Sherlock Holmes: Crimes & Punishments (2014)

After completing the third case, I can confirm what I said in previous posts. That said, there seem to be small details that, while open to interpretation, do help a bit in making the right decision. I wish the game was more about finding foolproof evidence (maybe making the process of finding the evidence more difficult, since it's a bit easier), but I really can't complain since I'm having fun.

I also love the writing. I'm not talking about the case themselves, but about the dialogues. Sherlock is absolutely hilarious and Watson despairs as he tries to figure out what goes on through his dear detective's mind

Some minigames are a bit annoying, but you can skip them, and while the controls are clunky they usually don't get in too much in the way (unless you're in a small room... You'll have to get used to it).

I'm enjoying the game and I'm looking forward to see what will happen next

Just solved the second case. This time I managed to figure it out, but I wasn't really sure of my solution and it certainly still felt kind of random, although it was somewhat easier to decide.

I'm not sure if the case itself was easier or if I simply paid more attention, because it didn't feel much different compared to the first case

Просто, но мне понравилось.

Если разбирать «Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments» на элементы, то она рассыпается: головоломки и мини-игры слишком простые (и их можно пропускать), в допросах нельзя ошибиться, а загрузки между локациями безумно раздражают.

Но каким-то образом, несмотря на все недостатки, почувствовать себя Шерлоком в этой игре очень легко. В этом её главное достоинство. Не все шесть дел (не связанных между собой) интересны. Но система «дедукции», когда найденные улики и факты нужно связывать в цепочки умозаключений, и на их основе обвинять подозреваемых — хороша. Ошибиться, кажется, можно только в двух делах, но всё равно — захватывает.

Графоуни, озвучка и прочее — норм. Так что это, по-моему, лучший способ почувствовать себя детективом.

I've finished the first case in this game so far – at first I was planning on reading some Sherlock Holmes before this but I'm glad I didn't because reading the stories the cases are based on just gives away the ending. They do add in some elements that aren't in the original stories and change some things so it could still be interesting for those who have read them but it still spoils the most important clues and conclusions.

Since I read the story the first case was based on after I finished it, I know I picked the right conclusion but I still have some questions ... maybe someone else who has played it can help me:

EDIT: After reading what's below see my comment also because I realized I'm still overlooking some important things lol.

I was really stuck at first between the killer being Nelligan and the sailor because I couldn't figure out how the notebook had gotten there if Nelligan hadn't been there during or after the murder. I figured there were two scenarios – the sailor had gone to Black Peter's before he was killed and then Nelligan came and killed him after he left, or, the sailor had found Nelligan's notebook at the hotel (where he said he left it during the interview) and killed Black Peter and that's how it got there. The first one didn't make sense to me because if the sailor had gone to the cabin, why wouldn't he have mentioned that in the conversation with Holmes, and why would he just leave without taking anything or doing anything to Black Peter when he hated him so much? It also made more sense that a strong harpooner could kill him rather than Nelligan with a lucky throw. But I was still so stuck on the notebook. Ultimately I decided the sailor must have gotten his hands on the notebook and that's how it got there.

After I read the story I realized how the notebook could be explained. In the actual story, it explains that Nelligan went there the night Black Peter was murdered but was so shocked at seeing Black Peter dead that he dropped the notebook and left. That explains the thing that was bothering me so much, but I can't remember if that was mentioned at all in the interview with Nelligan. I'll have to see if it's possible to go back and check that because that would have been an oversight by me and would have made my conclusion easier if I had had that in mind. If he never mentioned being at the crime scene after the murder had already happened, it does make the case trickier to figure out.

