Sherlock Holmes Chapter Oneoffers detective fans another chapter in Frogwares' super-sleuthing series. This time, the game will take players back to Sherlock’s early 20s placing him in an open world setting guided by a new partner to act as his conscience. Chapter Onetakes players to a new setting that seems worlds apart from Victorian-era London.
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Players will begin the game with the titular character returning to hischildhood homeas he is drawn in to investigate the potential murder of his mother uncovering a wealth of intrigue and conspiracy along the way. Sherlock coming to terms with his past while paving the way for his future,Chapter Onesets itself up as a prequel and reboot.
With a new setting, open-world environment, and mysteries to uncoverSherlock Holmes Chapter Oneexpects the player to think for themselves and rely on their wits. However, preparing oneself for the game’s many complexities will provide the player with the insight needed to become the world’s greatest detective.
9Choose The Right Difficulty
Sherlock Holmes: Chapter Oneis a game that’s designed to appeal to longtime fans of Frogwares' detective series and pull in a brand new audience. For those familiar with the series and expecting a real challenge, selecting theMaster of Deductiondifficulty is the way to go. This modeswitches off Interactivity Icons and Investigation Progress Notifications. Be warned, however, this is a challenging experience even for veterans.
However, for newcomers, the best option would either be theYoung Detectiveoption or thecustomizable Mycroftdifficulty. The Young Detective Mode is how the game should be experienced Investigation notification and Interactivity Icons are switched on. Additionally, Decision-making times and Chemical Analysis minigames are set to normal. The Mycroft option allows players to adjust all the settings to their liking.
8The Combat Can Be Switched Off
As a game that has more in common with graphic adventure games, the combat in Sherlock Holmes feels a little out of place. Thankfully, the developers have included an option to turn the combat scenarios off completely.
SelectingStorymode in the combat difficulty options will mean that players can skip combat, the damage received will be down to 70%, enemy stun duration is 12 seconds, and the Snuffbox recharge arrest bonus is set to 60 seconds. This way the player can just focus on the game’s story mode.
7The Bandit Lairs
If one was to proceed with the combat inSherlock Holmes Chapter Onethen they will encounter theBandit Lairs. These are optional tasks that the police will commission Sherlock to help them with.
The catch, however, is that Sherlock can’t kill his enemies. He needs to work out ways to take down and incapacitate these bandits using the environment. They can be frustrating missions undertake but just like the combat they are optional. Familiarizing oneself with these environments will lead to a more successful mission.
6Find The Cordona Chronicle And City Hall
Sherlock can access the archives from the police station in Cordona early in the game. However, there are two other vital buildings that Sherlock should find sooner rather than later.
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These are theCity Halland theCordona Chronicle.Both locations play a part in the story but thanksto the game’s open-world naturethe player can unlock these locations sooner than intended. Both the City Hall and the Chronicle will allow Sherlock to access vital archives that will help him solve crimes and mysteries.
5Listen To Jon
SinceChapter One’sstory is set during Sherlock’s early 20s he hasn’t met Dr. John Watson yet. In Watson’s place is Sherlock’s childhood but imaginary friend Jon and his diary. This diary functions similarly to Watson’s note-taking inChapter One’spredecessors.
Jon’s Diary is invaluableand the player should refer to it often. Jon will leave some cutting comments, remarks, and hints about whether or not Sherlock asking the right questions when interviewing witnesses and suspects.
4Keep Checking The Casebook
TheSherlock Holmesgames from Frogwares have always beenhardcore detective experiences. It gives players very little in the way of hand-holding inSherlock Holmes Chapter Oneleaving the player to rely on their wits and to be as perceptive as possible.
This new entry requires even more percipience from the player as they will need to familiarize themselves with Cordana, get to know the locals, and the various cultures to solve mysteries. Thankfully,the Casebookwill provide the player with a wealth of information regarding cases and any clues found will be added to the case files.
3Understanding The Mind Palace
Those familiar with Sherlock Holmes the character will already know that his powers of deduction and astute ability to connect cluesare almost supernatural. These powers are represented bySherlock’s Mind Palace.
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Gather enough clues and Sherlock can refer to his mind palace toconnect the associated clues on the board. If the clues are incompatible then they will turn red. When a correct connection is made within the Mind Palace a brand new node will open up.
2Becoming A Master Of Disguise
Seemingly taking a leafout of theHitmanfranchise’s playbook, Sherlock will be able to make use of disguises as the game progresses. These disguises will allow Sherlock to deceive and gain access to information fromNPCs that fall into certain social classesthat wouldn’t otherwise talk to him at all.
One of the earliest cases in-game is called “The Master of Disguise”. These Social classes are as follows:
To interact with these social classes Sherlock will need to purchase or rent an outfit from aClothing Traderin Cordona.
1The Concentration Ability
Using disguises inSherlock Holmes Chapter Onewouldn’t be much use without the protagonist using hisConcentrationability. The ability resembles the Detective mode intheBatman Arkhamseries.
The Concentration ability allows Sherlock to see which NPCs are hostile to him whether he has a disguise or not. In addition, Concentration will reveal clues during investigations and exploration.
Sherlock Holmes Chapter Oneis available for the PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
