The culprit in this case is an
awkward sequel. Sherlock Holmes:
The Devil’s Daughter stripped away
much of what was loveable about
Frogwares’ detective game, turning
Watson into a latte-art version of
himself and adding edge where
none was needed, like a Pomeranian
in plate armour.
Crimes and
Punishments, however,
still feels like the
cosiest adaptation of
Conan Doyle. Holmes
is crisp and aloof, like a
digitised Jeremy Brett.
Watson is essentially a
helpful cabbage. And
the locations all
resemble seaside ‘experiences’ – the
sort of place where you pay the price
of a sandwich to amble through a
house decorated to look like a
smuggler’s hidy-hole. Because of this,
returning to Crimes and Punishments
after time away feels warm and
relaxing. Each new mystery has the
G
oing back to this game is bittersweet, like finding a lost
hamster between the cushions of your sofa. Yes, it’s been
dead for years – but by God, you loved it while it was alive.
It’s nice having all those happy half-memories creep back,
even if they are accompanied by the wistful realisation we’re
unlikely to see the likes ofCrimes and Punishmentsagain.
nostalgic glow of a childhood holiday
destination without the rotting piers
and frightening pubs.GUM (STUCK ON) SHOE
My favourite area is still Evesham
train station – a narrative invention
that accidentally ends up being
precisely like 18 places that really
exist in the UK. It’s a
mist-shrouded
carbuncle on the line to
nowhere, inhabited by
the hopeless and
heated by a tiny stove.
It feels cold, damp, and
dreadful. Like many
locations in the game,
it’s dense, interesting,
and immersive. (And I love that this
section ends with Holmes and
Watson solving the mystery by
making their own pretend railroad
car, like two chipper urchins
imagineering with a discarded crate.)
This leads me to the other thing I
appreciate about Crimes andPunishments – it’s entirely possible to
come to the most cursory, dimwitted
conclusions imaginable. Every
deduction is built from clues you
discover, so if you’re careless – or if
you just fancy making Holmes look
like he possesses the analytical
prowess of a bap – you can hop to the
first conclusion you uncover and
leave it at that. There’s something
pleasing about a feckless Sherlock
Holmes bouncing between cases like
an idiot pinball, but it also reveals
why Crimes is so satisfying, it’s a
proper detective game. You’ve got to
consider how the clues you find slot
together. For most of us that’s as close
as we’ll ever come to feeling like a
real gumshoe with the added bonus
of the game saying ‘yes, you were
right, aren’t you clever?’ afterwards.
Crimes and Punishments, then, is
the ultimate Sunday evening game.
It’s the equivalent of sitting down for
lukewarm tea and biscuits while your
least-racist elderly relative tells you
their best anecdote again. Lovely.NEED TO KNOW
WHAT IS IT?
Agreeable detective
game where everything
can go the right kind of
wrong.
EXPECT TO PAY
£20
DEVELOPER
Frogwares
PUBLISHER
Focus Home Interactive
REVIEWED ON
Intel Core i7-7700 CUP
@ 3.60GHz, 16 GB RAM,
NVIDIA GeForce GTX
1070, Windows 10
MULTIPLAYER
No
LINK
bit.ly/2yGDDqR80
Crimes and
Punishments gets
additional points
for not trying too hard.
A solid, fruitcake-y 80.VERDICTTHE GREAT GAME
Homicide is still homely in SHERLOCK HOLMES: CRIMES AND PUNISHMENTS
Holmes is
crisp and aloof,
like a
digitised
Jeremy BrettOLD GAMES REVISITEDby Matt Elliott
THEY’RE BACK
Yes, sex is good, but have you ever experienced a
richly detailed Victorian police station?