The other confusion I have is about the tin box, and the timeline of when/if the securities were in there and when the gardener took it and put the letters in there. The most logical conclusion I can think of is that the book with the securities in it was inside the tin box, so the gardener (not realizing the book was important) took the book out and put it on the shelf, then the sailor found them in the book and took them. Does that make sense? That would make the timeline – gardener goes in the cabin first when no one's there and takes the box, puts the securities on the shelf; sailor goes there when Black Peter is there, kills Peter, takes the securities; Nelligan goes there after Peter is dead, drops his notebook, leaves without taking anything. What I don't get is why the gardener would specifically choose that box to put the letters in when he could have put them in anything. Wouldn't that just raise more suspicion with Peter if the box is missing? Let me know if you have any better theories about how the tin box plays into this and if I'm misremembering anything or forgetting anything.

As frustrated as I might be with the case not being as airtight at the end as I would have liked it to be, it's possible there are just key things I overlooked that would have made it come together more cleanly. I have some other gripes with the game, as well as compliments, but I'll save them for my actual review.

I'm impressed by how many cases are in here! There's a ton of content. Just now beginning the final case. The controls are kind of rough, some of the puzzles are tedious, and occasionally the solution to something is obvious but you can't do it until you satisfy a series of steps that might have made sense to the game's creators but don't feel obvious to me.

Like at one point we found ropes, hooks, and a crossbow, plus two different diagrams in the area depicting using the crossbow to fire like a grappling hook to form a bridge over the water. But we weren't allowed to even pick up the items until the story specifically brought up a bridge. But we STILL can't assemble the grappling hook (in the workshop) until we first go to the river and look at where we want the bridge to be, at which point Holmes is like "AH-HA WE SHOULD BUILD A GRAPPLING HOOK" -_- no shit sherlock (lmao)

I get that they wanted to prevent players from crossing the river too soon in the story, but it could have been better achieved by, say, withholding the diagrams until they became relevant and we find them as part of the case. I wouldn't have assumed I even needed to cross the river if there wasn't a huge sign next to it of someone using a grappling hook to get across lmao.

Still this a fun little mystery, adventure, puzzle-solving game, and I never got so stuck I needed to resort to a walkthrough or anything. (There's also a handy skip button that pops up after a while in case some tedious puzzle is really just taking too long, and it doesn't penalize you for using it, which I super appreciate. I mostly used it for things like "wipe away all the grime from this painting")

Admittedly, I only played this game for less than an hour, due to the fact I just didn’t like the games mechanics. Personally, I found the game much too easy and obvious for my liking. I quickly became bored by walking around and clicking the same buttons multiple times or being told what to do next. I didn’t actually have to put any thought or effort into the game. So I couldn’t really relate to anything I was doing.

I did give this game a honest try though, because it’s obvious that effort was put into it’s making. It was detail-oriented and there was a story there to be discovered. I just couldn’t be bothered. I didn’t feel invested enough to carry on.

This was a game I discovered recently by coincidence. It's great to see a modern Sherlock Holmes game that isn't solely a "hidden object" game. It reminds me more of the style of LA Noire, a game I immensely enjoyed, and seeing as there likely won't be an LA Noire 2, this game series scratches that itch.

To continue the comparison, this game is no where as difficult as LA Noire. All the mysteries are intriguing, but the trains of thought are simple enough that you are never unsure what the game is asking from you. I felt the "Vanishing Train" was the most unpredictable, and best, mystery. If you do happen to fail a challenge or make a wrong guess, there's no real in-game punishment. While it does neuter the challenge, it makes the mysteries more fun as you aren't constantly worried about guessing wrong & having to reload the save.

The whole "deduction" gameplay was a neat feature. It allowed you to work out the clues and organize them in Sherlock's head to piece together the possibilities of how the crime played out.
The late 1890s London atmosphere was well done, most of the locations and people made you feel like you were in turn of the century England. Sherlock and Watson are both well acted and they stay pretty true to the original source material, even passing reference of Sherlock's coke habit.

Unfortunately this game is mercilessly short with only 5 cases to solve vs. the 20-25 in LA Noire. All around, this game is relatively simple, not a lot of frills. The graphics are passable, the levels are small, and the music is okay.

I was surprised there was not even a vague mention of Holmes mainstay, Moriarty anywhere in the game and I was upset you could only wear the typical Sherlock hat in only one case.