The world-famous detective is back to work as a character in Frogwares’ new game. Sherlock Holmes Chapter One is an action-adventure mystery game that follows the Sherlock Holmes series by the developers. It counts as an origin story and follows the young detective after the death of his mother on the fictional Mediterranean island of Cordona. 

This game runs on Unreal Engine 4 and plays on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and an Xbox One version in the works. It is a single-player game that puts you in the seat of master detective Sherlock Holmes.

Investigative Gameplay That Aligns With The Theme

Sherlock Holmes is 21 in this origin story when he uncovers a complex conspiracy brewing in the town. The island of Cordona is riddled with corruption, crime, classism, etc. In carrying out investigations, he begins to uncover dark family secrets that should change him forever. The story takes you on a rollercoaster ride through Cordona. However, this is not all there is to the story, as Sherlock Holmes also gets to solve other mysteries and crimes. This game takes about 12 hours of intriguing and diverse plot twists, filled with funny anecdotes that don’t always seem to land.

 Despite being presented as a young, novice private eye, we quickly see that Sherlock has an incredible investigative sense. This enables him to understand the behaviors of humans and scratches on corpses to make near-perfect inferences. This instant and extremely effective sense of investigation somewhat take away from the learning curve that you expect for the character. It makes one wonder why this is the first chapter if there is no growth or skill progression potential. He is, however, less refined and less in control, which he possesses in other games within the series.

There are five major mysteries to solve, with 30 side cases you can choose to take on. It is a healthy number of crimes to handle in a few hours. You can take as long as possible to solve a case before returning to the main story. They range from drunks stabbed in a bar fight to complex ones that leave you running across the city, poring through legal documents, interviewing people, and conducting chemical analyses. The game tries to balance the technique of nudging you in the right direction and not giving too much away. It allows you to do most of the thinking and make way too much wandering around the large city.

A New Approach To Collectibles

Many gamers frown at the sound of collectibles because they can be tiresome and boring to collect. In a game like Sherlock Holmes Chapter One with an investigative theme and a great storyline to follow, getting collectibles is more interesting. The story is about how Sherlock’s brother Mycroft stole his coin collection back when they were kids and hid them across the island. You can go on a journey across the island trying to collect them.

However, Mycroft has made finding them harder, and you would have to go through interesting hoops for them. This is a great way to explore the island and is a worthy diversion to the many cases you wish to solve. The collectibles hunt never really measures up to the actual cases, but it fills up the narrative puzzle. It also helps you know the relationship between Sherlock and Job. 

More To Do With Bandits

One major addition to this world is the inclusion of bandits and their lairs. You would think they are unnecessary in a world of mystery and deduction, but it makes sense that they exist in this world. This further shows the inspiration of Assassin’s Creed in developing this game.

The cops allow you to go on an investigative spree of your own with a gun where you face off bandits. Although you are encouraged to cuff them rather than kill them, there is no real repercussion for killing them. You can also stun them by shooting environmental elements before disarming them at close range. 

You Have To Survive With No John Watson

We know that Sherlock Holmes can solve crimes without John’s direct involvement, but John’s presence is a balancing factor in the character’s work. John is unmissably absent in this game, but you get an imaginary friend named Jon. He is not only similar in name but in purpose as he acts as a sounding board for the detective while he pores across crime scenes. We are introduced to this cheeky Jon immediately after the prologue, where Sherlock investigates stolen diamonds and murder. It is presumed that John Watson is still serving in the military during the events of this first chapter.

Jon, the imaginary friend, serves only as a companion and does nothing critical to the gameplay. He scribbles a few notes for you to go through, but the notes never change, even when you go a different investigation route. There is a high lack of handholding and direction for gamers, and the developers could have used Jon’s to give subtle directions. They, however, left him in a constant voice providing commentary while you prance about trying to proceed past an obstacle. Despite this, Jon is also a mystery to solve as he has been in Sherlock’s life since childhood and is a foreboding easter egg to encounter down the road.

Great Graphics Shows Mediterranean Richness

The graphics of Sherlock Holmes Chapter One are warmer, more tropical, and look like scenes from La Noire or Assassin’s Creed. It is a far cry from London’s gloomy, foggy, dark streets. 

Soundtrack And Voice Acting

As a game with a balance of action, investigation, and interrogation, the voice acting is integral to world-building. The characters were well voiced and brought a sense of reality to the world. It also merges smoothly with the soundtrack playing in the background. 

Conclusion

In conclusion, Sherlock Holmes Chapter One is a good game with many inspirations that never really shines on one particular thing. It does a good job of tasking the mind and revealing an interesting origin story for the detective. It could have been better in many ways.