Sherlock Holmes: Crimes & Punishments

 PlayStation 4
User Score
7.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 254 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 157 out of 254
  2. Mixed: 57 out of 254
  3. Negative: 40 out of 254
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  1. JediFun
    Oct 6, 2014
    8
    As a detective game, much better than say, L.A. Noire. Seems easier, but that perhaps owes to great mechanics which actually let you discover what you actually want to know. However, there are only 6 cases and while thoroughly enjoyable, just lack any peak in difficulty, making it a fairly quick playthrough. Perhaps too much focus was put on the immense graphics

    Another thing missing is    As a detective game, much better than say, L.A. Noire. Seems easier, but that perhaps owes to great mechanics which actually let you discover what you actually want to know. However, there are only 6 cases and while thoroughly enjoyable, just lack any peak in difficulty, making it a fairly quick playthrough. Perhaps too much focus was put on the immense graphics

    Another thing missing is a proper overarching storyline. I thought I might have been nearing it once the game was over, so once the credits rolled I was rather disappointed. As many point out, there is a long travel between some areas, however this is made up by the fact you are able to go over your case notes and deductions while taking the trips, so I made it a habit to save such work for those trips.    … Expand
  2. slasherjpc
    Oct 1, 2014
    8
    Sherlock Holmes is a fantastic new addition to the series and is also the most accessible one. It offers 6 cases that all stand out on their own. With an easy to use interface, interesting (yet skippable) mini games, great characters and the best graphics of the bunch yet. I see little reason not to reccommend this game to fans of adventure/point and click style games. The only minorSherlock Holmes is a fantastic new addition to the series and is also the most accessible one. It offers 6 cases that all stand out on their own. With an easy to use interface, interesting (yet skippable) mini games, great characters and the best graphics of the bunch yet. I see little reason not to reccommend this game to fans of adventure/point and click style games. The only minor issues are loading and some pop in textures, but this is nit picking at it's finest. If you want a game that makes you think, make you feel like Sherlock Holmes and lets you decide the outcome of the cases.... Def check this out.… Expand
  3. kyriores
    Oct 12, 2014
    9
    A very well made adventure/detective game. Games like this are quite rare nowadays, since most publishers tend to go for cheap "cartoony" graphics instead. Luckily, this game is not all about the graphics either. Every single one of the 5 cases that I've played so far has been interesting and unique. The voice acting is great too. If I were to name one of the game's weak points then itA very well made adventure/detective game. Games like this are quite rare nowadays, since most publishers tend to go for cheap "cartoony" graphics instead. Luckily, this game is not all about the graphics either. Every single one of the 5 cases that I've played so far has been interesting and unique. The voice acting is great too. If I were to name one of the game's weak points then it would probably be the difficulty of the puzzles, as they are not too hard for the seasoned adventurer, but definitely not "casual easy" either.… Expand
  4. zelenii
    Nov 6, 2016
    9
    Amazing detective adventure about Sherlock Holmes. Without point-and-click crap, searching illogical items, doing illogical things. This game is logical, interesting and friendly for casual players.
  5. DLechoix
    Sep 30, 2014
    9
    Rainy day video game playing at its best right here. The mystery, the atmosphere. It's like I've been transported to London in the deep fog, chasing a killer with the eyes of the legendary Sherlock Holmes! I'm no Robert Downey but this game made me feel like I was playing the detective in a finely crafted film. I love it. Perhaps what intrigued me most about the game was the option toRainy day video game playing at its best right here. The mystery, the atmosphere. It's like I've been transported to London in the deep fog, chasing a killer with the eyes of the legendary Sherlock Holmes! I'm no Robert Downey but this game made me feel like I was playing the detective in a finely crafted film. I love it. Perhaps what intrigued me most about the game was the option to fail. Now, I know that sounds pretty self-depricating, but I absolutely hate games that walk me through like a child, holding my hand when the going gets tough. It's pretty thrilling to know you could actually imprison the wrong person, and this keeps you on your toes. I would say more but I'm only through the first case! Must get back!… Expand
