The minute I laid eyes on this 2D Metroidvania side-scrolling platformer, it became one of my most anticipated games of the year. Without knowing much about it back then, this was purely down to atmosphere. I’m an absolute sucker for attractive-looking games, and Benedict Fox has appeal in spades: the art style, with backgrounds full of vibrant purples, pinks, reds and blues mixed in with dark strokes, is simply phenomenal. In fact, the art direction present might well be one of the best I’ve seen in any game. Add to this an awesome soundscape (from voice acting to music) and I was sold almost immediately. The overall tone, with its distinct combination go Lovecraft and Poe vibes anchored in a Lynch-type surrealism, hits every single note, and that alone makes the game more than worth playing and its world more than worth exploring. Being a detective story, it also boasts a pretty robust mysterious narrative that works really well for the most part in keeping you engaged and wanting to find out answers. I spent 16hrs with Benedict Fox, and at no time did I feel bored with it.
I did, however, feel frustrated. Quite a bit frustrated if I’m honest. This is a clear case of brilliant presentation accompanied by disappointing gameplay. Almost all mechanics in Benedict Fox feel like they’re almost there, but not quite. Platforming and combat are two of its main issues, which is a shame because that’s virtually what you engage with the most. Platforming could definitely be better, tighter, snappier, and there’s a bit of a laggy feeling to movement that doesn’t help matters (jumping also feels a bit unoptimised, which hinders some of the chase sequences). Combat also comes with its own issues. There’s quite a bit of variety to it, and I love the Arcane-like abilities you get, but at the same time, the whole thing feels a bit sluggish and restrictive (often you can’t even jump over or slide under your enemies, which in a side-scrolling affair severely limits your options). Additionally, some of the fighting controls are not very intuitive, and at least on console you can't remap the buttons.
Navigation is also a problem in my opinion. Benedict Fox features one of the most confusing mapping systems I’ve experienced over the past few years, which isn’t great in a Metroidvania. It’s one thing not to hold your had, but it's another completely different one to be deliberately obtuse with map and section continuity. On the other hand, the game's puzzles, clearly one of its most prominent aspects, were mostly quite enjoyable, often challenging but never unfair or downright illogical. Ironically, every time I thought I had made genuine progress, the game managed to stump me again, and that was in great part due to its puzzle design. Alongside all this, this was quite a buggy experience, with annoying glitches that at times even forced me to restart because controls flat out refused to work.
You eventually get used to some of these faux pas, and I'm guessing quite a bit can be patched out over time. Because of that, I still wholeheartedly recommend The Last Case of Benedict Fox. For all its annoyances, there is a truly spectacular audiovisual experience at play here that elevates this game above quite a few of its peers, and makes this game deserving of appreciation by anyone who gravitates to these types of Lovecraftian aesthetics. 7.5/10
