of about 8 and a half hours, I think this game is long enough to be enjoyable, while not too long. Obviously, depending on how quick you solve the puzzles, the actual play time may vary.
Loco Motive is a great game for people who enjoy old school point and click puzzle adventures. The dialogues and characters are funny, the art style is really good and the overall atmosphere of the game definitely adds to the experience. While this luxury train ride doesn’t quite reach the express lane to greatness, it’s still a first-class ticket to a fun and worthwhile journey—just don’t expect it to completely blow you off the rails!