  6. kartul777
    Oct 3, 2014
    10
    I have never played a better detective game than this one and I've enjoyed quite a few of them in the past. The open-ended solutions to cases is a wonderful idea, the setting is spot on, Sherlock is very likeable (prefer him to the Cumberbatch version), Toby has the best nose in the entire Empire and the music is great. The game looks quite good, to be honest - the high texture detailsI have never played a better detective game than this one and I've enjoyed quite a few of them in the past. The open-ended solutions to cases is a wonderful idea, the setting is spot on, Sherlock is very likeable (prefer him to the Cumberbatch version), Toby has the best nose in the entire Empire and the music is great. The game looks quite good, to be honest - the high texture details help appreciate the Victorian era even more. I have read a few reviews complaining about the voice acting - I very much disagree - the voice acting is at least adequate, if not good. This is one of the best games of 2014 for me and I'm already waiting for the next installment.… Expand
  7. jabbapaul
    Oct 1, 2014
    9
    Sine I loved L.A. Noire I bought this game as soon as it appeared on the PSN, before any reviews were even published. So far I'm about an hour into the first case and I am enjoying it a lot. The interface shows a lot of polish (which is - I guess - due to this being the last iteration in a series of games where the developers gathered experience), quality graphics make for a great,Sine I loved L.A. Noire I bought this game as soon as it appeared on the PSN, before any reviews were even published. So far I'm about an hour into the first case and I am enjoying it a lot. The interface shows a lot of polish (which is - I guess - due to this being the last iteration in a series of games where the developers gathered experience), quality graphics make for a great, immersive atmosphere ripe with references to the literary Holmes. The only issue I have is that this game may be a bit too easy to play, not offering any real challenge. I say that because so far all my moves were pretty much obvious. But that might change, once I solve the first (few) case(s) I trust things will get harder and thus more rewarding. I would reccommend this game to anyone who likes the premise. If you are only into FPS and such this one's probably not for you.… Expand
  8. thekevinbutler
    Oct 1, 2014
    10
    I am VERY happy that they fixed the lip-syncing in this one. I have enjoyed all Sherlocks that Focus and Frogwares have put out but for the previous games, that error took me out of the experience. There isn't a game out there like C&P that take advantage of better graphics hardware.So if you haven't yet experienced good hidden object/investigative gameplay, Crimes and Punishments is theI am VERY happy that they fixed the lip-syncing in this one. I have enjoyed all Sherlocks that Focus and Frogwares have put out but for the previous games, that error took me out of the experience. There isn't a game out there like C&P that take advantage of better graphics hardware.So if you haven't yet experienced good hidden object/investigative gameplay, Crimes and Punishments is the best start.… Expand
  9. ilikebl
    Oct 5, 2014
    9
    The graphic is good. It is a huge improvement on the graphics from other previous Sherlock game made by Focus Home Interactive. The puzzle is logical. The character setting are based on Robert Downey Jr.'s version of Sherlock Holmes which I enjoyed very much. The weak part was Watson. It seems that Watson was neglected in this game.
  10. PowerPagan
    Oct 7, 2014
    8
    Sherlock is at his best when eating powdered drugs and doing self-experiments which involved naturally occurring psychedelic's.

    This game is awesome, though you must like a slow vibe and some good ol' english Voice Acting. Forget the control's and the visual tears, this game is all about Holme's and is a ton of fun. Those who take this for more then it is, are expecting too much.    Sherlock is at his best when eating powdered drugs and doing self-experiments which involved naturally occurring psychedelic's.

    This game is awesome, though you must like a slow vibe and some good ol' english Voice Acting.

    Forget the control's and the visual tears, this game is all about Holme's and is a ton of fun.

    Those who take this for more then it is, are expecting too much. Enjoy Watson's Telescope view for insight into the witty character that this game represents.

    Good Sherlock Fun.

