The Last Express
1997 · Adventure · PC
Overview
The Last Express (1997) is Jordan Mechner's real-time adventure aboard the Orient Express in July 1914, drawn in rotoscoped Art Nouveau style.
Deep Dive
The player explores the train in first person as the clock runs at six times real speed, and can rewind or fast-forward from the pause menu. Around thirty passengers follow their own scripted agendas, and there are several endings. The characters were filmed against bluescreen, rotoscoped and coloured by hand.
Developer Story
Mechner designed and directed it at Smoking Car Productions over five years, for about $5–6 million. Critics praised its atmosphere, story, music and visuals, but it had sold about 100,000 copies by 2000, not enough to break even. Later editions reached iOS, Android and Steam.
Did You Know?
- It went out of print within a year of release.
- Producer Mark Netter later called it "a total commercial failure".
Sources & further reading
- The Last Express — Wikipedia
