Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One
In this story-driven detective thriller, players step into the shoes of a young Sherlock Holmes on a quest to unravel the mystery of his mother's death on the exotic island of Cordona in the Mediterranean. As Sherlock, players shape their legacy through decisions made in an open-world environment, utilizing deception, violence, deduction, and the guidance of their enigmatic companion, Jon. Players can choose between brute force and strategic wit to overcome challenges, honing their investigative skills as they delve into the dark underbelly of Cordona. Narrative themes include death, political corruption, crime, and trauma. Note: Some gameplay involves Quick-Time Events (QTEs).
- Release date: 11-16-2021
- Developer: Frogwares
- Publisher: Frogwares
- Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox Series X/S
Triggers for this game
Animals & Wildlife
Birds
Chickens, crows
- Can't be avoided
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Insects
Bees
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Misc. Animals & Critters
Horses, cattle, goats, sheep, elephant, pig, donkey
- Can't be avoided
Rodents
Rats
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Sharks
Dead
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In 'The Muse From Abroad,' Sherlock encounters a hanging shark carcass in the undergallery
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Crime
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Being Held Against Will
Handcuffs, tied up suspects
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Gangs & Mobsters
Many gangs in the main game; Saints and Sinners DLC has Righteous Gang
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Misc. Crime
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Poisoning — Siren Song optional side mission
- Is avoidable
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Murder
Multiple cases
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For the Birds Cordona Story — a man has murdered his family and then disappeared. END GAME SPOILERS — Past the point of no return, Sherlock will discover four possible explanations for his mothers death - that Otto Richter accidentally murdered Violet while trying to save Sherlock from drowning, Otto purposefully killed Violet to "end her suffering and save" Sherlock's life, Jon killed her by coming up with the idea to give her sedatives (and you must get rid of Jon as you can't trust him), or that you made the decision to give her sedatives and are at fault for her death. There is no one correct answer, so you're able to pick out the one that best suits your story.
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Death & Loss
Abandonment
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Mycroft
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Death of Loved One
You encounter many people whose family members and loved ones have died, and you have to interview / interrogate them to help solve cases.
- Can't be avoided
Death of Parent
Violet (Sherlock & Mycroft's mother) dies about a decade prior to gameplay. Her death is pivotal to the plot, as is Sherlock's trauma & grief around it.
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Their father also dies prior to gameplay. Throughout the game, Sherlock learns that his mother did not die from tuberculosis - in fact, she didn't have it at all but was struggling with mental health issues. Sherlock is determined to learn what the real cause of death was. END GAME SPOILERS — Past the point of no return, Sherlock will discover four possible explanations for his mothers death - that Otto Richter accidentally murdered Violet while trying to save Sherlock from drowning, Otto purposefully killed Violet to "end her suffering and save" Sherlock's life, Jon killed her by coming up with the idea to give her sedatives (and you must get rid of Jon as you can't trust him), or that you made the decision to give her sedatives and are at fault for her death. There is no one correct answer, so you're able to pick out the one that best suits your story.
- Can't be avoided
Death of Spouse or Partner
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Violet's husband (Sherlock's father) dies before her. As she struggles with her mental health, she regularly forgets that he is dead.
- Can't be avoided
Drowning
Siren Song optional side mission
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In this mission, Sherlock encounters a drowned sailor's corpse. You learn that there have been several drowned sailor corpses recently.
- Is avoidable
Family Estrangement
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Mycroft
- Can't be avoided
Suicide
Mentions
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Mention of suicide in miners mourning note / the flowers of the good
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Disturbing Sounds & Sound Design
Wet Sounds
Near water
- Can't be avoided
Drugs & Alcohol
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Casual Drug Consumption
Sacrificial Lamb mission
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Drunkenness
Lord Craven
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Intoxication
Lord Craven
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Prescribed Medication
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Violet is prescribed a lot of medication to try to help with her mental health issues.
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Financial & Resource Management
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Income Management
You can buy new outfits and buy back family items, but you must manage your income to do so. You can also 'rent' outfits for free if you do not have the funds to purchase them.
- Can't be avoided
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Gore
Amputation
Main game & Saints and Sinners DLC
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Main game — If you search Chief Inspector Placido's office trying to find his whereabouts, you will find a severed ear in surgical solution. The Missing Shopkeeper optional side mission has dismembered fingers. Saints and Sinners DLC — The DLC is about a priest who was found dead with his hand severed.
- Can't be avoided
Animal Violence
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Taxidermied animals on the walls in Gilden's house and Sherlock's house (possibly other areas). Gilden has an elephant without the right space and greenery, and uses a sharp object for "training" the elephant.
- Can't be avoided
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Body Horror
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Contorted dead bodies
- Can't be avoided
Dismemberment
Main game & Saints and Sinners DLC
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Main game — If you search Chief Inspector Placido's office trying to find his whereabouts, you will find a severed ear in surgical solution. The Missing Shopkeeper optional side mission has dismembered fingers. Saints and Sinners DLC — The DLC is about a priest who was found dead with his hand severed.
- Is avoidable
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Hate & Discrimination
Ableism
Sanism, Neurodivergence-shaming
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Sanism — As Sherlock investigates his mother's death, he realizes that she did not have tuberculosis but was struggling with "madness." A Gilded Cage — Arthur Swift is very racist & ableist / sanist. Neurodivergence shaming — In Silence is Golden, Sherlock recalls Mycroft shaming him for speaking up about injustice.
