Loco Motive on track for release next summer
There's just something about the combination of trains and murder that makes for a compelling claustrophic mystery. But while most such whodunits are content to play it fairly straight, Robust Games' upcoming Loco Motive will taking a much lighter approach to its otherwise serious subject matter when it arrives next summer.
Disaster strikes aboard the "opulent 1930s steam train" known as the Reuss Express when the wealthy heiress Lady Unterwald is murdered the evening before she was due to deliver a "landmark speech." The best hopes for catching the killer are Arthur Ackerman, a "straight-laced lawyer;" Herman Merman, a "crime novelist-turned rookie detective;" and Diana Osterhagen, an undercover spy for Her Majesty's Secret Service. The problem is, all three are prime suspects, so as the train continues along its course, they must figure out a way to prove their own innocence and discover "who committed the crime and what their motivation was" before arriving at their destination – or before the murderer strikes again.
Presented in a delightful pixel art style, Loco Motive promises a "slapstick adventure packed full of deadly surprises, shocking twists and larger-than-life characters." Players will switch between Arthur, Herman and Diana at times, making strategic use of their "unique talents" and guiding them via a choice of direct character control or a classic point-and-click interface. The cast of "quirky and somewhat suspicious fellow passengers" will all be fully voiced, and there will be a variety of "satisfyingly head-scratching puzzles" to solve if you're to successfully identify the culprit. And if you need a little help along the way, the game features its own "in-game hints and tips line for a true 90s" adventure experience.
Originally conceived as a "proof-of-concept" as part of AdvXJam 2020 on itch.io, Loco Motive has since been expanded and reimagined as a full-fledged adventure with a projected seven-plus hours of play time. There is no firm target launch date for the completed version just yet, but it is scheduled to arrive on Steam for Windows and Mac sometime next summer, along with a console release for Nintendo Switch.
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