Agatha Christie: The ABC Murders (2016 video game)
Point-and-click mystery game based on Agatha Christie's novel.
Agatha Christie: The ABC Murders is a point-and-click adventure mystery video game developed by Artefacts Studio and published by Anuman under their Microïds brand. It was released for Microsoft Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in February 2016, with a later release for Nintendo Switch in October 2020.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Agatha Christie: The ABC Murders
- Developer
- Artefacts Studio
- Publisher
- Anuman / Kalypso
- Series
- Agatha Christie
- Engine
- Unity
- Platforms
- Microsoft Windows · Xbox One · PlayStation 4 · macOS · Linux · Nintendo Switch · Android
- Released
- Windows, Linux, OS XNA · February 4, 2016 · EU · February 5, 2016PlayStation 4, Xbox OneEU · February 4, 2016 · NA · February 23, 2016AndroidEU · September 29, 2016Nintendo SwitchWW · October 6, 2020
- Genre
- Adventure
- Modes
- Single-player
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The game retains the main plot from the novel The A.B.C. Murders and the murderer's identity. However, there are some changes, such as the number of victims being reduced from five to four: Alice Archer, Betty Bernard, Sir Carmichael Clarke, and the saved Dick Dunbar. In the game, the third intended victim, Dick Dunbar—owner of the Black Swan hotel—is saved by Poirot, while the fourth planned victim, Sir Carmichael Clarke, is killed. The victims are connected: Alice Archer and Betty Bernard are former patients of Sir Carmichael Clarke, who is a doctor in the game, but Dick Dunbar is not a patient—he had a business dispute with Clarke. The finding of burnt patient files by Poirot at Combeside, and the recovery of these files, allows Poirot to discover the next victim's identity and prevent the murder. This clue also gives players a strong hint about the real murderer, though it is not necessary to know it to finish the game.
Reader's Guide
The game was met with a mixed reception. Its legacy includes being followed by several other Hercule Poirot video games published by Microïds, such as Hercule Poirot: The First Cases (2021), Hercule Poirot: The London Case (2023), Murder on the Orient Express (2023), and Death on the Nile (2025). The game offers two endings depending on whether Poirot loads his gun with real bullets or blanks before handing it to Hastings prior to the final meeting. This branching outcome adds replay value and player agency, distinguishing it from the novel's fixed conclusion.
Did You Know?
- The game reduces the number of victims from the novel's five to four: Alice Archer, Betty Bernard, Sir Carmichael Clarke, and the saved Dick Dunbar.
- In the game, Alice Archer and Betty Bernard are former patients of Sir Carmichael Clarke, but Dick Dunbar is a hotel owner with a business dispute, not a patient.
- Microïds followed this game with several other Hercule Poirot titles, including Hercule Poirot: The First Cases (2021) and Murder on the Orient Express (2023).
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