Review of “The Last Case of Benedict Fox” – detective with tentacles

There are a lot of detectives. Some puff thoughtfully on their pipes, others love to play with their curled mustaches. And then there’s Benedict Fox. A stubborn flutist who has a demon in him and is not afraid to use it.

• Platform: PC (Steam), Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S (verified version)
• Publication date: 27.04.2023
• Developer: Fence twist
• Publisher: Rogue Games, Inc.
• Genre: 2D metroidvania
• Czech localization: No
• Multiplayer: No
• Data to download: 12.1 GB (Xbox version)
• Game time: from 15 to 20 hours
• Price: 719 kr (free part of Game Pass)

Benedict’s father died under unclear circumstances. He has a small idea who might be behind the murder, but he still doesn’t know the reason. He does not know what his father was doing in the last hours, days and even years, because it was not a completely ordered family. So he arrives at a sprawling house, where a lifeless old man lies in a pool of blood in the basement. And he starts looking. But not in the house itself – in an alternative dimension called limbo, where the most painful memories and clues are hidden, leading to many unpleasant discoveries.

Lovecraft’s “The Last Case of Benedict Fox” metroidvania draws attention with its already unusual setting: the action takes place in the 1920s, when people play jazz from a record player and wear vests. But in this game, everything is not like in the history books. You will also find a golem, a battle between the church and the occult society, and a talking demon.

He is Benedict and your closest friend. He talks to the main character in a low, hoarse voice, helps him look for evidence, and most importantly, knows how to fight. Once you reach limbo from the real world, you will find that you cannot do without your companion. Using purple tentacles, he can lift Benedict onto a raised platform, create a shield around him, and learn other tricks over time.

In the beginning, our detective is a fragile worm who can wield a dagger and even fire a pistol from time to time. As he progresses further and further, he gains ink, a material that drops from slain enemies. And what could be better with magic ink, which at first glance seems dangerous, than to put it on the skin?

Each tattoo signifies a new ability for the demon, who learns to create a protective bubble around Benedict or pull flying monsters to the ground with tentacles. All this is more and more useful in the game, because the deeper you go through the intricate corridors in the subconscious of a dead father, the more aggressive and persistent enemies you will pass. Unfortunately, they don’t seem particularly original, and many of them are humanoid. One can blow up, the other carries a shield or musket. But the bosses are more inventive and you can’t even fight with some of them with weapons.

Tangled ciphers and corridors

However, the game still makes you want to keep going. Every nook and cranny can hide an upgrade, an information letter, or a mysterious item that will come in handy in the future. Typical metroidvania features are on display here in full force, and you repeatedly pass through the already familiar corridors, as you slowly master the tools to unlock different types of doors one after another.

The game doesn’t explain anything to you, so you have to figure out how to solve it yourself.

Luckily, every locked door, whether it’s a metal gate or a monster with fingers for a mouth that is clearly begging to be killed, is actually a puzzle. And I must say that very successful and varied puzzles. The most common are classical ciphers, in which the twisted character denotes a regular digit. But there will also be simple quick events, tarot cards or environmental puzzles.

The game doesn’t explain anything to you, so you have to figure out how to solve them yourself. In the case of riddles, this is desirable, but, unfortunately, this approach is also used in the actual search for the circumstances of the death of Father Benedict. In the task list, you will also find very vague labels like “learn more about father’s past.” In itself, some mystery would be fine, but in the case of this metroidvania, the map is sometimes too confusing, and when zooming out, signs of locked doors or puzzles are finicky. In this way, you will easily miss the corridor, which this time not only hides the loot, but is absolutely necessary for the continuation of the story.

In general, the title suffers from some technical issues that may indicate that a handful of developers are behind it, who are still gaining experience (in particular, the Polish studio Plot Twist). The game crashed several times, and at some points there were problems with stuttering and FPS drops, for example, when I moved from one room to another. Fights were sometimes intermittent, although careful paperwork here is important not only to protect the hero, but also so that the pistol can be fired more often.

You are trying to jump over the enemy, but the demon simply does not “pick” him.

And then there are jumps, one of the most important elements of metroidvania. Benedict can only double and later triple jump with the help of his demon. With its tentacles, it pulls up to the ceiling or ledge and pulls it up. So… you can’t always double or triple jump because the tentacles aren’t infinite. Repeatedly you will try to jump over the enemy, but the demon simply does not “pick” him. Or you will spend long minutes fighting on the same ledge with an important item, because the timing of pressing the buttons is very strict.

Rhythm and colors

Fortunately, the game has one huge advantage: it looks beautiful. This platformer’s visuals cleverly combine bold colors with black, such as when you’re sneaking down dark corridors and suddenly find yourself in a greenish hall where you’re climbing on the toes of a giant stone statue. Or when, with a flashlight in your shaking hand, you run through the living darkness that is trying to eat you, and at the last second you jump into a red-lit room.

Limbo is intimately connected to the real world, which helps Benedict in his quest and the player in his orientation. You stumble upon an overgrown record player, but also a garden that has swallowed everything inanimate into a restless mind. This is complemented by perfectly matched rhythmic music and sound, which especially stands out in headphones when you decide to sneak through the maze of memories in the evening in total darkness.

It can be seen that the game was created by people with a lot of ideas and a sense of fresh stylized graphics. However, Benedict Fox is currently struggling with nightmares, sluggishness, and technical issues that may eventually be resolved by a patch (btw, while I was writing the review, one came out and improved the experience). Until then, some fights or moves are difficult but not masochistically enjoyable. Fortunately, the developers offer several difficulty modes, where in a pinch you can make your hero immortal, and then just enjoy the puzzles and the ugly beautiful environment.