The Last Case of Benedict Fox

An interlaced kaleidoscopic sort of suffering

The yearly Xbox showcase doesn't always slap us with round the clock hits that we force ourselves to pay attention to. The ecosystem couldn't handle it if their promise of 50 games were all bangers. (At least that's what I tell myself to endure some of the snoozefest games) Of course, it does kind of grate when all of the really exciting games turn out to be the big budget titles that we already knew were on the way and just popped in to chuck another trailer our way. Especially when only a handful of those titles are the one's we're really burning candles in our window for. (Are we ever going to see actual gameplay of Perfect Dark, or is the doom-ridden The Initiative going to consume itself before it ever gets that far?) And yet sometimes there are gems which shine through the rubble and surprise even the most conservative video game connoisseurs out there with it's intriguing presentation, and such is the case with 'The Last Case of Benedict Fox'.

Hewn together by a developer called 'Plot Twist' (another company with a name that's impossible to research on Google. >sigh<) 'The Last Case' purposes a mystery investigation story that seems to touch on themes of conspiracy, gothic horror, surrealism, occultism and maybe even a touch of survival if I'm interpreting the solitary trailer we have right now correctly. All of which is strong enough to intrigue as it is, before we slap in the fact that this is a Lovecraftian cosmic horror style story as well, which all but promises mind bending, reality warping, goodness by it's mere mention. And this game just happens to be  a Metroidvania on top of all of that? Well, I'll be- what have we done to deserve such a bounty before us on this most blessed of trade shows?

As any good horror story would, Benedict Fox entwined the protagonist with a demon familiar in his plundering of a dilapidated manor house in the investigation of a young slain couple and their disappeared child. The description boasts a great many trigger words to the lovers of macabre and grim, which bolsters alongside that visual style which they have, somewhat confusingly, compared to Burton. I personally think Burton is a curious case of gothic, as many of his creations play with colour a lot more than the typical drab grey and black of this style. Even his more drained palettes will shove deep black and shocking white in direct contrast to excite the visual style; which gives 'Plot Twist' here quite a lot to live up to if they want to keep their lofty word. Although with what little we've seen thusfar, maybe that won't be so wild of an ask at all.

'Beautiful' is a word I've seen evoked time and again when talking about the complex and detailed environments of this mansion as it descends into overridden and tree-warped wings and deep twisting tentacled depths. There's a command of colour which one can already tell is going to impart a very strong sense of location wherever you are in the world. There's also a prevailing grandiosity to the ornate halls and demure study rooms that tickle the Victorian manor house fantasies of many fervent gothic hobbyists of the day. All of which bodes very well for a style of presentation which has become 80% about style in recent years. If their narrative can match the brooding moodiness of it's encasing, then we'll have ourselves a gothic masterpiece bumbling in our broths! (Oh- uh... no pressure.)

What makes Benedict Fox a little atypical to other games of this sort of genre is that there is going to be actual combat for the player's to play with, and it looks rather smoothly animated. Popular, and incorrect, consensus with these sorts of games is that the mystery, and thus the horror, dies the moment the player can defend themselves, but games like Resident Evil and The Suffering knew that the moment you put survival entirely in the hands of the player their nerves hang on the balance of the threats they encounter. Sure, we're to traverse this world with a loaded gun and demonic tendrils of power, but that doesn't mean the enemies can't be more mind bending and head twisting than even us at their worst. And besides, I can't imagine a Metroidvania without combat

Which of course brings me back to the promised Metroidvania elements, the building blocks of my favourite platformers. Of course this is going to be a 2D perspective title with heavy emphasis on visual distinction between location, but it's going to be the deft-handling of the Metroidvania elements which decides how well we'll come to love this area. An investigation implies we're going to treading over the same ground often, which marries well with the 'return to somewhere old rooms with the tools to get somewhere new' style of this sort of genre, so I'm certainly feeling the bones of a strong identity game being laid down and set-up. I just hope that the traversal abilities have significant and transformative moment-to-moment utility, as I hope for from every Metroidvania I play.

Recent games of this time have really upped the bar when it comes to these sorts of games, so Benedict Fox has a lot to live up to. Not that I immediately expect this game to be everybit the equal of titles like Blasphemous, Hollow Knight and... Ori; but their lessons should certainly have an impact on any game which shares their gameplay stylings. Of course, a lot of those games have worked to really blur the line between Metroidvania and Soulslike, and although I know very little about this game and can't say for sure, I think the style of the story presented doesn't necessarily lend itself to badass tooth-and-nail bossfights against deadly foes. At least not on it's face.

If think Benedict Fox probably wins the award for Indie game that made the biggest splash this year, if such an accolade exists, during the Bethesda/Microsoft showcase. And I'm always happy to see a budding developer find their audience with a cool idea that hits the ground running; and I want to see this thing become a reality come 2023. Mostly what I really want is for more cosmic horror goodness to douse our lives of understanding and rationality with the unknowable and indefinable horrors from beyond the deepest sleep. There really isn't enough horror out there that exists purely to make you feel like an insignificant speck among the cosmos, without the cool hand of 'moral purpose' to reassure you. So go ahead Benedict Fox; weird us all out!