Chronique des Silencieux Impressions: Elementary My Dear Eugene
Everyone loves Sherlock Holmes - a detective that’s good at squeezing the secrets out of people. Well, maybe the people being squeezed don’t like him very much, but the audience certainly does. Chronique des Silencieux is an intriguing detective story that does a lot very well. At the same time, if you’re not a modern day Sherlock Holmes you may find yourself struggling to finish even the game’s prologue, and I’m speaking from personal experience here.
Set in 1970s France, Chronique des Silencieux is a story rich point-and-click mystery game where players take on the role of an amateur detective tasked with digging up people’s secrets. The game’s prologue chapter introduces the player to young protagonist Eugene as he arrives in France only to find out that there is no one there to pick him up. He manages to find his way to the address his uncle gave him and realizes, quite quickly, that his uncle is not there. Drenched to the bone, lost, and alone, Eugene must adapt and utilize all of his deductive skills to find out what is going on in this strange, French “furniture store” called Pays de Galles.
Thankfully, a certain detective spends a lot of time at the furniture store and, upon meeting Eugene, notices the young boy's knack for investigative work. Players, at the recommendation of the detective, will begin to question people regarding his uncle, and more of the mysteries happening in and around the furniture store, which is really a front for a brothel. And when I say “investigate work,” I mean it. You’re really going to have to throw your thinking cap on for this one.
While Chronique des Silencieux has a lovely art style, complete with animated cutscenes and gorgeous French voice acting, the gameplay itself is really difficult. It may not be tough for some, but for your average player, it’s a huge challenge. Players will have to gather testimonials from dozens of characters, collect multiple documents only to make one single connection that will sometimes feel completely out of the blue. After making a proper connection, you’ll have to talk to even more people and find even more evidence. It’s all a who's who of French drama and one that I found was getting tiresome very fast.
That isn’t to say that I wasn’t enjoying myself. Speaking to characters is very entertaining, and the different elements that you can utilize to solve puzzles is unique, but when it comes to progression, it’s like pulling teeth. And every deduction you get incorrect affects the score you receive at the end of the chapter. The more you play the more you’ll get used to the game's mechanics, but the likelihood that you’ll find a solution on your first try is unlikely. Mostly due to the sheer amount of information there is to find and interpret.
Thankfully, each conversation you have with characters is recorded so players are able to reference them at any time. You’ll also be able to hold onto every document and every piece of evidence as they’ll be used to make deductions and accusations later on. The system here is very clever, and unlike any puzzle game I’ve ever played, but one that tends to get exhausting the more you progress. Especially if you’re not paying attention to each and every detail.
If I had more patience, and perhaps more brain power, I’d be absolutely in love with Chronique des Silencieux. The art style is stunning, the music is lovely and the team at Pierre Feuille Studio should be incredibly proud of creating something entirely unique. And I do enjoy it. I just wish its puzzles were a little more straightforward so that I could spend more time enjoying its story and less time scratching my head. When diving in, be prepared to read everything multiple times and pay extra close attention to every tiny detail. If you’re wanting a relaxed experience, you probably won’t find it here, unless you’ve got a photographic memory and great skill at reading people, but you might just rekindle your love for a great mystery.
Impressions by Becca Smith