Cruise for a Corpse (orig. Croisière pour un cadavre) is an adventure game from Delphine Software International, made for the Amiga, Atari ST, and MS-DOS.
Plot
The game is designed as a murder investigation. The player assumed the role of Raoul Dusentier, a French police inspector invited to spend some time on Niklos Karaboudjan’s boat. Quickly after arriving, Karaboudjan is murdered, and the investigation begins.
The game uses many references to French and Belgian pop culture. Karaboudjan is the name of The Adventures of Tintin character Captain Haddock’s cargo ship in the comic The Crab with the Golden Claws. Just like in The Crab with the Golden Claws, crab cans are used to hide objects (in the comic they contain opium, whereas in the game they contain hand grenades).
Reception
Computer Gaming World called Cruise for a Corpse “an admirable recipe for a classic adventure of murder most foul”. The magazine liked the rotoscoped animation, but criticized the EGA graphics and “atrocious” code wheel-based copy protection, and concluded that while “Dedicated whodunit aficionados” would enjoy the game, “the general adventure gaming audience” would find it “tedious”.
References
External links
- Cruise for a Corpse at Amiga Hall of Light
- Cruise for a Corpse at MobyGames
- Cruise for a Corpse can be played for free in the browser at the Internet Archive
Gamer24h Editor's Take
Having closely reviewed Cruise for a Corpse, the Gamer24h editorial team considers it one of the most noteworthy titles of recent times. The visionary approach of developer Delphine Software, combined with the expertise of publisher Erbe Software, Interplay Productions, U.S. Gold, has resulted in an exceptionally refined product. Its innovative take on the Adventure genre offers a breath of fresh air for fans of the category. If you're looking for an absorbing world and satisfying mechanics that pull you right in, this game might be exactly what you've been searching for.