Sherlock Goes Back to Chapter 1
Frogwares has announced their next game in the Sherlock Holmes franchise, taking him out of the dreary and dirty streets of London to solve a mystery that is closer to him than any other. Sherlock Holmes Chapter One will take players into the early years of the career of Sherlock Holmes as he investigates the truth behind the death of his mother.
Sherlock Holmes Chapter One will act as a prequel story to Sherlock’s adventures later in life, taking place on a Mediterranean island as a young Sherlock takes part in his first major investigation. But what about Watson, Sherlock’s longtime investigative partner you may ask. Well since the game is set before their meeting there will be no John Watson, however, Sherlock will not be alone in his journey. Before Watson came to be his associate/confidant/friend, Sherlock had a best friend named Jonathan, and the relationship between the two young men will be a central part of the game.
“This time around we wanted to be more creative with the story we told and found an idea that hasn’t really been touched on by other adaptations – Sherlock’s “first big case” as a young 21-year-old adult. He is Sherlock at his core, but at this point, he’s more raw talent than refined genius. Reckless and impatient and a tad brazen, but unknowingly already on the path to greatness.” says Antonina Melnykova, Lead Narrative Designer
The team at Frogwares will also build upon the lack of hand-holding in the previous game The Sinking City to challenge players to figure out the clues for themselves. Players will have to rely on their own intuition and will be given a lot more freedom in how they conduct the investigations in a way that will make it feel like genuine detective work.
“The Global Investigation system is mainly about having players rely more on their intuition and case solving skills. Clues in Chapter One are acquired and analysed through a massive array of skills, tricks, tools, and methods at Sherlock’s disposal. Since there are so many combinations, players will need to really think things through like a detective since brute-forcing clues together until the game reacts isn’t going to be very effective.” says Yaroslav Martyniuk, Lead Feature Designer
Sherlock Holmes Chapter One is currently slated for release in 2021 and will be available on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and next-gen consoles.
