History VideoGame / TheLastExpress

** If you hide Tyler's body in the bed, then illogically take it out before Milo enters your compartment, you get a unique game over where Milo pulls the emergency brake upon discovering the body.

* DownerEnding: [[spoiler: WWI begins, Cath doesn't get the girl, Tatiana blows herself up, and the explanation of Tyler's death leaves something to be desired. Not to mention, a good portion of the cast ends up dead.]]
* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler: Tatiana blows herself up with August's guns to prevent anyone else from getting their hands on them.]]

* AsLongAsItSoundsForeign: The Persian eunuch shouts at you... in Arabic. This is especially bizarre given that every character other than him speaks their native languages perfectly.

* AsLongAsItSoundsForeign: The Persian eunuch shouts at you... in Arabic.
** Averted for everyone else. All characters other than the aforementioned eunuch speak their native languages perfectly.

-->'''Anna''': [Points gun at Cath] We're still within the Austrian Empire. In the name of the emperor, I order you to stop the train! ...Do you think I won't shoot you?\\

One of the creators (Jordan Mechner) edited all the significant events together into a movie, which can be watched [[http://jordanmechner.com/blog/2009/03/the-last-express-remixed/ at his site]]. The game itself has been rereleased as a [[http://www.dotemu.com/en/download-game/608/the-last-express-collectors-edition Digital Download Collector's Edition]]. It is also available on [[http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/last_express_the GOG.com]], [[http://store.steampowered.com/app/252710/ Steam]], [[UsefulNotes/IOSGames iOS]], and {{Android|Games}}.

** Somewhat justified in that the train conductors consider them just small-town cops with nothing better to do than harass them with something that can't possibly be their problem. That said, if the cops ''do'' find Cath, they realize he fits the description of a fugitive and [[NonStandardGameOver arrest him right away]].

''The Last Express'' was a 1997 AdventureGame by Smoking Car Productions, set on the Orient Express at the eve of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI. Lovingly written and put together, it was the unfortunate victim of a DiabolusExMachina involving its distributor. Creator/BroderbundSoftware's entire marketing department quit just weeks before the game was to be released, which resulted in [[InvisibleAdvertising absolutely no advertising]] for it. [[AcclaimedFlop While critically acclaimed, it was one of the biggest flops in gaming history.]] Hopefully, ''Creator/InterplayEntertainment'' obtained the rights to the game and started re-doing it.

* AllThereInTheManual: The story works just fine if you don't check, but the official web site ([[https://web-beta.archive.org/web/20140215192446/http://lastexpress.markmoran.net/ mirror]]) and the official strategy guide have a bit of background on the characters. Playing the game without these just dips you in headfirst.

* BigNo: [[spoiler: When you blow the whistle at the end, Kronos loses it.]]

One of the creators (Jordan Mechner) edited all the significant events together into a movie, which can be watched [[http://jordanmechner.com/blog/2009/03/the-last-express-remixed/ at his site]]. The game itself has been rereleased as a [[http://www.dotemu.com/en/download-game/608/the-last-express-collectors-edition Digital Download Collector's Edition]]. It is also available on [[http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/last_express_the GOG.com]], [[http://store.steampowered.com/app/252710/ Steam]], [[IOSGames iOS]], and {{Android|Games}}.

* BilingualBackfire: A key plot element. The train has English, French, German, Russian, Serbo-Croation and Arabic passengers. Cath is American, but speaks English, French, German ''[[CunningLinguist and]]'' Russian, enabling him to eavesdrop as he pleases. The only one on the train who doesn't assume he is monolingual is the [[NotNowKiddo little kid]] running around who speaks in French.

* GameplayAndStoryIntegration: French, German and Russian dialogue all have English subtitles. There are no subtitles for Serbo-Croation and Arabic because Cath doesn't speak those languages.

'''Anna''': [Looks and sees them approaching the border] Now you've done it. Damn you.

* BloodSplatteredInnocents: Cath and [[spoiler: Tatiana]]. In the first case Cath is innocent in the legal sense; though he must pick up and move Tyler's body, staining his jacket with blood, he did not kill Tyler. In the second case [[spoiler: Tatiana]] is innocent in ''every'' sense, wearing a bloody hand-print from a dying man for days if not weeks, which does not bode well for her sanity.

'''Schmidt''': "Terrorists?" You surprise me. I had thought you'd at least keep up the pretense of sympathy with the group who is paying you.\\
'''Cath''': I didn't say I wasn't sympathetic. I said they were terrorists.

