Why the sumptuous ’70s-inspired art style of Agatha Christie: Death on the Nile is more than nostalgia

Game art direction makes or breaks a new release. In the right hands, with commitment, a so-so game can ignite a spark of imagination and make a game with a modest budget enjoyable, unmissable.

It happened with Robocop: Rogue City, and I’m getting the same nudge of anticipation from the upcoming Agatha Christie: Death on the Nile; it’s knifed the classic period drama visual design in the back, dropped it overboard and found a new for a bold, distinctive direction, one that ditches big band dance for disco, white linen for pressed, flared nylon.

Committing to an aesthetic with confidence can elevate a game – I’m looking at you, Marathon. And I love that Death on the Nile from Microids Studio Lyon has reimagined Christie’s murder mystery classic not in the starched, stiff, sepia tones we’ve come to expect, but through the glitzy, seductive lens of the 1970s. It’s a creative decision that turns what could’ve been a straightforward adaptation into something genuinely fresh.

A groovy new art style

At first glance, the decision to relocate Poirot’s most iconic case to the age of flares and funk might seem like a curious gamble. But within seconds of watching the latest game trailer, a sweep of luxurious yachts, poolside glamour, and disco-drenched nightlife that sets the scene, it becomes clear: this is a world that doesn’t just use the ’70s as window dressing. It lives and breathes the era.

The aesthetic, informed by ’70s European comic art and cinema, delivers a colour palette rich with ochres, burnt oranges, and vivid turquoise. It’s a warm, saturated visual language that makes even the shadows feel sun-kissed. The characters are drawn in bold silhouettes, their personalities punctuated by sharp tailoring and swaggering attitude.

This isn’t the first time Microids has taken creative liberties with Christie’s work. 2023’s Murder on the Orient Express pushed the timeline forward, too, to present day, but Death on the Nile feels like a far more confident leap into stylised fiction. The ’70s setting isn’t just an aesthetic facelift; it reshapes the entire feel of the story. This was a time of cultural upheaval, of second-wave feminism and global political tension, and it’s into this milieu that the studio introduces Jane Royce, a brand-new co-protagonist created specifically for the game.

Royce isn’t just a narrative foil to Poirot’s meticulous logic; she’s a character born of the era. Her perspective on justice, truth, and intuition contrasts with the famously methodical Belgian detective in intriguing ways. And her presence grounds the story in the social shifts of the 1970s, giving the narrative a contemporary resonance that feels entirely earned rather than tacked-on.

Taking a retro risk

Wrapping this narrative and character design in its new visual direction, Death on the Nile is doing something many games don’t dare to: taking risks with visual storytelling. The studio draws on the expressive exaggeration of bande dessinée, think Moebius or Enki Bilal, but blends it with modern 3D rendering to create a look that’s more graphic novel than graphic engine. It’s immersive, but stylised; realistic, but purposefully heightened.

Of course, nostalgia plays a role. How could it not? But this is less about pining for the past and more about using the past as a mirror for the present. The 1970s, like now, were a time of change and uncertainty, where old institutions were questioned and new voices began to emerge. That’s fertile ground for a murder mystery, and Microids Studio Lyon knows it.

Neither am I saying Death on the Nile is going to be game of the year, but I love that Microids is taking playful decisions with its established detective formula – this is the fifth game – and finding new creative ways to dress up established ideas. Death on the Nile isn’t just retelling a story; it’s remixing it. And in doing so, it reminds me that bold art direction isn’t just a coat of paint; it’s a way to reframe a classic for a new generation.

Agatha Christie: Death on the Nile releases 26 September for PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. The Limited Edition (UK-only) comes with a 48-page artbook.