Rob reviews Hermitage: Strange Case Files on Xbox Series X...
As long time readers of my reviews will know - I'm not a massive fan of visual novels. Sure there has been some that I've liked - Seers Isle, and Along The Edge. But there has been more than a few that I've just not got on with - Root Double: Before Crime * After Days Extended Edition - for example. When it comes to developer Arrowiz' horror/mystery title Hermitage...well it sits firmly in the middle.
The main narrative of Hermitage: Strange Case Files focuses on an unnamed bookstore owner and the strange people who frequent his bookshop - The Hermitage. The narrative soon divulges that the city is experiencing a unique phenomenon, where people are disappearing to then return with no memory of the events. It then falls to our unknown protagonist to investigate as he becomes a cross between Giles from Buffy The Vampire Slayer, and Sherlock Holmes.
However, due to "reasons", you're unable to physically leave the bookstore. As such you'll have to rely on the owner's connections to the outside world to get to the bottom of what's going on. The overarching narrative is certainly an interesting one. As the bookstore owner dives into these mysteries he discovers that a paranormal entity is most likely the cause. It's here when Hermitage take on an H.P. Lovecraft inspired narrative that dives into the paranormal, and humanities own psyche.
With any visual novel, the writing needs to keep you entertained whilst staying focused on progressing the story. Thankfully Hermitage does this well, in fact, it does so a little too well. There's plenty of context and exposition throughout that comes from the many character interactions, reading books, surfing the 'net, etc. There's a lot of information to take in, and while it serves to flesh out the world, it slows the pacing of the novel down. As such, Hermitage isn't a VN that you can watch (read?) without paying attention. With every bit of detail or conversation comes the means to solve that particular chapters investigation. While gathering the necessary evidence isn't too difficult, if you are not paying attention it's very easy to miss. Quite often these come in the form of seeking out a specific character or researching the history of a reoccurring symbol.
When it comes to the actual writing, Hermitage has been localised quite well. With any visual novel that's not written in native English, there are a few typo's, although they're really simple and don't take away from the novel's atmosphere. Even with the abundance of information, the base story is fairly simple to follow and the world-building is pretty well thought out and does a good job in keeping you guessing.
As I mentioned above, the narrative does have some influences from H.P. Lovecraft. When it comes to horror, Lovecraft's writing works well as it utilises the human element rather than relying on a "big bad". Granted there is a supernatural element to both Call of Cthulhu and even here in Hermitage, yet both dive into the darkness of both the world and its inhabitants. Lovecraft's influence also bleeds into the game's world with the bookstore featuring many of the authors work, as well as some character references. Naturally, fans of the author are going to enjoy all the references, yet if you're not clued up on Lovecraft, then it doesn't detract from the story that Hermitage is telling.
Both the visuals and sound are pretty pleasing. The visuals are superb and everything feels more like a comic book than just straight out anime. The colour palette is quite dull and dreary with plenty of saturated colours and dark tones. Each character also has some great facial workings that really explore the characters thoughts, rather than just relying on the text. The soundtrack compliments this with an almost detective noir feeling, that's filled with mellow Jazz-like acoustics. It's certainly a very intriguing and unusual style, but its execution is spot on.
All in all, Hermitage: Strange Case Files is a middle of the road affair. While the narrative goes to some pretty interesting places, you have to wade through a lot of text to get there. The central character is also a bit of a bore, whose over-analytical nature makes the novel far longer than it should be. However, if you are a fan of lingering slow-burning supernatural horrors then you'll love everything about Hermitage: Strange Case Files. Unfortunately, it just wasn't for me.
Rating 7/10
Hermitage: Strange Case Files is out now and can be purchased via the Microsoft Store by clicking here.
A code was kindly provided for this review
Rob Lake - For more comic book and video game chat why not follow Geek Culture Reviews on Twitter and Facebook @GeekCultureRev
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