My relationship with Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments has been that of love-hate; though I love a good detective game and a game that really makes you think about what you are doing, I struggled with the linear path of this game.
You are led from location to location via quick travel, and once there you can only explore or complete the job which you where sent to do – there’s little to no scope for exploration or deviation. Whilst this isn’t terrible, it does feel like you are just going through the motions.
I also felt the characters were a bit of a let down as you develop no attachment to them, partly because the dialogue is bland and unnatural. The lack of contradiction or challenge from any other character involved in the cases you work on is also disappointing.
Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments isn’t about right or wrong, it’s about interpretation and judgement, which is really well portrayed. Having the final say in the cases is surprisingly enjoyable and yet a nerve-racking, as the fate of these characters rests in your hands.
My favourite part of Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments is the interrogations.
Upon first meeting a character you enter something that can be described as a limbo state, where you start to draw conclusions and make deductions based on the physical traits of the character. This becomes very relevant when collecting (frequently conflicting) verbal statements from these characters.
I can’t help but feel this game is more akin to the type of game you would pick up and play on your tablet or iPad; the kind of game where you could tap around at a few locations and clues and solve another piece of the puzzle, then put it down when you have to get back to work.
The game certainly has its merits, and whilst the interrogations and the fact that you have the final say in the cases is very cool, the lack of challenge from the other characters, the bland dialogue, and the liniar structure of gameplay which doesn’t allow for deviation from the cases is frustrating. All in all it feels like a casual or device game trapped in a console.
Genre: Murder Mystery
- Available for:
- PC
- PS3
- PS4
- XBOX 360
- XBOX One
I played: 3 Hours
Likes
Love the Character Interrogations and constructing your own conclusions about the characters, and ultimately holding their fate in your hands.
Dislikes
The linear story path feels very restricting. The bland character interactions and plain tendency to agree with you or blatantly lie to you is frustrating.
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