Sherlock Holmes: Nemesis

 PC
User Score
7.1

Mixed or average reviews- based on 32 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 32
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 32
  3. Negative: 4 out of 32
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  1. GolovA
    May 24, 2013
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I love Sherlock Holmes, read the original stories, saw several movie takes, etc. The game is ok for its value and references to the original Sir Arthur Conan Doy's story. However, as an adventure game it lacks dynamics. In Nemesis prepare to walk through different museums all game long. That's pretty much it, and all puzzles are based on it. I did not finish the game because i found it too repetitive and a little boring. By comparison, i enjoyed "Sherlock Holmes the Awakened" much more, and would recommend that title of the series instead.… Expand
  2. AndrewS
    Jul 9, 2008
    5
    Simply put, it's often frustrating when puzzles need be solved in the exact sequence as intended by the developers. The game was not that interesting to keep me going. Even the available forums were often of little help albeit well intentioned.
  3. MIchielS
    Jun 6, 2009
    8
    An excellent game, though there might be some improvements. For example, the detail of the game isn't that good for the 20th century and the people in the game could be more realistic. But a good game.
  4. jacobwt226
    Mar 6, 2012
    4
    Big Sherlock Fan, this wrecks it for me, something about the amount of glitches I had, and the texture problems, and the whole point to walk idea! Should make a Third-Person game of Sherlock, I would be happy to play $30 for it...Just not this game. Glad I bought it on sale...
  5. AWG
    Jun 4, 2013
    7
    I played SH:Nemesis for the plot. Graphics are not so good (even for a 2008 game) but the storyline is interesting and I never got bored by the characters. The third-person perspective and the keyboard controls are golden add-ons that increase the level of attractiveness of this game.
  6. MGSPhilly
    Jan 9, 2018
    8
    An epic story with many twists and turns, compounded by a multitude of head-scratching puzzles of great difficulty....The story loses its luster when Sherlock meets the Prime Minister and Queen Victoria at Bucks House....it seemed terribly contrived and unrealistic. The "go fetch" a book in the library sequences at the British Museum became annoying and tedious. The clues/poems wereAn epic story with many twists and turns, compounded by a multitude of head-scratching puzzles of great difficulty....The story loses its luster when Sherlock meets the Prime Minister and Queen Victoria at Bucks House....it seemed terribly contrived and unrealistic. The "go fetch" a book in the library sequences at the British Museum became annoying and tedious. The clues/poems were terrific and sometimes very difficult to decipher without the aid of a walkthrough. Quite a challenge. Events are preceded by actions and statements which are necessary in order to continue the game. The dog food preparation was utter nonsense and I lost interest dead-away.
    Having said all this, I found the game mesmerizing, well-acted and -voiced (great voice-overs), and generally quite suspenseful. It was a pleasure seeing a high-brow video game set in such classic London locations as the National Gallery, the British Museum, Baker Street (of course), and um, well Bucks House too. Not for everyone, but those intensely interested in Sherlock and Watson will find a lot to savour in this story. I recommend highly with reservations. Looking forward to the next chapter (I realize this is a 2008 production, but the graphics on my higher-end desktop, fully-maxed out, were quite excellent. Warning..this is not a short game (which is fine by me), and can eat up an enormous amount of time.    … Expand
  7. ALBERELVIS
    Jul 9, 2021
    7
    We start where we left it, and with the introduction from the previous chapter, our favorite detective is forced to face a new challenge. In this episode, Holmes faces a game proposed by Arsène Lupin itself! And very soon the theme absorbs that playful dynamic of puzzles with a heavy real implication, and opposed in the first games of the franchise, was for some reason, solving a puzzleWe start where we left it, and with the introduction from the previous chapter, our favorite detective is forced to face a new challenge. In this episode, Holmes faces a game proposed by Arsène Lupin itself! And very soon the theme absorbs that playful dynamic of puzzles with a heavy real implication, and opposed in the first games of the franchise, was for some reason, solving a puzzle would open magically a door using the power of Bluetooth. For me, the theme only takes interest at the very end, where the intentions of the famous thief are clear since until then it just feels a bit of a pointless cat and mouse game.

    The music, as always, perfect, and the variability of the environments is very charismatic, but sometimes it turns a bit generic in the most aristocratic setups. The characters are a bit bold, and with exception of the 3 stars that carry the weight of the action, none of them will remain as charismatic with exception of the librarian.

    There are only 2 elements more that I would like to mention and are related to the puzzles.
    The addition, as in the previous videogame, of the spacebar as a finder of clues solves the “pixel hunting” that the first games suffered, and do not compromise the difficulty of the puzzles since map is always full of things to distract your eyes. But here comes for me, the best element of the game, and this is the genuine difficulty of the puzzles.

    I think that with this chapter the developers achieved that perfect valance in terms of the puzzles and their difficulty. Letting aside, the natural feeling that all share, we are going to go from pure inside game logic association to pure logic combinatory exercises. Even sometimes you are going to deal with culture mazes where your knowledge about British History is going to take a protagonist role, as is in the case of the museum. Sometimes the puzzles can come tedious since, in order to avoid try and error strategies, you are going to see yourself forced to go back and forward to the same place to collect different pieces of the same puzzle or opening the same file/ letter with the clues to follow the correct order a bit too much (we are talking, as for example, in the case of the medals, more than 15 moves checked individually)… Maybe a bit more difficult in oppose to repetition would have been better suited and could have turned the game a bit more engaging but is definitely one of these aspects that have proved to be a pro vs a flaw.

    Lastly, just to say that the humor expressed at the very end of the game is just perfect, was off of what we would be expected in games of the genera and for me a great detail for the most “senior players”.

    “The danger is imminent, instigated by a man of Machiavellian, twisted tendencies, who is deprived of all sense of morals and scruples. Furthermore, he is French!!!”

    -Sherlock Holmes    … Expand
  8. bergcamp101
    Aug 7, 2020
    7
    The game is good, but not as good to be on the top. The most controversial thing here is, you don't actually investigate crimes, you just follow The Riddler (in this world he's called Arsene Lupin) and solve his puzzles, so it doesn't make you feel like a detective, actually.

Awards & Rankings

78
#78 Best PC Game of 2008
81
#81 Most Discussed PC Game of 2008
93
#93 Most Shared PC Game of 2008

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
71

Mixed or average reviews - based on 20 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 20
  3. Negative: 0 out of 20
  1. Pelit (Finland)
    82
    I really enjoyed Frogwares' first 3D Holmes adventure Awakened, so my expectations were high. Lupin vs. Holmes is actually a better game than Awakened was. Puzzles are challenging and more logical and the third dimension is now better present in the problem solving. The story is a little predictable, but so what? The playground is rich in 19th century atmosphere and the voice acting is fine. On the minus side, the game includes too much pixel-hunting. [Mar 2008]
  2. Just Adventure
    91
    Most importantly, though, is that the game is fun. It keeps you thinking, throws you a good number of curves, and for the most part is challenging but fair.
    Read full review
  3. Cheat Code Central
    88
    As far as adventure games go, Nemesis is incredibly meticulous in its presentation of an excellent story and gameplay based on the quintessential literary sleuth.
    Read full review
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