The Last Night

As the Express briefly stops in Epernay on July 24th around 9:16 PM, most passengers have retired to their compartments. Mlle. de Bretheuill and Ms. Norton remain in the restaurant car. You can explore the kitchen behind the restaurant car, where the cook is reprimanding an apprentice, and the adjacent luggage storage area. If the trainmaster is present, he will inform you that luggage is off-limits and escort you back to the passenger cars. If he is absent, you can examine his documents (which are uninteresting) and proceed towards the locomotive. The only notable item found is a cage with hay, likely for transporting animals.

An Easter Egg is hidden within the trainmaster's documents. On the last page, locate the line beginning with "mouvements." A portion is erased, followed by French text containing an 'a'. Clicking this 'a' reveals a picture of one of the game's designers.

Shortly after departing Epernay, conductor Mertens will express his boredom to conductor Coudert. They will discuss Robert in French, unaware he understands them. This distraction allows you to enter compartment E, though there is nothing to do there. Ms. Norton's diary is inaccessible. While you can exit the window to view compartment F (Ms. Wolff's) through its window, the curtain is drawn. Compartment F is locked, and a dangerous-sounding dog can be heard from within.

This is an opportune moment to visit Kronos in his private car. The painting you pass is Franz von Stuck's 'Sin,' depicting Eve and the serpent. Kronos' bodyguard, Kahina, will grant you access. During your conversation, it becomes clear Kronos is a dangerous individual who knows you are Robert Cath and that authorities are pursuing you. He mentions a prior arrangement with Tyler Whitney and a "heavy briefcase," hinting at the possibility of him possessing the gold.

Ms. Wolff is in the lounge car, reading a newspaper. You can engage in a brief conversation with her about Ms. Caillaux and the Russian mystic, Rasputin. Herr Schmidt will later join her for pleasantries, at which point you cannot interact with either of them.

Kahina, Kronos' bodyguard, is also active. She will enter Tyler's room, attempt to enter Ms. Wolff's locked room, and then investigate chamber #C, Mr. Boutarel's room. Afterward, she returns to Kronos' car. She will not enter your room if you are present. You cannot open the door when Kahina is inside, preventing you from witnessing her searching Tyler's belongings. You can, however, climb out the window and observe Alexei, who will be reading Nietzsche.

Tatiana Obolenskaya has taken her grandfather to his bed in compartment #A following an incident with Alexei. You can find her in the space between the first sleeping car and Kronos' private car. If you encounter her there and attempt to leave, she will ask for a match. You can then inquire about the Russian poem, and she will offer to translate it for you. If you did not speak with Alexei but witnessed the interaction between the three Russians in the smoking car, you can ask Tatiana about Alexei and her grandfather.

Around 9:20 PM, if Tyler's body was discarded from the train, two French police officers will board. The trainmaster will state it's a "routine check," but they might be searching for you or investigating the body. Encountering them results in a Game Over. Conductor Mertens will leave to confer with Coudert in the next sleeping car. The smoking car will be locked. If Schmidt was waiting for you, he will clear your room just in time. You have three hiding options: 1. Enter Tyler's compartment, open the window, and hang outside until the police depart. 2. Move to the next car, enter compartment A, and hide in the washroom. 3. Visit Kronos if you haven't already; if timed correctly, the police will have left by the end of your conversation.

You cannot hide in your own washroom or remain in your locked room, as this will trigger the same cutscene as meeting the police in the hallway, likely resulting in them obtaining a key and searching your washroom.

Alternative Actions:

Meeting the police or remaining in Tyler's compartment until they apprehend you leads to a Game Over.

After the police depart, Coudert is summoned by Mme. Boutarel to explain the situation. Coudert will discuss the body, and Francois will express frustration that no one believes him. The trainmaster will then conduct his rounds, inquiring about the police encounter with both conductors.

After 9:20 PM, shortly after the police leave (if they boarded the Express), Milos the Serb will search for Tyler. You can wait for him in the compartment or enter it after observing Milos enter, leading to different scenes. If you hid outside the train, Milos will enter before you can leave.

Alright, so it's getting late in Chalons, around 9:41 PM on July 24th. The Orient Express is really starting to feel the tension now. Tatiana's going to hang around Kronos' car for a bit before heading off to bed.

Over in the red sleeping car, you'll find Madame Boutarel complaining to Conductor Coudert about Ms. Wolff's dog. Coudert's being a real gentleman about it. If you haven't dealt with Milos yet, he's still chilling in Tyler's compartment.

Meanwhile, in the lounge car, Ms. Wolff is still chatting with Herr Schmidt, and Monsieur Boutarel is enjoying a quiet cigar. Nothing much for you to do there right now. In the green sleeping car, the conductors are having a political debate. Conductor Coudert's leaning socialist, while Conductor Mertens is a young patriot. Little do they know, World War I is just around the corner, and while it'll be a brutal conflict, France will eventually get Alsace-Lorraine back.

Keep an eye on things, because after a while, Ms. Wolff will leave, Monsieur Boutarel will head back to his compartment, and then Herr Schmidt will depart too. That's when the two friends from compartment E will show up in the lounge car.

There's a newspaper lying around in the lounge car that's worth a look. You'll find some interesting articles, including one about the rising tensions between Serbia and the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy following Archduke Franz Ferdinand's assassination. There's also a piece about Madame Caillaux, another mention of the Belfast murder, and a note about an American doctor still on the run.

Later on, Conductor Coudert is going to doze off in his chair. This is your chance to slip into compartment E. It's empty for now since Ms. Norton took her diary to the lounge car, but you can climb out the window and spy on Ms. Wolff tossing and turning in bed. It doesn't really serve any gameplay purpose, but it does paint Robert Cath as a bit of a peeping tom.

You can also check out compartment A, which belongs to old man Obolensky. This room is always unlocked so Tatiana can get in. Compartment E is also always open because, well, the girls aren't exactly the most careful with their doors. All the other compartments are locked tight, though.

Eventually, Conductor Mertens will also fall asleep. If you decide to climb out your window to spy on Alexei at this point, you'll catch him building a bomb. A young Russian revolutionary on a train with an old Russian noble, and the revolutionary is building a bomb? Yeah, that sounds like trouble waiting to happen.