Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishmentsis one of several installments inFrogwares’ Sherlock Holmes seriesof games, where players take on the role of the famous detective and solve cases using their wits and attention to detail. For lovers of Sherlock Holmes, detective games, or puzzles in general,Crimes and Punishmentsis a great entry point into the series, but may have a steep learning curve.
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Unlike many games in the detective genre,Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishmentsallows players to come to the wrong conclusion if they’re not careful, which can result in imprisoning the wrong people at the end of a case. Because of these multiple case endings, there is a lot more pressure on players to make their observations and deductions count. Luckily, there are certain tricks players can use to make the mysteries less daunting.
8The Game Won’t Say Whether The Player Is Right Or Wrong
With a lot of games, players can rely on knowing if they made the right choice, or at the very least, knowing whether they’ve messed up. As mentioned above, however, a large feature ofSherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishmentsis that the player can only ever be as certain of their deductions as their mind lets them.
A player will often have multiple conclusions they can come to with the clues they discover. They will have to work if they want to be certain they caught the right person, as the game won’t answer this until after the case is over.
7Gather As Many Clues As Possible
This may seem like an obvious tip that should go without saying. However, in keeping true tothe defining elements of Sherlock Holmesmysteries, important clues are often found in the smallest, most easily overlooked details.
If there are any loose ends or things a player is uncertain of when they have the option to conclude a case, it’s likely they’re missing something important they have yet to find. Chances are if a player feels stumped after finding everything they could, in reality, they’re one clue away from many of those dead ends falling into place.
6When In Doubt, Look For Details
Not everything is obvious to the untrained eye, but Holmes' eye is far from untrained.If players feel they’ve hit a dead-end, or don’t know where to look and feel like they’ve already checked everything, then chances are they need to check again using Holmes’ more detailed vision mode.
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In this mode, players’ vision will become gray scale save for specific details that are out of place. This allows them to zero in on any outlying details they might have missed or overlooked before.
5Mini-Games Are Worthwhile Leads
Crimes and Punishments, in addition to laying out a complex web of clues and details for the player to gather and connect, also requires Holmes to test his theories in a more practical setting. Whether that’s testing out a murder method in a butcher shop or winning a suspect’s trust in their game of choice, players will havea diverse array of challenges and experiences while gathering information.
However, this extra challenge also tends to mean there will be worthwhile information on the case when the player succeeds. Don’t discount the clues that come from these minigames.
4The Casebook Records All Dialogue
In any game, especially one with so much information to absorb in an often very short amount of time, it can be easy to miss important information or dialogue, and then struggle to connect the dots. Luckily,Frogwares’ Sherlock Holmestakes this into account. The Casebook can be consulted at any time, providing a tab where the player can check a transcript of any conversations between the characters.
This is vital for anyone who may have missed something important that was revealed. What’s more, it allows players to go back and check exactly how a character answered, or refused to answer certain questions.
3Loading Screens Are Useful
Unlike most games,Crimes and Punishmentsoffers a unique experience where, instead of a normal loading screen, players sit in a carriage ride while Holmes travels to his next destination. During this time, players can open both the Casebook and their Deduction screen to connect clues within the case.
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In addition to being a more engaging way to pass the time while waiting to arrive at the next location, this provides players with an opportunity to refresh themselves on info relating to the case. In these moments, they may be able to make new connections with what they have before they engage with the next level.
2Deductions Can Be Changed
Crimes and Punishmentshas several likely conclusions to every case, but to get to them, all the clues and reasoning must line up. Sometimes, this means choosing how Sherlock Holmes will interpret certain evidence. Was a suspect trying to retrieve an object from the crime scene a victim of circumstance, or was this a sign of guilt?
How a player interprets these will often shape the narrative of the case, but can also be changed at any time if older evidence no longer lines up with new evidence gathered. Sometimes, doing so can open up lines of connections that hadn’t fit before.
1Everything Is Connected In Some Way
Investigating any case inSherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishmentsyields many small, sometimes seemingly insignificant, clues that can stump or confuse players. In truth, half of the challenge of thesemysteries presented by Frogwaresis untangling all the information that is given.
Players should keep in mind that no clue or observation will be a complete dead end. Either it will come back later, connect to a bigger picture, or give players the eventual opportunity to choose whether they interpret it as incrimination or coincidence.
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