Hermitage: Strange Case Files | Switch Review

December 5, 2021 Alyssa White

H.P. Lovecraft is one of the most influential authors of all time. His work inspires an incredible amount of films, books, and games to this day. Arrowiz’s Hermitage: Strange Case Files is one of the latest to incorporate Lovecraftian elements into its core narrative. It successfully evokes the author’s themes in its rich, complex story and its cast of unique characters.

Spooky Season

Hermitage is a visual novel that revolves around a mysterious store manager of an unusual bookstore that just so happens to be called The Hermitage. The “Store Manager,” as he’s referred to through the entire game, is extremely knowledgeable about the occult, different cultures, and foreign languages. Because of these facets, he attracts people in need of help who are enduring horrifying experiences. Each case focuses on a different creepy event and new individuals. These range from hallucinations (or are they?) caused by incense to creatures that resemble Nina Tucker from Fullmetal Alchemist (I’m sorry if I caused you any trauma with that statement).

The story is wonderfully rich and dark, and compelled me to keep playing. The characters are relatable and pull you into their plights. I found myself desperate to help each of them and to rescue them from their dangerous situations. The chemistry between each of them feels palpable and ensures that their friendship seems realistic. By the end of the game, I wanted to hug all of them for what they had been through.

Casting A Spell

The minimal gameplay revolves around solving mysteries associated with each event. This isn’t a simple task, though. Hermitage demands that you pay attention to each conversation, because even the smallest detail can be a crucial piece of evidence. You have to provide three clues that match up with each deduction, and the wording can be somewhat dense and vague in their descriptions. If you mess up three times, you’ll receive a bad ending that ends your game. I highly recommend keeping a notepad next to you to write down important phrases and information to prevent this from occurring. This element will be a deterrent for some players, but it scratched an itch that I didn’t even realize that I had.

The visual style is also arresting. The characters are drawn in a manga fashion, while the backgrounds contrast nicely with their typical visual novel sensibilities. There are some strikingly beautiful/terrifying images that had me gawking at the screen. The sound effects and score are also well-implemented and highlight each scene appropriately. My only real qualm with this game was the sheer amount of typos present. This probably isn’t going to be a major issue for a good chunk of the player base, but it always caught my eye when a mistake popped up and it temporarily ruined the immersion for me.

The Final Verdict

Hermitage: Strange Case Files is a unique visual novel that isn’t shy to flaunt its adoration of H.P. Lovecraft’s works. Its rich story, likable cast, complex deduction segments, and appealing visual style make this easy to recommend to anyone looking for a fresh experience. The numerous typos pulled me out of the narrative a little too often for my liking, but this is otherwise a strange, wondrous game to dive headfirst into.

This review is based on a Nintendo Switch copy of Hermitage: Strange Case Files provided by Renaissance PR for coverage purposes. It is also available on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC via Steam.