"We should be asking for more variety in our open worlds"

SHERLOCK HOLMES: CHAPTER ONE is a vision of the untapped potential of the genre

- ROBIN VALENTINE

As a genre, ‘open world’ has come to mean far more than just a big, seamless map. It conjures images of vast, big-budget games with a huge range of things to do, including combat, exploring, searching for collectibles, solving puzzles, traversal and more.

But I always find it really interesting when games buck that template. I loved the way The Evil Within 2 flirted with the idea of open-world survival horror, with its creepy town full of nightmares to sneak past. Or The Pathless, which, despite its protagonist wielding a bow and arrow, eschewed violence in favour of finding joy in discovery.

Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One uses its open world – the island city of Cordona – as a sandbox for mysteries. Where most crime-solving games are purely linear, or take place across a series of confined scenes, Chapter One simply dots the map with unsolved cases and invites you to follow your nose.