Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments

[Gwardinen]

Some of you may know of a series of Sherlock Holmes adventure games developed by Frogwares, of somewhat up and down quality, even if only through the Creepy Watson video.

 

The latest installment is called Crimes and Punishments, deliberately referencing the Dostoyevsky book (Sherlock actually reads it in the cab while going places) because the main hook of this game as opposed to previous installments is that you can make moral choices about the fate of the accused after completing a case.

 

It's definitely rather unpolished; the animations are terrible and the voice acting is mediocre at best, but there's something oddly compelling about this game. Unlike the other games in the series, it's not based around one long narrative, but instead several shorter cases. This strikes me as a good choice, because having just completed the first case I am happy to see the back of it and excited to see what comes next. I expect the (sometimes a little repetitive or rudimentary) gameplay would not hold up so well over long stretches.

 

The basic premise is quite simple and not altogether dissimilar from something like Phoenix Wright or LA Noire; you wander about gathering clues, then interview relevant people and try to connect the clues to statements and uncover falsehoods. There are occasional puzzles, such as unlocking things via a vaguely Pipe Mania-esque sequence, or rotating fractured images into place à la the Room. It's usually not ridiculously challenging, but there's enough ambiguity in the cases that the fact that they can be "solved" multiple ways is still interesting. Then at the end, no matter who you've chosen to accuse you can choose whether or not to punish or absolve them.

 

Has anyone else played any of this, or any of the other games in the series?

[Nappi]

I bought the game a couple of days ago, and have solved two cases so far. As you said, some aspects of the game (even basic things like walking) are pretty rough, but I'm nevertheless enjoying it so far. For the most parts, it feels like you are actually playing one of the Sherlock Holmes short stories which is pretty impressive. The fact that you have to connect the dots at the end by interpreting the clues you have discovered, makes you feel like you are actually doing a tiny bit of detective work instead of just interacting with everything and watching the protagonist make all the important connections.

 

Only one creepy Watson moment so far, but it was pretty bizarre. I was gathering clues at a train station, and when I turned around to check what was on the other side of the platform, Watson was standing in the middle of the train track buried knee-deep in the ground staring back at me.

[Justin Leego]

I'd initially assumed this was the game discussed in Idle Thumbs 178 because, while short of critical acclaim, it was clearly a ways above its predecessors. It's Unreal Engine 3, isn't it -- is this the first Frogwares Sherlock game developed without using an in-house engine?

[Nappi]

Yeah, they used this game as a segue for discussing the board game, I think? I bought it because I have been waiting for a good Sherlock Holmes game for quite some time now.

[hedgefield]

I'm excited to delve deeper into this one, also because I am making a detectiving game myself. So far it seemed pretty nice, poncing about a garden in a weird disguise.

[melmer]

These guys are making a call of cathullu game next \o/

http://www.frogwares.com/blog/call-of-cthulhu-video-game-announced/

[tegan]

This is literally the only thing I can associate with Sherlock Holmes video games.

 

 

 

 

EDIT: Wait, these are the same games?! Mind blown.

[Ozzie]

I don't know anything to say about the game, except that the review of it by John Walker was abominable. Did the guy degrade as a writer, did he ever. I've started to consciously avoid his articles now.

A shame, he was my favorite writer on RPS after Kieron back in the day. :/

[Malfsyde]

The titles of this games gives me an aneurysms every times I reads its.

[syntheticgerbil]

Haha I looked up Creepy Watson again and see that the developer made a video making fun of themselves. Hats off to them, I love that they are able to joke about it.

[Nappi]

The titles of this games gives me an aneurysms every times I reads its.

 

One of the cases is called "A Half Moon Walk". There. I hope you feel better now.

[Justin Leego]

All in keeping with a French company called Frogwares. Hats off.

[Gwardinen]

Actually Frogwares, the developer, is based in Ukraine. It's Focus Home Interactive, the publisher, that is French.

[Justin Leego]

Crushing.

[juv3nal]

I don't know anything to say about the game, except that the review of it by John Walker was abominable. Did the guy degrade as a writer, did he ever. I've started to consciously avoid his articles now.

A shame, he was my favorite writer on RPS after Kieron back in the day. :/

 

He's always been kind of a grumpy face on adventure games he dislikes. It's like if he decides he dislikes something, he's just going to pull out all the stops and nitpick it to pieces, while cheerfully ignoring similar issues in a game he's decided he likes. I've not noticed a similar issue with non-adventure games, but that may just be down to me not noticing (as opposed to it not being an issue).