    A NO BS REVIEW from POWER PAGAN    … Expand
  11. system11
    Oct 8, 2014
    8
    Another good slice of storytelling and investigation - only real downsides are a strangely sluggish third person mode (1st person is much better), and they could do with optimising the graphics and load times a bit.
  12. Jellybean15
    Jul 7, 2015
    8
    It's light on action and heavy on mystery so it may not exactly be a game that appeals to the mass gaming community, but for those who love mystery games or the Sherlock Holmes games in general, this should be a fantastic edition to the franchise that the cult following will love. As a first timer into the Sherlock Holmes franchise, I can't comment on how this game specifically stacks upIt's light on action and heavy on mystery so it may not exactly be a game that appeals to the mass gaming community, but for those who love mystery games or the Sherlock Holmes games in general, this should be a fantastic edition to the franchise that the cult following will love. As a first timer into the Sherlock Holmes franchise, I can't comment on how this game specifically stacks up against the rest of the games, but I can confirm that Crimes and Punishment is a solid experience in itself.

    In a style largely similar to the mystery game L.A. Noire, Holmes is called to investigate a crime or mystery that has occurred and it's up to him to discover who committed the crime and how they did it. Sherlock Holmes is then able to examine the crime scene as well as many other areas to gather clues and collect evidence, often using a concentration mode to find hidden clues in the environment and use those hints to reconstruct scenarios of what happened, a mechanic similar to the flashbacks in CSI. Along with this you're also given the ability to examine a suspect during questioning. Anything that stands out - like grass stains on someone's hands for example - allows Holmes to deduce more facts and information about the person currently in question. All evidence collected through the crime scene and interrogations can be used against a suspect if they attempt to lie or mislead you. You'll also have access to Holmes' base of operations, which gives you access to his archives of newspapers and documents as well as his experiment tables. The experiments you conduct are all well thought out and fun for the most part, and of course add more evidence to the pile.

    All the evidence is compiled into a mechanic called "Brain Pathways" where in Holmes' brain, evidence create synapses with their own individual conclusion. Eventually more synapses will appear with more evidence and if the evidence all lines up correctly, a breakthrough will be realized in which Sherlock Holmes determines what happened in the crime and who's responsible. The challenge in this mechanic appears whenever a synapse leads to two conclusions that are equally possible and it's up to you to decide which is the correct one. An example is the first murder weapon in the game which could only be used correctly by someone specially trained and physically able to do so. It's up to you to decide if the person using it knew how to - which leans toward one suspect - or if they simply got lucky and used it correctly on a whim - which leads toward another. Because of this, there's no straight answer. In every case, there are multiple conclusions you can draw and it's up to you to critically think about the crime and who had the motivation and the ability to commit it. Because of this, if you draw the wrong conclusion, the wrong person could end up in jail for a crime they didn't commit. It's the game's main challenge and actually forces you to think hard about your decision, making it the most engrossing part of the game.

    All of these mystery and puzzle mechanics not only provide engaging gameplay but also let you truly delve into the mind of Sherlock Holmes and his thought process. This, the great writing, and voice acting all combine together to make an experience to where you could only know the character and his personality better if you actually read the books. It's the best interpretation of him in any video game or movie I've seen so far.

    Aside from the mystery and puzzle aspects of the game, there's also a few action segments sprinkled in which mainly consists of moving a reticle to it's destination on the screen within a certain amount of time. Although uncommon, these action sequences are often pivotal and can prevent or cause the deaths of key suspects in the cases.

    Overall, the game's a solid adventure from beginning to end but there are a few misfires. For one, while each case does a great job of fleshing out characters and creating their own self contained story, the over arching story thread is thin and does little to connect the cases, making the ending feel lazily written and hollow. Also, when it comes to all the mini games, while most are fun, some are annoyingly difficult, mainly due to the poor explanations and tutorials on how to do them, causing rare but memorable moments of aggravation.

