All Aboard! Jordan Mechner’s Classic “The Last Express” soon on iOS

September 24th, 2012, 17:02 Posted By: wraggster

DotEmu, developer and publisher specializing in modern releases of beloved retro games, will release the award-winning 1997 classic The Last Express, on iPhone & iPad on September 27th. Designed by Jordan Mechner, best known as the creator of the Prince of Persia franchise and martial-arts classic Karateka, The Last Express is an intrigue-filled adventure set aboard the luxurious Orient Express.

In July 1914, on the eve of World War I, as the train departs on its final journey from Paris to Constantinople, the player steps into the shoes of Robert Cath, an American doctor with a mysterious past. A fugitive from French police, Cath, boards the train in answer to an urgent telegram from his best friend – and plunges into a maelstrom of conspiracy, romance and murder.

The DotEmu release is a faithful iOS port of the original game. The Last Express allows players to interact in real time with 30 characters representing a cross-section of pre-WWI Europe, including Serbian freedom fighters, a German arms dealer, a Russian anarchist, a beautiful Austrian concert violinist, a eunuch guarding a Turkish harem, and a mysterious art collector travelling in his own private car. As the train races east, the player must stay alive while eavesdropping on conversations, sneaking into compartments, battling deadly opponents and defusing a bomb. The story is non-linear; characters act independently, conversing and moving about the train even when the player is not there to witness them, so that every play-through of the game is different.

Critical Acclaim:
Upon release in 1997, The Last Express received rave reviews and won numerous awards including Editor's Choice awards from PC Gamer, Computer Gaming World, Next Generation, and dozens of game websites, including a gold medal from GamesDomain. Dubbed “exquisite” and “thrilling” by Newsweek, the game appears on many critics’ lists of the best adventure games of all time. It was also included in Tony Mott’s book “1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die”

“The Last Express” will be available on iPhone, iPod Touch & iPad on September 27th.

Trailer is on YouTube:

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