Let’s start with a discussion of how the game works.Īs befits the world’s greatest detective, most puzzles involve searching rooms for clues and connecting them to come to conclusions. How does the gameplay restrict the story? We’ll get there. (Are we still making narrator voice jokes?) Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Story Hampered By Gameplay So what happens when he can no longer trust his own mind? This foundation keeps the situation compelling as a seemingly minor case escalates to world-ending consequences. That fits the setting, however, so I can’t complain too much about that.īy nature, Sherlock is a man of logic and rationality. Many people Sherlock is trying to save don’t make it through to the end. Most supporting characters and settings are fairly disposable, with a few notable exceptions. The overarching mystery is clearly meant to be the focus. The investigations themselves are compelling, though relatively simple. It’s well-trod ground, but they handle it well. They are portrayed as two rather staid British men, but you get a sense that they love and trust each other by the end. As in many Sherlock stories, Holmes and Watson’s interplay operates as the piece’s heart. As this is primarily an adventure game, the story is critical. Now that disclaimers are out of the way let’s talk story. Who knew? Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Story That Was Actually Good I noticed a few dropped references that flew over my head but didn’t negatively impact my enjoyment.ĭeep Ones love butter. I don’t like episodic content, but it wasn’t a dealbreaker for me here.įinally, this is a sequel to Sherlock Holmes Chapter One, which I also haven’t played. The game unfolds in a series of closed-off hubs that you rarely revisit and don’t often affect one another. The original was episodic, and you can still see the bones of that in this one’s skeleton. Thus, I cannot really speak to how much has changed from one version to the next, only what I thought of its current incarnation. However, it is a remake of an existing game, Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened, which I did not play. Also, while I saw a few glitches in my playthrough, none were game-breaking or even very disruptive to the experience. I will say right off the top that I really enjoyed it, despite any shortcuts they had to take with it due to their restraints. As a result, this game was built in trying circumstances. It’s a perfect fit.īefore we get further into the details, here is some background. Adventure games thrive off complicated puzzles, often requiring ridiculous solutions. Here we are Sherlock, and the same smug understanding that is so frustrating in a novel becomes a power fantasy. Followed by Sherlock explaining how he solved the mystery with evidence the story withheld from us.īut a game, of course, is a different animal. Each was the same first, page after page to convince us there is no way anyone could ever figure out what happened. I Have Read Many of the Original Sherlock Holmes Stories… Does this public domain mashup live up to the best or worst of its source material? Let’s find out. You play as both Holmes and Watson as they investigate a sweeping case that takes them to both sides of the Atlantic and into the depths of madness. Sherlock Holmes The Awakened is an eldritch mystery-solving puzzle/adventure game with some light action elements for PC (Steam, Epic, GOG), PS4, PS5, XB1 / XBX + S and Switch by developer Frogwares.
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