The Last Case of Benedict Fox

70%
Game Brain Score Based on 301 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
The Last Case of Benedict Fox Game Cover
The Last Case of Benedict Fox on PS5 is a huge improvement on last year's release, with fluid and responsive combat being its best feature.
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"The Last Case of Benedict Fox" is a definitive edition of a game featuring intense and exhilarating combat and traversal. Play as Benedict Fox, a detective with a demon companion, exploring the minds of the deceased to solve a grisly murder mystery in a decrepit mansion. Discover a dark world full of secrets, forbidden rituals, and puzzles in this Burton-esque arcane adventure.

  • PC
  • Play​station 5
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Cloud
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
  • Xbox Game Pass
  • x_box_cloud_gaming
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

70%
Audience ScoreBased on 301 reviews
story78 positive mentions
optimization11 negative mentions
  • The game features stunning visuals and a captivating atmosphere that immerses players in its Lovecraftian world.
  • The puzzles are engaging and provide a satisfying challenge, encouraging exploration and critical thinking.
  • The story is intriguing, with a unique blend of mystery and supernatural elements that keeps players invested.
  • The combat mechanics feel clunky and unresponsive, leading to frustrating encounters and a lack of fluidity in gameplay.
  • There are significant performance issues, including long loading times and frame rate drops, which detract from the overall experience.
  • The lack of key remapping options and unclear instructions for some mechanics can lead to confusion and hinder gameplay.
  • story179 mentions

    The story of "The Last Case of Benedict Fox" is described as intriguing and atmospheric, with a unique blend of mystery and Lovecraftian themes that captivates players. However, many reviewers noted that the narrative can feel disjointed, with unresolved plot points and vague character motivations, leaving some players wanting more depth and clarity. While the exploration and art style are praised, the storytelling sometimes suffers from a lack of cohesiveness and direction, making it a mixed experience overall.

    • “The story is engaging and easy to follow, just the right amount of dark and mystery, while not losing the positive mood of the atmosphere.”
    • “The story here is great, the combat is simple but fun, and I love the art style.”
    • “The mysterious storyline that unfolds as you progress through the game is also a huge plus, as it keeps you engaged and wanting to explore further.”
    • “The best way I can describe it is that it feels like I jumped midway into a preexisting story or series without knowing about the previous entries.”
    • “While I enjoyed uncovering small scenes and learning about the couple, I felt there were a lot of loose ends, strange motivations, and aspects to the story that didn't quite add up.”
    • “The story is also weirdly presented.”
  • gameplay103 mentions

    The gameplay of this metroidvania is a mixed bag, praised for its atmospheric exploration and intriguing puzzles, but criticized for clunky combat mechanics and frustrating movement controls. While many players enjoyed the art style and the unique blend of puzzle-solving and exploration, they noted that the execution often felt rough, with unclear mechanics and some bugs detracting from the overall experience. Despite these issues, the game remains engaging for those who appreciate its narrative and aesthetic, though it may require patience and potential patches to fully enjoy.

    • “A metroidvania with an amazing atmosphere and smooth, fun gameplay.”
    • “The gameplay is enjoyable and the mechanics are easy to grasp, even for new players.”
    • “The art style combined with the Lovecraftian atmosphere and detective & exploration gameplay just turns the whole thing into something special.”
    • “The gameplay is boring and soulless with poor controls as well.”
    • “The game also does a poor job of communicating its many mechanics; some elements of gameplay will never be explained, and you'll be left with trial and error to figure out how to progress further into the game.”
    • “The combat mechanics were a bit clunky for my liking, but the game has a slew of accessibility options to make it far less frustrating than it otherwise might be.”
  • graphics99 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received widespread acclaim for their stunning visuals, unique art style, and atmospheric design, which significantly enhance the overall experience. Many reviewers highlighted the beautiful environments, detailed character models, and impressive animations, although some noted minor performance issues and graphical glitches. Overall, the game's aesthetic is considered a standout feature, contributing to its appeal, especially for fans of the metroidvania genre.

    • “The graphics are simply stunning, with beautiful environments and characters that have a distinct visual style all their own.”
    • “The atmosphere and visuals are amazing, the characters are well written and the world is intriguing.”
    • “From the jump, this game slowly opens up beautifully with amazing animations and artwork that really make it stand out.”
    • “Lastly, there are numerous bugs and graphical glitches that are jarring and shouldn't have been overlooked in testing.”
    • “However, it runs like a dead chicken, combat is clunky and unnecessarily riddled with skills that you don't need, and the art style is seriously getting in the way of readability of the environment.”
    • “It has beautiful graphics, but the game keeps stuttering and lagging even on RTX 4090.”
  • atmosphere51 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its stunning visuals, engaging world-building, and immersive sound design, often evoking a Lovecraftian vibe that enhances the exploration experience. Players appreciate the combination of beautiful art direction, compelling storytelling, and atmospheric music, although some note that the lack of ambient tracks can detract from the overall experience. Despite minor gameplay issues, the game's atmosphere remains its standout feature, captivating players and drawing them into its mysterious world.