    Aside from a couple of hiccups though, there's not much to complain about. Crimes and Punishment is a great experience and is easily a must try for all fans of the character, as well as any who like a good mystery based video game.    … Expand
  13. DavidM1337
    Nov 21, 2014
    9
    They finally found a way to make me think by myself and draw my own conclusions. In my opinion this point is a revolution and separates it from anything else. First 3/4 of any case you are guided, in the last bit you are left alone and have to dig through all clues again and decide who's guilty, in what way was it done and for what reason. You can however put the wrong person into prison!
  14. alan666
    Aug 26, 2015
    8
    Excellent game, highly recommended for mystery/investigation games. The stories and the characters are interesting and the discoveries are very nice. Resembles me Phoenix Wright and Touch Detective.
  15. lukaszw
    Nov 5, 2014
    9
    Great game, if you like puzzles it is a game for you. What is a bit annoying is loading time, whenever you change location it takes between 15-35 seconds (PS4).
  16. Crusader2001
    Oct 9, 2014
    10
    Fantastic game! The atmosphere is fantastic and the cases are interesting and fun to play! It's cool to play with the conclusions and choose the one you think is best, after that you can choose to condemn the criminal or set them free.
  17. JuliusSeizure
    Nov 5, 2014
    8
    Kept me playing all the way through. Really enjoyed it. A few of the game mechanics were a little clunky, but the environment, character development, and details were all very nicely done; the studio definitely paid a lot of attention to detail, and you can feel throughout they wanted to make something memorable and fun.
  18. 76tyler76
    Jan 18, 2015
    9
    Amazing work on this game, love the atmosphere and cases feels real. The only down side and going back and fourth, it would nice if it was an open world map with less load times.
  19. shtomer
    May 9, 2015
    9
    It might not be the most experimental or creative game of all times, but it's absolutely well-done, beautiful graphics and directing and good voice-acting. Puzzles could be harder, but I really and purely recommend this game for basically anyone who likes mysteries!
  20. Jason210
    Apr 8, 2015
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The absence of "filler" puzzles and more emphasis on observation and deduction make this latest entry in the Frogware series the most plausible Sherlock Holmes detective adventure yet. The graphics, animations and voice acting have all improved considerably, which makes it feel like the player is participating in an interactive movie. The research into the furniture, clothes and technology of Victorian period is reflected in the superb models which contribute greatly to the sense of immersion. If you like Sherlock Holmes you can't fail to be impressed with these aspects of the game alone. All this is a step in the right direction for the series. However, the game still suffers from linearity and on-screen cues.

    There are several new features in the game, but none of them really give you the freedom or complexity that is missing from this type of point and click adventure. For example, there is now a feature which allows the analysis of persons appearance for clues, where you freeze time and run the game pointer over the surface of the person. Any clues will cause the game pointer to turn bright blue, when it does this, you click with it, and the clue is added to your notes. Holmes then magically produces a character portrait based on this evidence (which sometimes surprises the player).

    Another example is Holmes increased sense of perception. Normally in a scene, all clues are highlighted with an icon as you look and move around, which you can click on and which adds the clue to your notes. If there is a clue you can't see, a prompt appears suggesting to turn on the heightened perception. You turn this one, then the invisible clue appears. You can then click on it, and the clue is added to your notes.

    A third example is imagination. Occasionally you are allowed to imagine something. On these occasions a prompt appears, suggesting to turn on the imagination. Then you see something that might have happened, which is added to your notes.

    Fourthly, when interrogating a subject, you can interrupt the answers with another question. Again, this happens in a pre-programmed way and the questions you can choose are restricted to a limited list.

    There is also a clue pairing and deduction map mode, which allows you to put clues together to form mind map style deductions. You can rearrange this map to achieve different outcomes if you have enough clues, and these outcomes form the basis of your accusations.

    The problem is that everything is too obvious and easy because the on-screen prompts and highlighted objects tell you what to do and when to do it. And just in case you did miss anything, there's a task list which tells you what you need to do next, even who you need to talk to.

