The Last Case of Benedict Fox Review: a Lovecraft-style metroidvania

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The Last Case of Benedict Fox Review: a Lovecraft-style metroidvania
the last case of benedict fox review: a lovecraft style metroidvania

Let’s dive into the darkest depths of the human mind in a Lovecraftian-tinged adventure, very fascinating but not very refined in terms of gameplay.

The Last Case of Benedict Fox Review: a Lovecraft-style metroidvania

Boston, 1925. While the whole world is still coming to terms with the disastrous consequences of the Great War, disturbing testimonies begin to emerge about the atrocities committed not only on the battlefields but also in the gloomy corridors of the buildings belonging to the First Circle, a mysterious secret society who seems to have interests in occultism and esotericism. To counter these smoky machinations, the Ordo Ira Dei organization is established, a sort of Inquisition of the occult with the precise aim of stopping the exploration and illegal experiments related to the dark dimensions and nightmarish creatures that lurk beyond the world. known universe.

This is the setting that sets the stage for the story told in The Last Case of Benedict Fox, the new work of the Polish studio Plot Twist (previously known as Awesome Industries, already authors of the Drift Zone series) and published by the independent label Rogue Game Inc., recently landed on Xbox Series X|S, PC and included since day one in Microsoft’s popular Game Pass service. Does it remind you of anything? Well, probably because the setting of the game is deeply rooted in the literary production of one of the greatest authors of modern history, considered by many as the father of the entire horror genre and contemporary science fiction: Howard Phillips Lovecraft.

A demonic detective

The protagonist, whose name gives the title to the game, is a self-proclaimed private detective which seems to have a direct involvement in the clash between the First Circle and Ordo Ira Dei and which seems to hide an unspeakable secret.

There is a voice in his head, an invisible but omnipresent companion, a relentless whisper that feeds on the strength of his emotions, a demonic entity that, thanks to its multidimensional vision and otherworldly abilities, helps him in his hard work. It is not immediately clear how Benedict’s life and this enigmatic presence are intertwined but we immediately find them engaged in a complex case, perhaps the most thorny of the protagonist’s career: the inexplicable murder of a couple inside their imposing mansion, a seemingly incomprehensible crime but with shocking traits. Fortunately, Benedict’s partner it has the ability to make him relive memories of even missing people, immersing the detective’s conscience in the anguishing coils of the memory of the deceased. And it is here that we get to know Limbo for the first time, a projection of the nightmares of the unfortunate who host lethal creatures and deadly traps, but also artifacts and memories that are essential for the reconstruction of the life of the two victims and the definitive resolution of this intricate affair.

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The Last Case of Benedict Fox consists of a marked dualism between two distinct souls but all in all well amalgamated in the playful formula: the investigative sections inside the house and those more markedly based on the classic canons of the metroidvania during the exploration of Limbo. The first is based on the collection of key objects that will have to be examined and interpreted to understand their role in the economy of the plot but also on the presence of different puzzles to be solved, using logic or simple mathematical operations.

Once these activities have been completed, indeed present in large numbers in the game, you will have access to new areas to explore, other characters to talk to and, obviously, new tools to use to continue. In this respect, it must be said, the Plot Twist team has done a fairly appreciable job. The puzzles are in fact always well structured and never too hermetic, although they still require a certain commitment on the part of the players to understand how they work. For a precise stylistic choice, the developers have also decided not to include in-depth tutorials to explain the mechanismsso as not to reduce the immersive factor.

There are doors to open by following the directions on specific diaries hidden in Limbo; chests protected by number combinations; barriers to dissolve by decrypting the protection codes and much more.

Of course, it could be argued that once you come to terms with the philosophy that supports these minigames you begin to glimpse a slight underlying repetitiveness but it is nothing that can affect the general pleasantness, also because the studio was intelligent enough to balance well the investigative phases and the more purely action ones. And it is precisely in this last respect that The Last Case of Benedict Fox begins to show its limits, due to an overall lack of refinement which, unfortunately, it weakens the concept and the enjoyment of the experience.

