Sherlock Holmes Chapter One Review

Sherlock Holmes Chapter One tells the story of the titular hero before he was the world’s greatest detective. Holmes was a smart rebel looking to prove himself. As he his compelled to go back to the Mediterranean shore where his mother died, he finds himself in a perfect opportunity to prove his detective skills in a city of crime and corruption with a twisted sense of justice and morality. You can use brute force or your wits to solve your problems.

Sherlock Holmes Chapter One is an open-world third-person crime-solving game where players, as the titular detective will need to find various clues in order to solve mysteries. Thanks to Holmes’ special skills, you can investigate crime scenes

The game will not guide you. You’ll be called upon to use the various tools at Holmes’ disposal such as the Mind palace, Chemical analyst, camera and your case book. Our investigative protagonist also has a map at his disposal, unfortunately, you never know where you’ll need to go. You’ll need to look up the streets’ names to figure out where to go. You can also consult helpful documents at the police station.

Fans of customization will have a field day here as they’ll be able to play dress-up with a surprising amount of choices of outfits and customization items. It can either be for fun or a requirement to progress a story mission.

When you say open world, you also expect to have the means to travel across town. While players will unlock fast travel points as the game progress, at first you’ll need to run and run and run; making reaching various areas earlier on very tedious and boring. But hey, at least there’s no stamina meter so you’ll be able to run to your heart’s content. Our protagonist can also defend himself with a gun.

One of the game’s strength is in its content. While there are five main mysteries to solve throughout the story, the game also has over 30 side cases that can be tackled throughout your investigative, origin adventure. Gamers with a love for investigation games that uses all of your brainpower (or a guide) will definitely find something that’ll last a while with this game. Depending on your detective skills, the game will guide players to one of its four endings. Given that you can accuse anyone based on what you think with the clues collected.Additionally, if your instincts are wrong and accuse the wrong person, you will have to live with your mistake.

The game’s biggest problem is its core mechanic where it will make players think. While it’s never a bad thing coming a game that will make your brain do the blunt of the work, it can prove frustrating and tedious for most gamers as this is not the ideal game to just relax after a long day’s work. As with a real investigation, you can’t leave any stone unturned and read every detailed minutiae. Getting yourself around the city is also long and tedious even with unlimited stamina. Overall, it’s the same boring issues plaguing The Sinking City (makes sense seeing as its the same developer).

One thing is for sure, this game looks great. The city, highly detailed with various and unique sub-areas, can prove an enjoyable romp for virtual tourism. While the game is an open world it does feel lifeless and dead; some areas have little to no NPCs, even crowded areas feel dead no matter the number of characters walking around. On the audio side of things, it’s fine. The voiceovers are overall well delivered, aside from random NPCs who seem to mumble. The soundtrack is a moody, slow-ish score that lends itself very well to the atmosphere.

Unfortunately, much like other Frogwares developed titles, Sherlock Holmes Chapter One is a tedious, cryptic, boring and tedious experience that feels more like a chore than a game. It has all the ingredients to be a fun and unique experience, however, given the game’s lack of hints and lack of additional help, players might find themselves going around in circles for hours if they missed a vital clue or hint during a conversation. If you’re a fan of brain teasers, this game will be up your alley. If you’re looking for games to relax and unplug your brain (which is why we often use gaming for), this is an easy pass.