Hermitage: Strange Case Files

One is The Loneliest Number

Hermitage: Strange Case Files is not your average visual novel, nor is it your average cosmic horror title. With relaxing-yet-energetic jazzy tunes that’ll have you sipping coffee and pondering the depths of the darkness that resides within the human mind, Hermitage: Strange Case Files feels oddly comfortable and confusing at the same time. It’s not that I didn’t want Hermitage: Strange Case Files to end — it got to a point where I genuinely didn’t think it would, its unexplained mysteries consuming all that’s left of me. If you’re looking for an interactive visual novel to get absolutely lost in (in every possible sense of that phrase), Hermitage: Strange Case Files has a literal bookstore to delve into.

Hermitage: Strange Case Files does many things right, with well-written characters, interesting cases, and incorporating gameplay that affects the story's outcome. If you are looking for a very good visual novel and enjoy creepy mysteries with a twist of supernatural to solve, Hermitage: Strange Case Files is a solid choice.

Hermitage: Strange Case Files offers an interesting supernatural mystery experience. Unfortunately, the narrative has a bad rhythm and translation issues make it harder to understand. Despite that, if the player can ignore those issues, this is a really curious story to enjoy here.

At the end of the day, however, none of these are hugely important in the grand scheme of things. Hermitage is a largely text-based game; if your game’s dialogue is tedious to read, then players are going to have a hard time not only understanding what is going on, but also enjoying the story that’s unfolding. Formatting is also another key part of this, as cutting off sentences makes it more likely that important information may slip past the reader.

In general terms I'm very open about the fact that I struggle with "playing" games that trend in the direction of being visual novels, and that should be kept in mind with my thoughts on this title accordingly...

So, would I recommend it? I think you have to be a real fan of the genre to want to stick with it all the way through (or really obsessed with Lovecraft). While the characters and setting are interesting, the middle sections of each case drag on a bit too long. And I would have liked it to be creepier for a horror game. Check it out if you’re a fan of visual novels and you want a new one to try out.

Hermitage: Strange Case Files really leans into the novel part of the detective visual novel. It looks very stylish and creates a moody atmosphere but most of the time is spent reading conversations with very little interaction, so if that is not your thing this is likely not the game for you. There is just not enough actual gameplay available within this title so it is fair to say that it will be a must-play for diehard fans of the genre only. After playing through, I’ve decided I am not one of them.