Sherlock Holmes Chapter One – Spotlight
In spite of the fact that some people believe that Sherlock Holmes is a real person, the great detective stories of Sherlock Holmes are an excellent work of fiction. While we’ve known about Sherlock Holmes through films since 1930, it was the BBC TV series that introduced a new generation to the enigmatic private eye.
The Frogwares team has a long history of producing Sherlock video games, allowing you to take on the role of the brilliant detective yourself. With the return of Sherlock Holmes Chapter One, we take control of a younger Holmes, one who is embarking on a personal journey that reveals some dangerous secrets. Let’s go on a clue hunt, so grab your notebook and magnifying glass and get ready!
As a fan of Sherlock Holmes video games of the past, I’m excited to see what Frogwares has to offer in the new Sherlock Holmes: City of Bones. First, Chapter One borrows heavily from the gameplay styles that have been used in the previous games. To make things easier, this Sherlock adventure is truly open-world, allowing you to roam around and pick up cases while discovering new activities.
The storey is set in the nineteenth century, and a young Sherlock is travelling to the fictional Mediterranean island of Cordona with his companion Jon (not Watson). There are wealthy colonists living here, as well as impoverished locals. Visiting your mother’s grave is a way for you to put the past behind you and move forward. However, as soon as you check into your hotel, you’re thrust into a mystery that must be solved while you wait for your room to be ready. Finding your mother’s grave reveals that she died suspiciously, and so you set out to find out what happened to her.
In Chapter One, the writing and stories are excellent, with some excellent world-building that captures the world of Sherlock Holmes and all its history perfectly. When Sherlock takes on a case, you have the opportunity to make decisions and ultimately decide what is right or wrong. The cases themselves are equally sublime and nuanced.
In terms of gameplay, the third-person perspective works well because you’re running around the city. You’re free to roam the inside and outside of certain locations, inspecting items and conversing with people as you see fit. However, the game’s primary goal is to solve puzzles and mysteries. What causes this?
It’s possible that in Chapter One of Sherlock Holmes, you’ll learn the location of a crime. An aristocrat’s priceless diamond went missing after a seance gone wrong, for example, in the early stages. Here, you’re in a kind of ‘detective mode,’ where you’re focusing your attention on the surroundings, much like you would in other games. Here, the world enters a state of monochrome, allowing you to see the crime scene as if you were looking at ghosts. After that, it’s up to you to use the information you’ve gathered to piece together exactly where and when the crime occurred, as well as the method by which it was committed. More leads or individuals to follow, or new leads leading you to a new location, may emerge as a result of this discovery. It’s a good system that has been used in other games by the developers.
Chapter One does include a few more ideas, such as the choice to enter the Mind Palace through the menu system. A list of the cases you’re working on, along with any available clues, is displayed here for your perusal. For the Mind Palace’s purpose, it is to connect these clues together in the hope of generating new leads or assumptions about what happened in the case. You can run a possible outcome before deciding whether or not to arrest them if you have access to enough of them.
Chapter One has combat, which is a pleasant surprise, but it’s not necessary to engage in it constantly. Even as a personal point of view, it’s an odd inclusion in a Sherlock game and can at times seem superfluous. Even so, there is a system in place that uses tricks and the environment around you to weaken your enemies’ defences before you can quickly move in and take them out.
Some gameplay elements were more enjoyable to me than the combat. For more information, you can look through the records of local police departments and newspapers. It’s possible to pick up disguises from around town, in addition to working for the police and taking part in a variety of side mission cases. Seeing Sherlock dressed as a vampire is a must-see in this line of merchandise.
With its vibrant Mediterranean atmosphere and sun-drenched city of choice, the world appears to be in good shape. Items, objects, and furniture all have great attention to detail in the interior locations. In close-up situations, the facial animation of characters is particularly impressive, making it easy to pick up clues from their expressions.
There is no denying the dynamic and exciting nature of the soundtrack for the first chapter. These riffs, which cover a wide range of scenes and circumstances in which Sherlock finds himself, are masterful. In detective mode, the audio effects are particularly impressive. When it comes to the voices, both those of the actors and those of the supporting cast are fine, but some of the extras sound like “Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins” to me. It’s still a good show, though.
First, Sherlock Holmes Chapter One features an excellent narrative, as well as a number of excellent case studies. The game’s dynamic is enhanced by the player’s ability to get accusations wrong and to choose whether to save or condemn. Additionally, there are a lot of hours to be had here, with a massive main storey and numerous side quests.
To see where Frogwares takes young Sherlock next is sure to be interesting!