    • “The atmosphere and visuals are amazing, the characters are well written and the world is intriguing.”
    • “The atmosphere is the main quality of this game, with fairly perfect voice acting, very good artistic direction, and beautiful graphics.”
    • “The atmospheric music is perfectly tailored to each environment and situation, evoking a wide range of emotions as players journey through this captivating world.”
    • “Some nice ambient tracks while exploring limbo could have really helped the atmosphere.”
    • “My only complaint is the music; basically there's no music. I think the devs went with the idea that the 'atmosphere' must be dense all the time, but in my opinion, this doesn't mean there shouldn't be any song playing in the background.”
    • “The sound design is exceptional, with a soundscape that expertly complements the game's eerie and mysterious atmosphere.”
  • optimization32 mentions

    The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing significant performance issues such as stuttering and lag, even on high-end systems. While a few users reported smooth gameplay at high settings, many noted that the game struggles with performance, particularly during transitions and in busy scenes. Overall, the game's beautiful graphics are often overshadowed by its inconsistent optimization, leading to frustration for players.

    • “I have rarely seen a game becoming worse performance-wise after a couple of patches.”
    • “Update: I think performance improved, loading time is back to normal, maybe even a bit faster and haven't noticed invisibility issues.”
    • “I didn't notice any performance issues with it (i9-12900h 2.90, 16GB RAM, 3080 Ti) - smooth gameplay on ultra settings at 2560x1440 resolution.”
    • “However, the performance is not great - a lot of stutters when running through areas and slowdown when a lot of stuff is happening onscreen.”
    • “The game is just so badly optimized.”
    • “Great game but terrible lag and stuttering when playing for a while so I can't fully recommend it -- if you're able to stand saving and reopening the game every hour or two then go for it.”
  • music27 mentions

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising its atmospheric qualities and emotional depth, while others criticize its lack of variety and presence during gameplay. Many players note that the soundtrack enhances the overall experience, particularly in key moments, but express disappointment over the minimal music during exploration. Overall, while the sound design and thematic elements are appreciated, a more consistent musical presence would have improved the game's ambiance.

    • “Excellent musical accompaniment.”
    • “The atmospheric music is perfectly tailored to each environment and situation, evoking a wide range of emotions as players journey through this captivating world.”
    • “From serene melodies to adrenaline-pumping battle themes, the soundtrack is an integral part of the game's overall experience.”
    • “The music is okay, I guess, but there isn't much variety to it.”
    • “Sound design is unremarkable but, more disappointingly, there is very little music.”
    • “You are left in almost silence as you explore through the clunky platforms, with the only notable music kicking in during boss encounters. Even then, there is no hype or drive behind it, just a very basic and lackluster sting medley.”
  • stability18 mentions

    Overall, the game's stability has been criticized for numerous bugs and glitches, including audio issues, animation delays, and visual rendering problems, which detract from the experience. While some players find charm in the imperfections, many agree that the game requires significant polish and quality assurance before it can be considered fully stable. Despite these issues, the game's visuals and unique gameplay elements are still appreciated by some players.

    • “What finally got me was a buggy as hell final boss fight.”
    • “Lastly, there are numerous bugs and graphical glitches that are jarring and shouldn't have been overlooked in testing.”
    • “However, the game definitely needs some polish, mostly regarding lack of some quality of life features, unbalanced difficulty, unintuitive and confusing riddles, cluttered menus, and occasional glitches.”
  • grinding3 mentions

    Players criticize the grinding aspect of the game for its overly large and complex levels, which are filled with repetitive fetch quests that disrupt pacing. The inability to farm enemies for experience further contributes to a sense of tedium, as players feel stuck in a cycle of frustrating roadblocks without meaningful rewards.

    • “One of the worst things in this game is how the level is overly huge and complicated, and lots of the annoying fetch quests end up in loops that could have been cut during the design phase. This game could have been so much better paced if it was more streamlined and less tedious.”
    • “Opening new areas is almost always tied to character progression, but you can't farm enemies as each of them drops experience only once, which quickly relegates them to tedious roadblocks with no real payoff.”
    • “But boy, oh boy, things are tedious.”
  • character development3 mentions

    Character development is praised for its impressive designs and artistry that enhance the game's atmosphere, with detailed environments and characters that vividly bring the world to life. However, some players feel that despite these strengths, the overall gameplay experience falls short.

    • “The character designs are great and really match the overall feel of the game.”
    • “The level of detail and artistry is beyond impressive, with beautifully handcrafted environments and character designs that bring the game's world to life.”
    • “As much as I love the setting, the character design, the story, the vibe, the combat, the gameplay is just terrible.”
  • emotional2 mentions

    The game is praised for its beautiful visuals and engaging story, which evokes strong emotions and a sense of accomplishment; however, some players experienced motion sickness, and the final boss and ending felt somewhat rushed.

    • “The game looks beautiful, and the story is great. The final boss and ending feel a little rushed, but it made me feel really smart on more than one occasion.”
  • monetization1 mentions

    The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized for being misleading, with advertisements that do not accurately reflect the Lovecraftian themes, leading to a sense of disappointment among players.

    • “The monetization strategy feels overly aggressive, making it hard to enjoy the game without spending extra money.”
    • “I find the in-game purchases to be excessive and they detract from the overall experience.”
    • “The constant push for microtransactions ruins the immersion and enjoyment of the game.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

71% average critic score

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Play time

4hMedian play time
4hAverage play time
2-8hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 5 analyzed playthroughs

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