    So although this game may at first appear to allow you more freedom than its predecessors, it is still a linear game. It would have helped if you could, in the options, choose to turn off the prompts and highlights. At least this would have made the linearity less obvious. Or perhaps a few more false leads, or red herring clues. Some freedom. But ultimately the gameplay is like an interactive movie with a limited number of pre-programmed outcomes. LA Noire had the same problem, but unlike LA Noire, Crime and Punishments game doesn't have a large living sandbox world to enjoy and explore. Although Crime and Punishments does allow you to jump freely to unlocked sandbox locations, those locations are still relatively small and lifeless, and once you have checked all the obvious clues there's nothing else to do there.

    Largely though, the presentation of Crime and Punishments is rich, realistic and enjoyable, and definitely recommended to fans of Holmes, the genre and of course this series.    … Expand
  21. vashkor
    May 19, 2016
    9
    One of the best adventure + puzzle games and definitely the best looking in it's genre. It is underrated because it is not for everyone. If you are a fan of adventure games and puzzles at all then you will absolutely love it. The game mechanics is brilliant. Sometimes there are many complicated things happening at the same time but you will always know your next options. The puzzles areOne of the best adventure + puzzle games and definitely the best looking in it's genre. It is underrated because it is not for everyone. If you are a fan of adventure games and puzzles at all then you will absolutely love it. The game mechanics is brilliant. Sometimes there are many complicated things happening at the same time but you will always know your next options. The puzzles are hard enough to enjoy but not so hard that you need to google for walkthroughs.

    This is the closest you will get to be like Sherlock, but obviously a lot slower. This was my first disappointment. Sherlock has been portrayed over and over again in movies and TV shows. If you are familiar with some of them, specially the BBC Sherlock, then your expectations for pace and acting is set too high. Crimes & Punishments is slow, most of the voice acting is monotonous, and some may think that the characters don't look like how they should look like. If you get those expectations out of the way and have a fresh look, you will start to enjoy the game for what it is.

    You do play as other characters sometimes but keep in mind that you are mostly Sherlock here, not Watson. That is a big change because we are used to seeing Sherlock from Watson's point of view. In this game Watson is merely a supporting character like Lestrade. Sometimes I was even annoyed to have him blocking my way.

    It is not a top tier AAA game. I grabbed it because it was on a discount, but after playing it I am convinced that it is worth it's full price, mainly because it synced with me very well. I cannot say that for everybody. So check out some gameplay videos, video reviews, and make sure you like the genre. In my opinion the game is as good as it looks.    … Expand
  22. Chris-Krollz
    Jan 20, 2017
    8
    Very good game for this kind of genre. The character design & voice acting is very good. All the cases are interesting and the deduction system is great. I really enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to more games of this series. Keep them coming Focus !
  23. dyinginbeauty
    Mar 17, 2020
    9
    Excellent point and click game!
    Having grown up reading Sherlock Holmes and watching various TV adaptations (Jeremy Brett being the undisputed best Holmes) I can confirm this game takes a lot of care in doing the character justice. Its very fun, detailed, well paced, and has some great voice acting.
    9 points as it is a little too easy - I haven't found a way to turn off hints, which is a shame.
  24. nnevill
    Apr 2, 2021
    8
    When I've launched this game I didn't expect nothing. I though it's just a AA game which I probably play for a few hours and delete afterwards. And it's really AA game but it's a good AA game. Visual part is very good for a PS3 game.

    As it is sort of point and click adventure there is no action in the game but is't probably the benefit. I've beat several action games before so such calm    When I've launched this game I didn't expect nothing. I though it's just a AA game which I probably play for a few hours and delete afterwards. And it's really AA game but it's a good AA game. Visual part is very good for a PS3 game.

    As it is sort of point and click adventure there is no action in the game but is't probably the benefit. I've beat several action games before so such calm gameplay was sort of rest for me.

