Loco Motive - Monkey Island meets Murder on the Orient Express - coming November 21st

[Infinitron]

https://locomotivegame.com

Welcome aboard the Reuss Express, a journey of a life-time derailed by an unexpected assassination…

On the eve of a landmark speech by the wealthy heiress Lady Unterwald, a straight-laced lawyer, a crime novelist-turned rookie detective, and an undercover spy find themselves embroiled in a murder, a mystery, and worst of all… an adventure! Now stuck onboard a luxurious steam train, within stabbing distance of a cold-blooded killer, the race is on to prove their innocence once and for all!

Loco Motive is a slapstick adventure, packed full of deadly surprises, shocking twists and larger than life characters! Play as Diana, Arthur and Herman to unwrap the mystery and put your point and click puzzle-solving skills to the test…

Who is developing Loco Motive?
Loco Motive is being developed by Robust Games, an indie studio founded by brothers Adam and Joseph Riches.

Loco Motive is the studio’s first full game release, inspired by the point and click games of their childhood. Prior to forming Robust Games, Adam was an Artist at Chucklefish, working on titles such as Starbound and Wargroove, and Joseph was a software developer with a focus on Unity apps and full-stack web applications for educational games.

When will Loco Motive release?
Loco Motive is scheduled to roll into a platform near you, Summer 2022.

What platforms will Loco Motive be available on?
Loco Motive is currently planned to launch on PC, Mac, and Nintendo Switch.

What languages will Loco Motive be playable in?
We can't confirm localisation plans at the moment, but we’ll be closely watching wishlist data and player feedback to evaluate which languages the community are most interested in!

What are the origins of Loco Motive?
Loco Motive originally started as a 2 week game jam ‘proof-of-concept’ as part of AdvXJam 2020 on itch.io. Adam and Joseph enjoyed working on the game jam so much they decided to take the concept and turn it into something much bigger!

• Reimagined full-length story with new chapters, dialogue & of course slapstick humour
• Brand new hand-crafted pixel artwork, animation and cinematic scenes
• Take direct control of 3 playable characters in an interlinking comedic adventure - play as Arthur Ackerman, Herman Merman & Diana Osterhagen
• Feature-length gameplay time (expected to be approx 7hrs+)
• Fresh point & click-based puzzles that won’t leave you head scratching for hours
• Fully voice acted

Where can I go for game updates?
You can find Dev Blogs on the Loco Motive Steam page, and follow Robust Games on Twitter for the latest information on the game’s development.

Early Game Jam version available on itch.io: https://robustgames.itch.io/loco-motive

 

[Modron]

This finally got a release date of 8 days from now: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1709880/view/4489619632029696378

Full Steam Ahead: Loco Motive Arrives November 21st!
10% off Launch Week for early birds!


Hi everyone!

Firstly, thank you to everyone who played Loco Motive during Steam Next Fest, and shared kind comments and feedback. It was amazing to see so many of you loving the voice acting too!

Which leaves us only one thing… the release! We’re pleased to announce that Loco Motive is officially pulling into the station on November 21st! Prepare your wits, sharpen your sleuthing skills, and pack your bags for a journey aboard the glamorous 1930s steam train, the Reuss Express

Loco Motive will be fully playable in English & German (with English voice acting), and yours for just $17.99 / 17,99€ / £14.99 and is coming to Steam, Nintendo Switch, GOG & STOVE. We’ll be pressing the big red ‘Out Now’ button on all platforms at 11:00 GMT / 12:00 CET / 03:00 PST / 06:00 EST.

As a thank you to early supporters, Loco Motive will also be available for 10% off from launch for 1 week only!



Loco Motive is a comedy point-and-click adventure, bringing a modernised twist to the beloved genre with captivating puzzles and an all-star fully voice acted cast of colourful characters. If you love a compelling murder mystery with an off-the-wall sense of humour, Loco Motive is your ticket to a world of adventure!

What’s in Store on the Reuss Express?

Loco Motive takes players into the heart of a murder mystery, putting you in control of three unique characters! You’ll play as Arthur Ackerman, a bumbling, heart-of-gold lawyer, Diana Osterhagen, ambitious secret agent, and Herman Merman – a self professed ‘detective extraordinaire’!

As a nod to the late, great Agatha Christie and other classic mysteries, Loco Motive fills every carriage and corridor with interest & intrigue, interjected with a good dose of humour and mischief to spice things up! Solve item-based puzzles, uncover shocking secrets (some soup-related, some not), and get ready to suspect everyone… maybe even yourself?

You might even learn a thing or two, like how to cheat at roulette, or fuel a motorbike with pencil lead - you know, all the good stuff!

• 15+ hours satisfying point-and-click adventuring
• Fully voice acted with an all-star cast
• A deadly mystery to solve, full of twists, turns, and slapstick humour
• Steam Deck verified
• Beautifully detailed pixel art animations
• In-game hint support system, call the Dirk Chiselton Hotline
• Choose how you play, with direct character control options
• No-blood ‘confetti’ mode & a suitably suspenseful Noir mode
• Font and text accessibility options
• Featuring the slinky sounds of composer Paul Zimmerman (Wildfrost, Space Haven)

Save the Date for November 21st!

Ready to hop aboard the Reuss Express? Loco Motive will be available on PC & Nintendo Switch for $17.99 / 17,99€ / £14.99 on November 21st!

Whether you're a seasoned sleuth or just looking for an unforgettable adventure, Loco Motive promises a train ride like no other. So grab your hat, dust off your magnifying glass, and get ready to board – because the journey to solve this mystery is one you won’t want to miss!

If you’re a streamer and keen to get early access to keys when they’re available you can request access by going to our Press Engine Loco Motive page. You’ll also find answers and basic info about the game in our handy FAQ.

Lastly, if you’re as excited about Loco Motive as we are, come join the community discussion over on our Discord, sign up to our Community Newsletter, or follow us on X for more Chucklefish gaming news!

 

[Maxie]

promotional art looks nice, so i open the video and its pixel shit. jesus

 

[taxalot]

pixel shit

 

[Rincewind]

I find the pixel art lovely; I actually prefer it to high-res cartoony art (Monkey Island 3 style). Just needs a good CRT shader, that's all.

Thimbleweed Park is a good example of stellar looking traditional pixel art with a modern touch.

Good art & music — check. Now they "only" need to ensure the game has good puzzles and an acceptable story (because puzzles >>>>> story).