Sherlock Holmes: The Case Of The Hung Parliament Meta Quest 2 VR Review
Summary: Draw inspiration from the great detective as you try and solve the Case of the Hung Parliament before someone else dies... the Prime Minister no less.
3.9
Helping Holmes
You do not get to play as Sherlock Holmes… I’m just going to get that out of the way up front… you do encounter him (via footage)… but it’s up to you to solve the case. I will also note that currently the game is available via App Lab so keep that in mind.
But what is Sherlock Holmes: The Case Of The Hung Parliament, well it’s essentially a first person VR detective game. With the famous Holmes engaged elsewhere, it’s up to you to solve the case. Watson will get you started and advise you as things progress from time to time… but it will be up to your sleuthing skills to find out whodunit! Speaking of Watson… as one of the first parts of the game, seeing a full 360 VR video is quite nice and indeed immersive (providing you are sitting and don’t try and move anywhere). There are some visual anomalies when Watson is walking (presumably the points at which the videos are stitched together to create the full 360 view)… but mostly it is quite engaging.
Before long you are off and gathering clues… as you do so you gain notes to add to your crime board… a large wall on which you can place your clues to try and help link suspects to motives, means etc. This is probably my favourite part and that’s no doubt somewhat influenced from many crime shows… but it is quite satisfying placing clues onto the board and sorting out what clues go with which suspect etc. You can also request some forensic assistance and this is where things get a little odd. Other than Watson, all your interactions are with 2D presentations… this in itself is a little jarring but the way they are presented is also a bit odd. I presume to cut down on production costs and time… most characters are filmed with standard cameras and are presented in game on screens… these are typically portrayed as projections but also as TV/monitors. There is also a computer that can be used to access files for investigation. For some this little “twist” won’t be an issue (they are presented in a kind of pseudo steam punk style)… but I found it a bit off putting.
When it comes to questioning suspects we have a very detached environment in which the suspect appears to be in an interrogation room and you have a video feed to where you are… it just feels odd. Having said that, the process is quite good. You have some choices of what to ask and certain responses will provide you a chance to pin the answer as a clue. How/what you ask will determine how successful your interviews go and can be the difference between cracking the case and putting an innocent person behind bars.
When Holmes does show up… he seems skitterish and certainly no good with the technology on offer… which to me seemed a bit “off” for the character but I guess it can be put down to interpretations. With a few bits of assistance from Holmes you get ever closer to pointing your finger at who you think is the guilty party and let’s just hope you deduced correctly.
Despite it’s quirks and minor limitations… I quite enjoyed the game. I’m not the biggest fan on some of the “artistic licenses” that were taken with style and portrayal… but it wasn’t enough of a distraction to be an issue. It’s a good bit of fun and certainly shows a glimpse of just what an immersive FMV game can be in VR… even if it’s not quite there yet. Worth a look if you like the idea of solving crimes.
About the Author
Chris O'Connor Father of four, husband of one and all round oddity. Gaming at home since about 1982 with a Sinclair ZX Spectrum. Moving on to the more traditional PC genre in the years that followed with the classic Jump Joe and Alley Cat. CGA, EGA, VGA and beyond PC's have been central to my gaming but I've also enjoyed consoles and hand helds along the way (who remembers the Atari Lynx?). Would have been actor/film maker, jack of many trades master of none.
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