Sherlock Holmes Chapter One

Sherlock Holmes Chapter One tells the story of the young Sherlock Holmes on the Mediterranean island of Cordona. The aspiring detective returns to the place of his childhood and investigates the mysterious death of his mother. Alongside this family story, numerous other criminal cases await in a freely explorable 19th-century city.

The single-player adventure combines observation, conversations, deduction, disguises and occasional fights. Sherlock has to develop an explanation on his own from the clues he finds. His closest companion is Jon, not the later Dr. Watson.

Sherlock Holmes Chapter One was released in Europe on Nov 16, 2021 for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Due to regional unlocking, Steam also shows Nov 15, 2021.

The PS4 version was released on Apr 28, 2022. Frogwares postponed the previously announced Xbox One version indefinitely. A native Xbox One version was not released.

The adventure is available for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. The two PlayStation consoles have their own versions. The Xbox version is optimized for Series X|S.

The Xbox One version that was planned was never finished. Backward compatibility or earlier published pre-order pages do not change this.

Sherlock examines crime scenes, questions witnesses and connects evidence to assess suspects. Instead of a rigid sequence of marked objectives, he searches for clues on his own. Sometimes a rumor or the behavior of a seemingly minor character provides the next lead.

Frogwares combined free investigation with a relatively restrained hint system. You can often decide the order of many investigations yourself.

Additional cases expand the crime stories of Sherlock Holmes Chapter One. These include Saints and Sinners, Mycroft's Pride, Beyond a Joke and M for Mystery. The Season Pass bundles several pieces of additional content.

There are also costume and gear packs, plus an artbook and the original soundtrack. The Deluxe Edition includes the main game with the Season Pass. It is not another standalone sequel.

On PC, Sherlock Holmes Chapter One requires Windows 10 64-bit, 12 GB RAM and 28 GB of free storage space. Frogwares lists Intel Core i5-6600 and AMD Ryzen 5 2600 as minimum processors. For graphics, according to Steam, a GeForce GTX 960 with 4 GB or Radeon R9 380 with 4 GB is sufficient.

Recommended are an Intel Core i5-8400 or Ryzen 5 3600, plus a GeForce GTX 1070 with 8 GB or Radeon RX 5600 XT. Steam recommends an SSD.

The fictional island of Cordona is an open Mediterranean world with different social milieus. Traders, wealthy families and poorer residents live in separate districts. A person's background can influence their standing, their fears and their willingness to help Sherlock.

On the streets, Sherlock encounters crime, political corruption and conflicts between old traditions and change. The island can also be explored apart from the main story for side cases.

The Mind Palace is used to combine collected clues into possible explanations. A single observation does not always prove what happened. Only comparing it with further traces and statements turns guesses into a coherent theory.

Different interpretations can lead to different decisions. Sherlock therefore has to not only find clues but also assess how reliable they are.

Sherlock can change his clothes to gain access to certain people and information. A worker is treated differently in the right setting than a visitor in fine clothing. Disguises open up conversations that would otherwise stay closed.

This mechanic links the investigations to the social differences on Cordona: whoever makes the right impression is more likely to learn something about the secrets of a district.

Jon stands by Sherlock as a companion and conversation partner. He comments on Sherlock's observations and helps him come to terms with memories of their shared past. His relationship with Sherlock is part of the central family mystery.

Jon is not John Watson, who is known from the later stories. The prequel looks at Sherlock at a time before his famous partnership began.

Violent encounters complement the investigation with firearms and actions against the environment. Sherlock can spot weak points and overpower opponents without every fight ending in death.

Combat is part of the story, but not a substitute for collecting and interpreting evidence. The focus stays on the criminal cases and their personal consequences.

After an investigation, Sherlock also decides how to deal with a truth that has been uncovered. Some characters pursue their own goals or withhold important details for understandable reasons.

The game lets you weigh legal guilt, human motives and the consequences of a decision. A discovery therefore does not end every moral question.

Sherlock Holmes Chapter One is designed as a single-player adventure. Exploration, dialogue and criminal cases are tailored to Sherlock as the main character. There is no co-op campaign or competitive multiplayer in the game.

The PC version supports controllers, Steam Cloud and achievements. Cloud saves and achievements are also available on Xbox Series.

The game interface and subtitles are available in German. The English-spoken dialogue comes with German on-screen text. Other supported languages include French, Italian, Spanish and Japanese.

On PlayStation, the game is offered for one player. Microsoft lists 16 supported languages for the Xbox Series version.