Overview
Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One is the latest Sherlock Holmes game to be developed by Frogwares. This game is a prequel to the other dozen or so games in the series, which spans the last 20 years. Though this game diverges in gameplay from many of its predecessors, the development team continues to reflect the source material well even within the context of a medium that didn’t exist at the time of the canon’s publication.
Developer: Frogwares
Genre: Mystery/Adventure
Release Date: November 16, 2021
Platform: PS4/5, Xbox One/Series S/X, PC
Price: $44.99
GAMEPLAY
Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One follows a young Sherlock Holmes as he returns to Cordona, the island where he spent his early childhood. Narratively, this game feels very similar to the earlier entries in the series (in a good way) - part of the appeal of the early games was the pure absurdity, where the stakes are high and the game feels very serious, until you take a step back and recite the key plot points. The new environment and the choice to utilize a younger Sherlock Homes provide a fresh perspective to the series, and the developers manage to fit the narrative and the gameplay neatly into the canon story.
This game brings an open-world style of gameplay to a series that has traditionally had very linear narratives. Rather than being limited to one location at a time until you’ve collected all of the clues, you have the entire island of Cordona available for your investigative whims. The game will notify you when you’ve collected the key evidence from a location, and again when you’ve collected all available clues, so you aren’t completely on your own. Once you’ve decided to leave a crime scene, you aren’t fed the next destination. You must determine which lead to follow and how you want to pursue it.
Many aspects of observation are the same as previous games. The user will enter a close-up view of an object or suspect and scan for hot spots to gain additional insight. However, there are some new functions as well. When observing a suspect, the player will choose between two potential character portraits based on the evidence observed. (Is the suspect waring makeup because of vanity or illness?) When examining a crime scene, clues will be catalogued in your notebook with a series of symbols to help the user figure out how they can be used. Some evidence can be pinned; when evidence is pinned, new clues may become visible at a scene. You can also pin evidence and then canvas members of the public to gather additional information.
Gathering information from the public isn’t just a game of luck, however. The player must consider not only the type of person that would have information pertinent to that specific question, but also who those people might be willing to help. This game has a wardrobe function, which Sherlock can use to disguise himself and gain access to restricted areas. In addition, different appearances will also change how the public will respond to Sherlock’s questions. For example, you’re likely to get further with members of the working class by changing out of the fancy suit first. Aside from canvassing the public, you can also question key suspects and witnesses - in these conversations, you can ask general questions or ask about specific pieces of evidence. These conversations are incredibly straightforward with no “wrong” choices, but that’s highly preferable to the illusion of meaningful choices.
As you progress through the cases, you will be able to reconstruct sequences of events and draw conclusions on a mind map. You will need to pay attention to clues, information from witnesses, and Sherlock’s own commentary about a scene when reconstructing the events. For each area of the scene, the player will be asked to select between 2-3 possible explanations for the evidence. If the player selects correctly for all events in the sequence, the complete recreation will play. Otherwise, the player will need to continue guessing. You will also be able to review evidence to assemble a mind map. However, instead of needing to draw lines between items that are already placed in a mind map, you will select pairs of clues that are connected, and the mind map will arrange itself. You will then need to draw conclusions about the evidence. These conclusions will often lead to one of two potential culprits, and you will sometimes also have to choose what to do about that conclusion. (Who is guilty? Do they deserve to be arrested for this crime?) In this way, the game allows the player real investigative freedom, as well as the associated consequences, without any real indication of which solution was correct. The player must trust their instincts and move on to the next case.
Summary
This lack of closure and the open-world nature of investigation work together to create a foundation that will sustain gameplay beyond the primary narrative. There are already several DLC options available for the game, in addition to the side quests that are part of the core game. The island is gorgeous; the music is perfect. Who wouldn’t want to spend more time running around solving crimes and determining the fates of those involved? There are even combat encounters, both within investigations and as separate missions. (These can be skipped when they’re part of a narrative, but cannot be skipped if the mission is the combat.) This new format should prove valuable to the longevity of this series, and I’m excited to explore the additional plots provided by the side quests and DLC.