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Misogyny
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During the first mission, a woman faints and Sherlock proclaims "The feebleness of women."
- Can't be avoided
Racism
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A Gilded Cage — Arthur Swift is very racist & ableist / sanist.
- Can't be avoided
Sexism
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During the first mission, a woman faints and Sherlock proclaims "The feebleness of women."
- Can't be avoided
Horror Themes
Demons & Devils
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In 'The Muse From Abroad,' Sherlock is looking for a missing painting which shows the devil "in an act of love" with a woman while others around them look on in "orgiastic delight."
- Can't be avoided
Ghosts & Hauntings
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The first true mission in the game involves a seance, spiritualism, and ghosts. The Ghost-Hunter Cordona Story involves finding where a ghost hunter has gone.
- Can't be avoided
Vampires
One case revolves around vampires (What was did in the shadows)
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Naturally, the vampires aren't real
- Can't be avoided
Kink & BDSM
Bondage & Restricted Movement
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The Muse From Abroad — In the undergallery, there is a bed underneath wall-mounted metal restraints (although no sexual content is shown)
- Can't be avoided
Misc. Kink & BDSM
Sex with the Devil, BDSM club
ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers
In 'The Muse From Abroad,' Sherlock is looking for a missing painting which shows the devil "in an act of love" with a woman while others around them look on in "orgiastic delight." In 'Sacrificial Lamb,' Kurt Manchios' mansion is a very kink-focused area complete with Eyes Wide Shut style masks.
- Can't be avoided
Law Enforcement
Misc. Law Enforcement
To complete several missions, you will have to train with the police force.
- Can't be avoided
Police Pursuit
To complete several missions, you will have to train with the police force.
- Can't be avoided
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LGBTQ+
Being Outed
A Gilded Cage Mystery
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Paul Perks is a woman in disguise (possibly trans, though not explicitly said to be). He is worried about being outed.
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Mental Health
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Hallucinations
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Jon is Sherlock's imaginary friend from childhood. He "cannot remember a time without him. He cannot accept that only I can see him." Over the course of the game, Sherlock learns that his mother was struggling with hallucinations. END GAME SPOILERS — Past the point of no return, Sherlock will enter the garden of his home and see a hallucination of Violet.
- Can't be avoided
Mental Illness
Sherlock's mother Violet
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Violet initially struggled with anxiety, confusion/memory issues, and sleep issues. This then grew after medication to catatonia, apathy, depression, prolonged confusion, delusions, episodes of violence against family and self (self-harm).
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Non-Sexual Abuse & Violence
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Blackmail
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Corporal Mark Ridley is blackmailed.
- Can't be avoided
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Domestic Violence
In optional mission Blindsided
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Optional — In the side mission "Blindsided," Magda von Staub has bruises across her body.
- Is avoidable
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Phobias
- Can't be avoided
Emetophobia
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Heard / not seen — In the beginning cutscene, Sherlock is seasick and vomits in a sink after getting out of bed. You don't see it but you can hear it. Seen — The Ghost-Hunter Cordona Story (optional)
- Is avoidable
- Can't be avoided
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Megalophobia
ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers
Large statues in the cemetery.
- Can't be avoided
Melissophobia
Hive Master case
- Can't be avoided
- Can't be avoided
Misc. Phobias
Decidophobia (Fear of making decisions)
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Cynophobia (Fear of dogs), Equinophobia (Fear of horses)
- Can't be avoided
Necrophobia
ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers
Dead bodies at crime scenes. Human and animal skulls in the seance room (first mission). Visiting a cemetery, complete with tombstones & graves. The Muse From Abroad — skeleton in an open casket. A Mad Rogue Cordona Story — skull. Following finishing up The Muse From Abroad, Verner Vogel sends Sherlock a skeleton statue. In Sherlock's house, there are multiple random death-related bits, such as skulls, a sarcophagus, a skeleton in a glass coffin, etc.
- Can't be avoided
Ommetaphobia
ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers
Optional — In the Blindsided mission, Sherlock overhears people talking about a man who was murdered & had both his eyes shot out.
- Is avoidable
- Can't be avoided
Thalassophobia
Sherlock actively has a phobia of water
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If he goes in deep enough (roughly to his ankles), he will grow faint and pass out.
- Can't be avoided
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Physical Health & Body Issues
Body Modification
In the form of dressing up in disguises
- Can't be avoided
Misc. Physical Health & Body Issues
Asthma (Saints and Sinners DLC)
- Can't be avoided
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Politics
- Can't be avoided
Religion & Sects
Priests
Saints and Sinners DLC
ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers
The DLC is about a priest who was found dead with his hand severed.
- Can't be avoided
Religion
Churches, mosque
- Can't be avoided
Ritual Sacrifice
Missions: The Scapegoat, Sacrificial Lamb
- Can't be avoided
Sex & Erotica (Consensual)
Adultry
Beginning cutscene
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The ship's captain has been sleeping with his staff.
- Can't be avoided
Sexual Abuse
- Can't be avoided
Traumatic Events
Accidents
Multiple
- Can't be avoided
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