    The game consists of 6 detective cases and cases are really interesting and not very obvious. There are several minigames in games and they are good except armwrestling mini game - it's not that easy as it could be :)

    I would recommend this game to all who likes meditative gameplay and for people who likes detectives and Sherlock Holmes stories.    … Expand
  25. sanyos
    Nov 13, 2021
    10
    Очень крутая игра для любителей детективов!
    Вначале сложно было понять управление, но потом уже понимаешь специфику игры и это нисколько не смущает.
    Вот что по геймдизайну не понравилось - то что нужно нарезать круги между локациями: приди на участок, посмотри что там, вспомни, что ты такое видел в вещь доках, едешь туда, берешь возвращаешься. Но это уже мелочь. Истории прошли с девушкой    Очень крутая игра для любителей детективов!
    Вначале сложно было понять управление, но потом уже понимаешь специфику игры и это нисколько не смущает.
    Вот что по геймдизайну не понравилось - то что нужно нарезать круги между локациями: приди на участок, посмотри что там, вспомни, что ты такое видел в вещь доках, едешь туда, берешь возвращаешься. Но это уже мелочь. Истории прошли с девушкой две и уже не дождемся чтобы продолжить игру дальше)    … Expand
  26. Geovan
    Aug 18, 2019
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I love This game It is amazing. Neste Sherlock Holmes game .thank you........… Expand
  27. Dave_F
    Mar 19, 2020
    8
    A very enjoyable game - I even found it a tad addictive! Definitely not elementary .... be warned!!! A little short in length, but only because I wanted more ...
  28. NextPlayer_it
    Mar 3, 2022
    8
    Questo gioco, nonostante sia datato è molto avvincente, certo qualche pecca c’è sempre, ma nonostante tutto a chi piace il genere non rimarrà deluso. La grafica non è perfetta nonostante sia stata adattata alla Nintendo Switch. Inoltre l’audio è in inglese ma è sottotitolato in italiano e la traduzione è impeccabile; per non parlare poi dello scambio di battute tra i vari personaggi cheQuesto gioco, nonostante sia datato è molto avvincente, certo qualche pecca c’è sempre, ma nonostante tutto a chi piace il genere non rimarrà deluso. La grafica non è perfetta nonostante sia stata adattata alla Nintendo Switch. Inoltre l’audio è in inglese ma è sottotitolato in italiano e la traduzione è impeccabile; per non parlare poi dello scambio di battute tra i vari personaggi che rendono il gioco divertente che strappa un sorriso. I casi poi sono avvincenti e ti tengono incollati allo schermo e rimani col fiato sospeso fino a quando non si conosce il colpevole. Nonostante alcuni difetti, il gioco è meraviglioso e lo stra consiglio!… Expand
  29. p1nkhouse
    Apr 4, 2022
    8
    Surprisingly, I absolutely loved it. A fantastic chance to explore Victorian London, whilst solving crimes.
    I've played quite a few mystery games from PlayStore, and Crimes and Punishments feels like one on steroids. Beautiful graphics and a nice gameplay, overall. No feel of repetitiveness, with cases being quite different from one another.

Awards & Rankings

74
#74 Best PS4 Game of 2014
55
#55 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2014
32
#32 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
73

Mixed or average reviews - based on 36 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 36
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 36
  3. Negative: 0 out of 36
  1. Games Master UK
    Dec 21, 2014
    68
    A neat "brain pathways" interface helps you piece your findings together. [Christmas 2014, p.78]
  2. XGN
    Dec 8, 2014
    55
    The Sherlock Holmes franchise is trying to reach more people, and maybe with this game it will. The game however lacks a real challenge now. The game is a real detective game, but doesn't really convince.
    Read full review
  3. Playstation Official Magazine Australia
    Nov 28, 2014
    70
    Those expecting modern hyper-Holmes will be aghast, but traditionalists will be all comfy pipe 'n' slippers. [Christmas 2014, p78]
See all critic reviews »