Sherlock Holmes : The Devil’s Daughter Review – PlayStation 4

At it’s core, Frogwares’ Sherlock series has always been rooted in the adventure genre. I’ve always had an interest in the long-running line of titles, but never had a chance to fully experience one until now. Despite the several different game play mechanics and switching character perspectives, it still remains an adventure game… for better and worse.

The Devil’s Daughter is the latest installment in Sherlock’s exploits, and much like LA Noire and other similar titles, despite the genre trappings it allows for you to explore a fully-realized version of period-appropriate England. You’ll play as Sherlock, Watson, a newsboy, and even a dog. Over the course of the lengthy campaign, you’ll deal with a tale that involves a mysterious new resident of Baker Street, Sherlock’s daughter, ancient curses, and the price of Sherlock’s fame and renown.

The game is excellent at making you feel like you’re the world’s greatest detective. Between investigating crime scenes, cross-examining witnesses, listening in on conversations, and deducing truth from lie, there’s a lot going on to help immerse yourself in the world. While there’s often issues with character modeling/animation and dialog reads, the visual look of the game is gorgeous most of the time; both interiors and exteriors are just plain beautiful to look at.

While pretty visuals and immersive game play are always huge positives when handling a review, they aren’t all that a game can rely on to make a passing grade. Segments can often be obtuse and difficult to figure out not only what’s going on and what you’re supposed to do, but how you’re supposed to do it as well. While the overall plot and individual cases are well-crafted, character interaction is often stilted and unnatural; it’s less like you’re interacting with real people and more like cardboard stand-ins. Also, as mentioned earlier, the animations can be downright… odd at times, another point that takes away from the immersion they’re trying to achieve.

Devil’s Daughter is far from a bad game, but it has a few blemishes too many to label it as a great one. If you’re in the mood for a psudo-open-world adventure game that leans heavily on detective work, you could do far worse. At the very least it’s worth checking out for fans and newcomers alike. 

Author: Mike Murphy
Mike Murphy is a freelance writer/artist based in Portland, Or. In addition to handling game reviews, he also writes comics, novels, and short stories. For more information feel free to check out chibicomicspdx.tumblr.com or twitter.com/chibi_mike.

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