Are you ready to step into the shoes of the world’s greatest detective, Sherlock Holmes?
Read our review to find out.
With the ever growing popularity of competitive gaming and the need for titles that instantly reward players for the most simple of actions, the newest entry into the Sherlock Holmes’ games, Sherlock Holmes: The Devil’s Daughter is highly refreshing thinking man’s game but with a few too many cut corners.
To those familiar with the Sherlock franchise of games and have played Crimes and Punishments will have a great understanding of what The Devil’s Daughter has to offer as the game looks and plays very much the same. While the experience overall is positive for those who know what to expect going in, anyone expecting improvements over the last entry, or even a title that feels like a modern release, are bound to be met with disappointment.
Each of the game’s five cases start off with some strange event happening and it is up to Sherlock to investigate. This generally means talking to witnesses, interacting with the scene and trying to piece together what are the possible events that occurred during the crime. As you explore and learn, one of the main aspects of what brings this title to life becomes apparent. Much like a real detective, the information you obtain can be tainted by inaccurate memories, witnesses hiding information, and false leads.
As you gather details, you need to determine which details are true and which are not, this then creates a web of conclusions that bring Sherlock to the culmination of the story. This entails a general decisive moment where even after you determine what happened to start the case, you must figure out what is the appropriate way to respond and what punishment (if necessary) is most befitting.
Sadly, while the cases and writing in The Devil’s Daughter are fantastic, the number of corners the developers cut to produce it are almost too glaring to pass up. The most obvious issue is the number of recycled assets that have been carried over from Crimes and Punishments. The most noticeable is Sherlock’s home at 221B Baker Street, which is the cornerstone to solving most of the cases in the game and is exactly the same as it was in the previous entry.
What this brings with it is sadly the inclusion of the exact same engine and visuals from Crimes and Punishments. While the Unreal 3 Engine can offer a great level of detail, the original character models, animations, and environments in The Devil’s Daughter look a bit dated since they weren’t of the highest fidelity when there were originally used in 2014. This isn’t to say that all of the game’s environments and characters are rehashed, as there are a number of new assets to flesh out the new story. But, with the dated engine and an obvious lower-end budget, The Devil’s Daughter is already pushing its $50 price tag.
In what has to be an attempt to add some flair to the franchise, The Devil’s Daughter tries its hardest to instill some action to the franchise but fails miserably. Using a number of Quick Time Events (QTE) and animations that could have been taken out of low-end PS3 titles, the action sequences are clunky and simply feel odd in a game designed around intellect.
While I was a huge fan of the previous entry in the Sherlock Holmes franchise, The Devil’s Daughter is sadly a shell of the former experience. While fans looking for little more than a reason to dive back into the world may find enough content to warrant their time, as the experience itself (excluding the action scenes) are interesting and befitting for the world’s greatest detective.