* WholePlotReference: To ''Literature/MurderOnTheOrientExpress'', naturally. Apart from taking place on the Orient Express and climaxing in the Balkans, several characters are also homages to suspects from the book, such as Count Obelensky (to Princess Dragomiroff). Provided the police found Tyler's body on the tracks, Abbot even says he can't believe "a murder on the Orient Express".

* YouWouldntShootMe: After [[spoiler:Cath pushes the train on through the Austrian/Serbian border.]]

'''Schmidt''': You surprise me. I had thought you'd at least keep up the pretense of sympathy with the group who is paying you.\\

* BilingualBackfire: The train has English, French, German, Russian, Serbo-Croation and Arabic passengers. Cath is American, but speaks English, French, German ''[[CunningLinguist and]]'' Russian, enabling him to eavesdrop as he pleases. The only one on the train who doesn't assume he is monolingual is the [[NotNowKiddo little kid]] running around who speaks in French.

[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_last_express.png]]

''The Last Express'' was a 1997 AdventureGame by Smoking Car Productions, set on the Orient Express at the eve of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI. Lovingly written and put together, it was the unfortunate victim of a DiabolusExMachina involving its distributor. Creator/BroderbundSoftware's entire marketing department quit just weeks before the game was to be released, which resulted in [[InvisibleAdvertising absolutely no advertising]] for it. [[AcclaimedFlop While critically acclaimed, it was one of the biggest flops in gaming history.]]

* VasquezAlwaysDies: The only females who die in the game (in the good ending) are also the least feminine. [[spoiler: Except Tatiana.]]

* WholePlotReference: To ''Literature/MurderOnTheOrientExpress'', naturally. Apart from taking place on the Orient Express and climaxing in the Balkans, several characters are also homages to suspects from the book, such as Count Obelensky (to Princess Dragomiroff).

* BloodSpatteredInnocents: Cath and [[spoiler: Tatiana]]. In the first case Cath is innocent in the legal sense; though he must pick up and move Tyler's body, staining his jacket with blood, he did not kill Tyler. In the second case [[spoiler: Tatiana]] is innocent in ''every'' sense, wearing a bloody hand-print from a dying man for days if not weeks, which does not bode well for her sanity.

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_last_express.jpg]]

[[quoteright:200:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/LX-Tyler.jpg]]

** The text of the official strategy guide is pretty snarky too.
* TheDevTeamThinksOfEverything: At one point, Cath must steal [[spoiler:the Firebird egg]] for Kronos, while also stealing a briefcase full of money from Kronos to show to August Schmidt. While you can lose the spoilered item, have it stolen back, give it to Kronos, or never find it at all, the game takes into account whether or not you also stole the briefcase if Kronos gets the item, and reacts accordingly. What makes this more impressive is that Kronos getting his hands on the item results in a NonstandardGameOver, meaning they thought of all of this for a path that leads to a bad ending.
** Also, meeting August Schmidt for the first time is a scripted event that has to take place. You have to go out of your way to avoid him, but eventually, you'll have no choice but to talk to him, making part of the deal with him about his merchandise.

* AllThereInTheManual: The story works just fine if you don't check, but the official web site ([[http://lastexpress.markmoran.net/ mirror]]) and the official strategy guide have a bit of background on the characters. Playing the game without these just dips you in headfirst.

* SweetPollyOliver: One of the Black Hand. Nobody's fooled.

* ActionGirl: Anna, in the second half of the game. SHe pulls her gun on just about every named character left on the train car.

* The station at Budapest featured in the game is depicted with railway lines going through instead of terminating like the Keleti, Nyugati and Déli stations in real life.

* BoundAndGagged: Robert and Anna after the Slavs take over the train.

* DuelBoss: All of the games fight scenes are one-on-one, Cath vs. someone else. Notably, Cath is unarmed in all but the last of these fights, and the weapon he uses there is only obtained from the previous boss after Cath [[spoiler:throws the guy off the top of the train]].

* GorgeousPeriodDress: Anna first appears wearing one, and Sophie sports one as well.

* NoodleIncident: "Still angry about Cuba." Anna does bring it up early on, but Cath deflects it.
* ObfuscatingStupidity: [[spoiler:George Abbot, bumbling British businessman... and spy.]]

* StockScream: The Wilhelm can be heard when [[spoiler:Cath tosses one of the Serbian terrorists off the top of the train.]]