Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One is an ambitious detective game set on a glorious Mediterranean island bursting with intriguing mysteries. There’s a lot to be said about the cases and the sandbox setting, which many people have been discussing in the days since the game came out. But here at POPSUGAR Australia, we’re going to be addressing something more important about developer Frogwares’ latest game in the series. We need to talk about how hot Sherlock is.
Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One focuses on a young, inexperienced Sherlock. Of course, he’s brilliant (hot) — but he’s on the island of Cordona to visit his mother’s grave (admittedly not hot) and prove himself as a detective (very hot).
He soon realises his mother didn’t die of tuberculosis like he was told, and begins investigating the mystery surrounding her death. To do that, you’ll have to track down leads, interview witnesses, analyse evidence and piece together memories from Sherlock’s childhood that he’s long since forgotten.
The cases are brilliant — the culmination of Frogwares’ 19-year history making Sherlock Holmes games — and require you to do some serious detective work. While most mystery games gently guide you towards the right conclusion, Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One lets you gets cases wrong. It adds another layer of thrill to the cases — knowing you could have misread the evidence, missed something important or put the wrong suspect behind bars makes you pay attention to everything and labour over every decision before drawing any conclusions.
That’s not to say you’re all on your own, though. The game has a number of clever tricks to help you stay on the right track. You’ll often find yourself with a notebook full of threads to pull and no idea which one to tug on first. That’s when you can take a look at the red icons above each clue, which will tell you whether you need to find a specific location, speak to a key witness, ask around on the street, or consult the city archives to uncover your next discovery. Sherlock also has his imaginary friend Jon with him during every case, who’ll provide companionship and clues as you work. Jon is also hot, it has to be said.
Disguises play a huge role in your investigations, as Sherlock sometimes needs to dress the part to gain access to a witness or crime scene. Costumes are inherently sexy, which Sherlock and Jon obviously understand. Sherlock can wear various well-tailored suits, sailor’s uniforms, open-buttoned shirts, long coats and even dresses. His default outfit is a black three-piece suit, complete with chains, a form-fitting holster, leather gloves, and a small pouch hanging off his waist that’s just for show. A disguise called “thug armour” is literally just an outfit with sleeves, knives, and a bare chest. One of the pre-order bonuses was a “Victorian vampire” outfit, complete with pale skin and a carefully-placed droplet of blood. Some of the disguises are ridiculous, but they all lean into a joyful sense of self-expression in a silly and very camp game.
To be clear: Sherlock has never been unattractive, at least in this series. But this is the first time he’s been hot. Part of that is because Frogwares decided to make this game about a younger Sherlock, but they also made an intentional choice to make him look like a character in Riverdale. It’s the sharp jawline, the penchant for leather gloves, the rolled up sleeves, the way he looks like a himbo who suddenly woke up with a big, huge brain. I’m loving solving mysteries in Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One but I like hot Sherlock even more.
