Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Hung Parliament Blends FMV with VR

Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Hung Parliament keyart

Posted on: 07 Apr 2023

FMV games were a rich tapestry in the early 1990s. The likes of Sewer Shark, Time Gal and Dragon’s Lair made waves. Perhaps none more so the the overly controversial Night Trap. Who asked for a comeback of these games? Nobody. Yet here we are, with a new an innovative approach in Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Hung Parliament.

With a title that will surely be confusing to many outside of the UK (they’re not hanging politicians, despite the current political climate), Les Enfants Terribles and VR developers vrisch are collaborating for this new game. A live-motion VR deductive adventure, Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Hung Parliament is designed for one to four players.

Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Hung Parliament screenshot

Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Hung Parliament Gameplay

Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Hung Parliament will feature interactive live-action FMV with professional theatre actors. You can interrogate characters and visit locations to scour for clues to unravel the mystery.

Play alone or with up to three other players to visit crime scenes all over London, then meet in the ‘Mind Fortress’ to construct a case against your prime suspect. The game challenges you to solve a Holmesian whodunit written by prolific theatre writer Anthony Spargo and Les Enfants Terribles’ Artistic Director Oliver Lansley, whose collective work spans books, TV, theatre and Amazon productions.

Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Hung Parliament screenshot

Deducing of Sherlock Holmes’ Launch Plans

The current ‘in development’ version of the game is available to purchase via AppLab and SideQuest. This version is complete and is being used for testing and community feedback for the developers to take onboard ahead of the full launch.

Exactly when that ‘full launch’ will arrive has not yet been revealed. However, the only headsets currently confirmed are the Meta Quest 2 and Meta Quest Pro. Here’s hoping vrisch see fit to bring the title to additional formats, in particular the PSVR2.

What’re your thoughts on merging live action FMV with the immersion of VR devices? Let us know in the comments below!

Author: Kevin Joyce

Kevin Joyce has been a writer in the video games industry for more than 20 years, dedicated to XR for the latter half. He has launched numerous initiatives in the XR space, including media outlets such as VRFocus and AR/VR Pioneers, hackathons, marketing and community management organisation Tiny Brains, and not-for-profit educational platforms.