Aside from the recently releasedLost Judgmentfrom Sega, there aren’t many detective games on recent hardware for players to dive into. This is where Frogwares’Sherlock Holmesseries comes in. A far more in-depth detective experience thanLost Judgmentthe series has more in common with the likes of classic point and click adventure games likeBroken Sword.
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Frogwares’Sherlock Holmes: Chapter Oneserves as both a prequel and something of a reboot for Frogwares' sleuthing series.Featuring a younger Sherlock, an open world, and a new assistant to keep Holmes companyChapter Oneis trying to pull in a larger audience that may have been discouraged by its predecessor’s unforgiving mechanics. It’s still a challenging detective game that will leave new players scratching their heads and tapping into their powers of deduction. Let’s see ifSherlock Holmes: Chapter Onehas what it takes to grab the mainstream audience it desires.
Loved: The Open World
Sherlock Holmes Chapter Oneis the series' first time using an open world setting. It expands on the exploration and discovery mechanics from Frogware’sLovecraftian mystery horrorThe Sinking City. The island of Cordona is set in the Mediterranean and is divided up by culturally different sectors that separate the rich from the poor in the late 19th Century.
The open-world hides several mysteries and crimes for Holmes to discover and solve on his own. The map is a joy to explore and looks great on the current generation consoles. There are moments where Holmes can casually overhear conversations to gain access to new mysteries or progress in ongoing cases that are yet to be solved.Sherlock Holmes Chapter One’sworld feels organic and a breath of fresh air for the series. Even though it’s not quite as iconic, Cordona is more fleshed out thanthe excellent L.A. Noire. Part of what makes the cultural differences special in Cordona is that it’s left up to the player to explore and seek out characters that will fit with descriptions based on where they are from in the city. It’s completely up to the player to use their skills as a detective to put the pieces together and much of that will be based on becoming as familiar as possible with Cordona and its citizens.
Loved: The Characters
This entry in theSherlock Holmesvideo game series serves as a prequel and puts players in the shoes of a 21-year-old Sherlock as he arrives on the island of Cordona. It takes players away from the familiar Victorian settings in London and does a great job of reintroducing the iconic detective. He’s more reckless than his older self and will constantly find himself getting into awkward but amusing situations.
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The younger iteration of the detective allowsFrogwares to build a new franchise around a characterthat the audience and grow with as it moves on to the inevitable second chapter. John Watson is absent in this game as they haven’t met yet in the Holmes canon. He is, however, accompanied by his eccentric friend Jon who makes notes for Holmes as he works through his cases. There is a twist that relates to the Jon character, some will figure it out pretty early on but he’s a compelling character all the same. In addition, there are lots of memorable NPCs and suspects that help bring the experience to life.
Didn’t: Very Little Guidance
While it’s commendable for video games to get rid of hand-holding mechanics with excessive hints and clues,Sherlock Holmes Chapter Onecan be too strict in this regard. On one hand, it feels great to solve a case on one’s merit. On the other hand, however, the game can leave the player feeling lost and directionless.
There will be many times that players will find themselves unable to progress with a case because the slightest detail was missed somewhere or a pin on the board has been misplaced. An optional hint system for newcomers would have been a useful addition especially for those that are new to the series.
Loved: The Main Story
Sherlock Holmes returns home to the Isle of Cordona ten years after the passing of his mother Violet. After gathering some information from a character named Werner Vogel it appears that his mother may have died under suspicious circumstances.
This sets in motion an investigation led by the young Holmes as he uncovers a web of deceit filled with intrigue, conspiracy, and corruption. In addition, Holmes has to come to terms with his repressed memories as he pieces together the traumatic events from his childhood that afflict him as a young adult. It does a great job of tapping into Holmes’ backstory without ever feeling like the audience is retracing old ground.
Loved: The Side Cases
Leaving the constraints of the main case and taking time to explore will reveal theSherlock Holmes Chapter One’s many side-cases waiting to be solved. Thankfully, these aren’t just throwaway missions made to buff out the game’s length but are satisfyingly challenging cases with interesting stories of their own.
Solving these cases is just as rewarding as the main cases and will take time and require the player to use their best powers of deduction to piece together some of the game’s most challenging puzzles. Together with the main cases, the developer has promised at least 35 hours of gameplay waiting to be discovered and that doesn’t include any new missions that may get added in DLC at a later date.
Loved: The Replayability
As with its predecessors,Sherlock Holmes Chapter Onefeatures the Mind Palace. This is where Sherlock will piece together all of his clues and his powers of deduction to solve his cases.
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The player will likely make some decisions on their first try and not be entirely satisfied with the result even when the case is cleared. The game’s replay value shines here as it will allow the player to try some different options to aim for different outcomes with varying results.
Didn’t: The Combat Missions
In Sherlock’s travels across Cordona, he will have to deal with several Bandit hideouts and the police will task him with clearing them out. Unfortunately, these missions will require Sherlock to take down these bandits without killing them. Unfortunately for the player, these missions will get repetitive and outstay their welcome very quickly.
Having combat in a Sherlock Holmes game feels unnecessary and tacked on even if it is trying to replicate the Robert Downey Junior iterations of the character. Thankfully, the combat scenarios can be turned off entirely so players can focus on the story and case solving in an approach more reminiscent of graphic adventure games.
