Publisher and developer Frogwares has released a new behind-the-scenes video for adventure game Sherlock Holmes Chapter One, delving deeper into the cinematic techniques it used to amplify the effects of the game’s more powerful narrative moments.
Sherlock Holmes Chapter One documents the detective’s early years and his transformation into the genius that has captured the attention of so many people. Lead Cinematic Artist Dmytryi Teplynskyi describes the game’s story as a “deep dive inside his mind,” noting that the challenges faced by the protagonist will expose his weaknesses.
Sherlock Holmes Chapter One makes use of negative space to imply a character’s dominance within a scene, while using frames within frames to imply the rupture between two arguing characters.
The title features gruesome cases but is no stranger to more fun and even naive tasks for Sherlock, who “basically has his childhood pal alongside him all the time,” according to Cinematic Artist Nikita Bohdanov, who also notes that the team tried to “convey this spirit of buoyancy and cheerfulness with [its] use of music and sound effects.”
You can learn more about Frogwares’ approach to cinematics in the video embedded below. Aside from this new bit of insight into how it approached making the game, the developer also addressed the comparisons with AAA titles.
“As we near the release SHCO, we’re seeing a lot of comments excited for the game which is such an amazing feeling. But we also see a fair amount of comments comparing some of our stuff to much bigger and more expensive titles. We totally understand the demand for technically-flawless games. However when a team of our caliber creates a game, we need to prioritize what matters most - an emotional experience that is hopefully bigger than the sum of its technical parts, “ reads a statement from Frogwares CEO Wael Amr.
“It’s with this mindset and understanding that allowed us to make the game with no crunch. And why we’re able to publish it all on our own after 20 years of being forced to always sign away part of our creations. It’s also why we priced the game at 45 USD and not 70 USD.”
Sherlock Holmes Chapter One is Frogwares’ “biggest project yet in terms of size, gameplay time, new systems, open-world design and story,” according to Amr, and is set to release on November 16 on PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PS5, with Xbox One and PS4 versions coming at a later date. Pre-orders include a free copy of Sherlock Holmes Crimes & Punishments alongside the Victorian Starter Pack.
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