The Last Case of Benedict Fox is a wonderful 2D side-scroller that fuses multiple genres to make a game that is as terrifying as it is gorgeous.
2D side-scroller, a genre of video games that has been around since the 80s and is quite often the most accessible way for aspiring developers to dip their toes into the industry. As charming as they are, oftentimes it’s hard to create something that isn’t too derivative, and in the case of The Last Case of Benedict Fox, a Lovecraftian 2D side-scrolling Metroidvania developed by Plot Twist and published by Rogue Games, Inc., has somehow made the simple genre so much more.
Now, you probably haven’t heard of Plot Twist, as they’re a small indie studio based in Kraków, Poland. Despite their relatively small size, the studio actually has some incredibly talented people who have worked on games such as The Witcher, Hitman, and Cyberpunk 2077, just to name a few. As for the game’s publisher, well, you see, Plot Twist has a bit of history with Rogue Games Inc., who has been the publisher for most of Plot Twist’s other games, such as Bright Paw, Dust and Neon.
In The Last Case of Benedict Fox, we play the titular Benedict Fox, a self-proclaimed detective with a shadowy demon companion, together they must delve into the minds of the victims of a gruesome murder and find out who is responsible and what’s behind the killer’s motive. The game is set after the first world war and you will need to explore its incredibly dark post-war world that is filled with monsters from both the mind and man.
The Last Case of Benedict Fox is a rather strange game that isn’t easy to put into a genre. The game incorporates Lovecraftian Horror, Murder Mystery, War Commentary, and Metroidvania-style platforming and somehow gets all of these elements to work cohesively. Probably the biggest reason for this is the game’s visual style, which takes a lot of its design cues from the 1920s Art Deco and Art Nouveau art movements. These came about during a time period that works almost perfectly with all of the game’s nightmare noir elements.
In terms of gameplay, The Last Case of Benedict Fox is a Metroidvania. You traverse a series of locations that are composed of a series of platforms that you will need to climb to get to your destination. As mentioned in the beginning, despite it being a Metroidvania, the game has somehow made moving around levels incredibly fun, and that’s thanks to your shadowy demon companion. You see, the only reason why Benedict can do what he does, is because of his demon friend. Whatever Benedict can’t do, his friend can probably do, that is, if you have the necessary upgrades.
That’s not to say Benedict is entirely useless; he is a detective, after all, so he needs to be equipped for most dangerous situations, including the eldritch. At Benedict’s side are his trusty knife and gun, which at first glance isn’t the most impressive load out, all things considered. However, despite its simplicity, you will be surprised how flexible this makes the combat in The Last Case of Benedict Fox.
When times get tough, you can always use Benedict’s sliding ability. Despite its namesake, your sliding ability can do a lot more than just simply dodge attacks, as you can use it to deflect attacks and momentarily stun enemies by launching them into the air. Your sliding attacks, paired with a gun and knife, mean he can certainly deal out damage; pity he can’t take it.
One thing you will notice while taking on enemies one-on-one is that he can easily mow through them. Still, Lady Fortune doesn’t smile on the cocky or stupid, so you best try to not get surrounded or get sloppy with dodging because The Last Case of Benedict Fox can and will humble you fast.
If you do find your health has reached zero and Benedict is being ripped apart by the horrible creatures that dwell in the psyche, it’s going to be in your best interest to try and regain your ink. Ink is essentially like Souls or Runes from Dark Souls and Elden Ring, meaning that whenever you die, you will gain a debuff until you collect your ink back. This can become a bit tedious because if you don’t recollect your ink and you die again, it’s gone forever.
In your journey across the psyche of the dearly departed, you will encounter many strange and rather unnerving characters that actually provide a useful service for Benedict. One of these characters is a tattooist whom Benedict saved while she was trapped in a mirror. She allows Benedict to add new traits and additional powers to his demonic companion for Benedict to use, making both him and his travel buddy even more deadly.
Another character you meet, who you may already be familiar with, is the one and only Harry Houdini. That’s right, the world-famous escapologist himself makes an appearance in The Last Case of Benedict Fox. Houdini acts somewhat like a merchant that will sell you incredibly vital items, such as Miracle Water. These items can be life savers and will easily help you get out of any tight situation. Well, besides being ganged up by eldritch terrors, but that’s beside the point.
The puzzles featured in The Last Case of Benedict Fox are definitely a highlight of the game, as they provide a much-needed quiet time from fighting Eldritch monsters and other monsters of the mind. That’s not to say that they are a cakewalk; they are quite the opposite and provide a reasonable amount of challenge without being frustrating and annoying.
The puzzles themselves aren’t that revolutionary, but it’s all a matter of presentation. A good example of this is the lock-picking puzzle. The puzzle is quite simple: pick the lock to open it, but instead of a lock, we have a strange malformed Maw, and instead of lock pins, we have fingers. The visuals for these puzzles just work so well and somehow add a whole new layer of enjoyment to them.
Like many others in the Lovecraft genre, The Last Case of Benedict Fox features some truly gorgeous sound design. As mentioned in other reviews, an important part of eldritch horror is creating a sense of dread within your players, and one way that game has achieved that is with a great atmosphere. From howling icy winds to wet squelching hits from tentacles, the sound design immerses you in the minds of the victims and makes every action even more impactful.
The game does have one big flaw, and it’s one you’ll notice very early on, and that’s with the controls. As stated earlier, the combat in The Last Case of Benedict Fox is simple, but you can still have plenty of fun even with the limitations, but in order to see the ‘fun’ of the combat, you will need to quickly switch between shooting, stabbing, kicking, dodging and that’s not the easiest to do with the way the controls are laid out. In most cases, you could just simply remap them, but for some odd reason, The Last Case of Benedict Fox doesn’t let you do that.
In conclusion, The Last Case of Benedict Fox is one game that, unlike its peers in the Lovecraftian horror genre, doesn’t rely on doom and gloom and instead provides you with a visual feast for the eyes. The game has incredibly simple yet flexible combat that gets brought down by its control mapping, which may get you eaten once or twice.
