I think there should be an adaptation of Sherlock Holmes without Sherlock and it's just young Watson being friends with Sebastian Moran and solving crimes together while in the army
"average character is a little bit autistic" factoid actualy just statistical error. average character is neurotypical. Sherlock Holmes, who has over 10,000 adaptations and is autistic in every one of them, is an outlier adn should not have been counted
I just finished Sherlock Holmes Chapter One and I have a lot of thoughts because I didn't like it, but at the same time I liked it a lot lmao
Sooo
A bit of spoilers:
I'm just going to start with the things I didn't like
For starters. Jon lmao
It was pretty funny actually, because I played the awakened remake first, and I liked it, specially Watson. Dr Watson is my favorite character of the Sherlock Holmes books, he feels like a cup of hot chocolate in a cold winter night, he's just so comforting to me Idk why. And while I was playing the awakened, Watson being there, it was very comforting
SOOOO
I think that's why I was so scared when I saw Jon the first time LMAO
I knew that Jon was Sherlock's imaginary friend before playing, and I knew he looked like Watson, but I guess I hadn't really processed it, or I just never saw his model closely, because as soon as I saw Jon and I saw that he looked exactly like Watson my reaction was like the woman from the meme "Why are you running?"
I'm not kidding I was genuinely disturbed by Jon looking like Watson (this game scared me more than the awakened remake ever did lmao). Soooo, my guess is that that's why I never liked Jon. Like I got over being disturbed by him after a while, but I still didn't like him at all nor did I like looking at him or interacting with him
And listen, that's not the fault of the character or the writers, it's just that it was something that pushed some very specific buttons in my head I didn't know were there and almost gave me a heart attack
The other thing I didn't like was the story. Well, I did and didn't like it at the same time
The parts of it that I didn't like was that it felt a bit all over the place, I think it was mostly because of the fact that is an open world.
I liked Cordona, but at some points between running around the city and getting lost and having to open my map every 20 seconds and running again doing chores. It really distracted me from the main story. Often times I forgot why I was even doing all of that in the first placd
And then there were the side cases. Most of them I thought were boring honestly, I didn't solve all of them, (because again, boring), but it was disappointing. Like you would have this summary of the case, that sounded very interesting, almost like an ACD's short story, then you go and solve it, and it was like the case defleated and everything that seemed interested became meh. It reminded of something that I read somewhere that said with Sherlock's stories you really need Watson's romanticism because logic without romance is just boring. So I guess that was what I was missing
Also the fighting gameplay was awful lmao
Now with the things I liked:
I've read some criticism somewhere that the game could've be about any character and it would've still worked. And I think that's BS lmao. This is a game that could've only be about Sherlock Holmes.
There were little details here and there that if you stop and think about it for a second, they were explanations as to why Sherlock in the books is the way he is. like how Sherlock's mom was abusive, but also a victim of medical malpractice. Yah know that could explain why Sherlock doesn't like women, but he's still eager to help vulnerable women
And just like that there are a thousand little things.
I really liked how the game touched Sherlock's anxiety about his sanity, because again, it makes sense. When you make intelligence and logic such a fundamental part of who you are as a person, it follows that the mere thought of losing it must be like a nightmare; though this topic gets more attention in the awakened remake. And oh! The portrait at the end. It was like a slap, it grabbed everything Sherlock would rather hide deep within his mind and shoved it in his face. Just chef's kiss
Also, the ending almost made me cry lmao
And I don't mean the part where Jon disappeared, at that part I was like: "Bon voyage, fare thee well, Que te vaya bonito, ciaoo"
I mean the part where he mets Watson, because this game felt so lonely to me; and when Watson was finally on the screen, I just thought "Oh, finally Sherlock won't have to be alone anymore" and the thought of them meeting again, to be there for each other, the "in all timelines, in all possibilities, only you" of it all, it made me a bit teary eyed
So all in all, I think I like it, but I'm gonna be honest and say that I don't think I would've like it if I didn't love Sherlock Holmes. It was just the little things, those tiny details here and there that for me, made the whole picture worth it. You can really tell that it was made by people who know and love Sherlock Holmes
And I also really liked how Holmes was written, it wasn't exactly the same as the books, but it did feel like how a young Sherlock might act. It was Sherlock but a bit green still, he's not done cooking yet, but at times you can see that the Holmes from the books is there, the man he will be
Would I recommend it? Eh, I don't think so, perhaps only to very specific people. Would I play it again? Hmmm, perhaps not from zero, but maybe I will load my save from before the ending and finish all those side cases.
My favorite part was the end, which is funny because with the awakened remake I didn't like the ending
Been enjoying listening to Clive Merrison's Sherlock Holmes radio dramas (it's like Jeremy Brett on radio). So here's a complete list and links to Fourble and YouTube where you can listen for free.
A Study in Scarlet, 1989
Episode 1
Episode 2
The Sign of Four, 1989
Episode 1
Episode 2
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, 1990-1991
A Scandal in Bohemia
The Red-Headed League
A Case of Identity
The Boscombe Valley Mystery
The Five Orange Pips
The Man with the Twisted Lip
The Blue Carbuncle
The Speckled Band
The Engineer's Thumb
The Noble Bachelor
The Beryl Coronet
The Copper Beeches
The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, 1992
Silver Blaze
The Yellow Face
The Stockbroker's Clerk
The Gloria Scott
The Musgrave Ritual
The Reigate Squires
The Crooked Man
The Resident Patient
The Greek Interpreter
The Naval Treaty
The Final Problem
The Return of Sherlock Holmes, 1993
The Empty House
The Norwood Builder
The Dancing Men
The Solitary Cyclist
The Priory School
Black Peter
Charles Augustus Milverton
The Six Napoleons
The Three Students
The Golden Pince-nez
The Missing Three-quarter
The Abbey Grange
The Second Stain
His Last Bow, 1994
Wisteria Lodge
The Cardboard Box
The Red Circle
The Bruce-Partington Plans
The Dying Detective
The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax
The Devil's Foot
His Last Bow
The Case-book of Sherlock Holmes, 1994-1995
The Illustrious Client
The Blanched Soldier
The Mazarin Stone
The Three Gables
The Sussex Vampire
The Three Garridebs
The Problem of Thor Bridge
The Creeping Man
The Lion's Mane
The Veiled Lodger
Shoscombe Old Place
The Retired Colourman
The Valley of Fear, 1997
Episode 1
Episode 2
The Hound of the Baskervilles, 1998
Episode 1
Episode 2
The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
The Madness of Colonel Warburton
The Star of Adelphi
The Peculiar Persecution Of Mr John Vincent Harden
The Singular Inheritance of Miss Gloria Wilson
The Saviour of Cripplegate Squire
The Abergavenny Murder
The Shameful Betrayal of Miss Emily Smith
The Tragedy of Hanbury Street
The Determined Client
The Striking Success of Miss Franny Blossom
The Remarkable Performance Of Mr Frederick Merridew
The Eyes of Horus
The Thirteen Watches
The Ferrers Documents (sorry this one has some super annoying AI muzak in the background, but I couldn't find another upload)
Cait and the #caitvi fankids Camille and Vincent shooting targets! Thank you to my patrons for voting this cute family moment as this month's poll winner 🥳🥳🥳
(theres also a Vi version with the kids boxing available on patreon)
also, also, some news about the upcoming fancomic: the drafting is almost done, we're approaching the 100 pages!!!!!!! (i am insane)
watson, as an unreliable narrator, probably would have hidden the times he called holmes 'sherlock', so in reality it cannot be said that watson never called holmes by his given name because we all know he was a lying liar who lies. in this essay i will-