In search of the lost finish

Essentially, the key elements of a metroidvania with all the trappings are present and easily recognizable. However, they were made and implemented without the care that would have allowed the game to reach other exponents of the much more famous genre. There is the inevitable map to unlock area after area, using special skills, using the keys scattered throughout the setting and discovering alternative routes hidden behind obstacles that are at first sight insurmountable.

As far as level design is concerned, unfortunately, it is easy to realize that we are a bit far from the peaks of excellence reached by the best chapters of Metroid and Castlevania, of the Ori series or of the never too acclaimed Hollow Knight (here is the review of Hollow Knight). Net of some witty gimmicks and a good artistic direction, the worlds that can be explored in The Last Case of Benedict Fox do not present particularly remarkable solutions that can burn this intriguing descent into human madness into the memory of the players. Furthermore, while browsing the scenarios, you can collect Shards and Ink, respectively useful for buying Benedict’s equipment and unlocking new skills connected to the symbiosis with the companion. While Shards can be acquired by analyzing items scattered throughout and are instantly added to the inventory, Ink can be obtained by discovering new areas or defeating certain opponents, but must be fixed at pre-designated anchor points which will also act as teleportation stations. In case of defeat on the battlefield, the unfixed ink will be abandoned at the point of death and must be recovered by retracing the entire journey and eliminating the creature that caused us to pass away. The combat system, for its part, appears rather basic but no less functional.

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One key is assigned to bayonet attacks, one to pistol aiming, and one to parrying, which can be done with the right timing to perform in the now traditional parry. Then there are various offensive and defensive techniques guaranteed by the intervention of the partner which will have to be unlocked by spending the aforementioned Ink, but which we prefer not to anticipate so as not to spoil the surprise.

Nothing particularly original, after all. There are, of course, also some boss fights which have the task of slightly variegating the progress of the adventure but which, beyond some good visual gimmicks, do not present moments of exceptional workmanship that can put the most experienced players in difficulty. Certainly more could have been done in this regard.

A matter of precision

The real Achilles heel of the work is to be found in the incorrect timing of the responses of the commands, which all too often leave the player defenseless at the mercy of the opponents. Sometimes, this delay prevents simple maneuvers such as jumps and parries from being executed correctly. It happened several times, during our test, to end up in the middle of combined attacks by the monsters of Limbo without the possibility of defending ourselves, just because the block button did not respond adequately to the commands.

Or even falling into the abyss due to the jump input not registering correctly. It goes without saying that in a genre like the metroidvania that makes precision in execution a founding pillar, this lack of accuracy represents a somewhat disabling problem, especially in the more advanced stages of the game which require a certain amount of actions per second. And it’s a real shame. From a technical point of view, unfortunately, the situation is no longer rosy. We played The Last Case of Benedict Fox on Xbox Series X and we ran into dramatic frame-rate dips even in uncrowded situationsnot to mention the presence of some sudden crashes.

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Different speech for the artistic direction which, as we said, manages to give life to a fascinating and sinister moving picture. The characters involved in the narrative, although devoid of an important psychological insight, are all quite intriguing and well outlined, and the same also applies to the settings which are permeated by a dark beauty. The English dubbing is also good, always recited with the right emphasis. Special applause to the mysterious Companion who whispers in the detective’s mind (and to ours…), characterized by a truly creepy inflection and tone of voice.

The Last Case of Benedict Fox
The Last Case of Benedict FoxXbox Series X Analyzed VersionUltimately, our encounter with The Last Case of Benedict Fox gave us mixed feelings. On the one hand we find an interesting plot, embellished with some tasty twists and framed by an extremely fascinating setting. On the other side of the fence, however, we find an approximate technical realization and a general lack of refinement in the gameplay, defects that end up compromising the overall enjoyment of the work. The new Plot Twist project has been part of the Game Pass catalog since day one: for this reason we still feel like recommending it, at least to a certain extent, to fans of the genre who subscribe to the service. To all the others, however, despite the title being offered at a budget price, we suggest waiting for any patches that can at least solve the most obvious problems. In its properly finished form, The Last Case of Benedict Fox could in fact aspire to much higher qualitative peaks.