My experience replaying it mirrors rnlf. There are segments that basically seem impossible without significant trial and error, which is very frustrating.
Back when I played it the first time closer to release, I was willing to troubleshoot through some of the more obtuse puzzles. I had a lot more patience and time back then. Also, I agree that it seems like you can wind up on paths that basically make it impossible to finish without going way back.
But two things still stand out. The research and world building of the characters, train, and time period are still second to none. Compared to anything else FMV from the time, it’s actually great writing and acting. I know many of the characters are real people that were extensively researched, which comes through in the game. Nobody even tries to make experiences like this now.
Second, the concept of a realtime adventure game is still pretty wild to me. I can’t think of anything else that lets you walk around what feels like a movie set in normal time, playing an adventure game. It is this premise that I think causes many of the gameplay issues later on, but if you forget the game’s puzzles and issues, and just wander for a while and imagine you’re on the train in the time period, there is nothing else quite like The Last Express.
