It's not every day a developer allows you to simply turn off one of the new features in its games, but that's exactly what Frogwares is doing with Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One. The studio has today debuted a new trailer focused entirely on the title's combat, and you needn't engage with any of it if you don't want to. Detective Holmes supposedly has a small health pool, meaning combat likely won't be easy. Footage also shares a mechanic that allows you to slow down time, making it easier to place your shots.
Frogwares' previous title, The Sinking City, also had gun combat but it certainly wasn't the game's best aspect. With non-lethal takedowns thrown into the mix, let's hope Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One improves upon it.
On the topic of allowing you to turn combat off completely, game designer Yaroslav Martyniuk said: "We are very aware that combat is seen as a great addition for some and a bit of an immersion breaker for others. So we’ve designed the combat encounters to be notable parts of certain quests, but also allow you to tweak the difficulty or even skip them entirely if you don’t enjoy their pace. The outcomes of how you complete combat encounters have small influences on your game, but not to the extent that by turning it off you lose out on extensive content or it hinders your progress."
It sounds like the game plays just fine without these combat sections if you're not interested, then. Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One hits PS5 on 16th November 2021, with a PS4 version coming later. Will you be giving combat a go or will you immediately turn it off? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Comments 11
Does it disable any trophies though?
Is this getting a physical release or digital only?
Il be keeping combat on myself. Turning it off feels like cutting out part of the game but I know some people just enjoy the stories in games
Sounds good to me, everything about this is promising so far.
This may well be the first game in this series I buy.
After going through the Great Ace Attorney Chronicles games, it’s kinda hard to look at the name Sherlock Holmes. If you know what I mean.
Looking good. I'll keep combat on, but nice option (maybe a good option if playing on SteamDeck 🤔)
I'll be one of the 12 people playing this instead of another tired yearly round of Call of Duty and Pokemon come November
It will probably get lost, but perfect timing for me.
Combat so janky you can turn it off! Could have done with the option for those wretched spider things
Combat absolutely ruined The Sinking City. Can they patch that out now?
@Deadhunter My only complaints are that the enemies weren't clever enough to climb scenery (but there were few points where this really made it immersion breaking) and that there were no underwater combat sections. The harpoon did nothing so you just had to avoid the enemies.
@ankehuber I'd also love to know the answer to this, would prefer avoiding combat altogether if possible.
@Danloaded Digital copies only I'm afraid, but still worth playing!
This will be the first game in the series that I pass on. I appreciate the fact that you can turn off the combat, but its inclusion in the first place is just confusing and troubling. And the overall "hipster" Sherlock direction of the art style and characters is disappointing in general. The series had its bugs and hiccups, but the style and deduction work was what make it special for me. I want to solve mysteries, not play a third-person shooter.
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