Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter Reviews
An increased focus on action and unsatisfying cases overshadow the decent bits in this detective adventure.
Another rewarding glimpse inside the mind of London's greatest detective that's a little too old-fashioned and clumsy to shine.
Technical problems and odd diversions pull down another Sherlock Holmes adventure
Sherlock's powers of deduction are as enthralling as ever, but middling action gets in the way.
Nu Watson and Holmes look dangerously close to Downey Jr and Law, five years too late, and their new voices are bizarrely unenigmatic, if competently delivered. It's not a reboot, nor a refresh, right down to the repeated locations and character models of the likes of Lestrade, but rather the weirdness of the series continuing its morbidly fascinating spiraling descent into lunacy. If I find myself carrying on, I'll certainly let you know what happens next, but in the meantime, yeah, avoid.
While The Devil's Daughter does a lot of things adequately, it does absolutely none of them spectacularly, and feels like a bit of a misstep for the series.
A decent adventure game with lots of ropey bits. Just like the last one, and the one before it.
I'd love to be able to give Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter a stronger review, but it simply isn't possible. The story is solid, if a little unusual for a Sherlock Holmes tale, and the collection of mechanics and mini-games that could easily feel thrown together actually work well together, leaving you guessing about what comes next.
Frogwares has taken the best bits from Crimes and Punishments and has added to them for The Devil's Daughter. The problem is that these additions aren't always good. Accompanying the improved point and click gameplay are action sequences that add variety to each case, but they are also clumsy and prone to outstaying their welcome. Unfortunately the game's engine is also showing its age and loading times can often feel interminable. This title offers a typical Sherlock Holmes storyline and an easy completion, but its issues turn this into a mediocre affair rather than the elementary experience that you would expect from Holmes himself.
The Devil's Daughter is an enjoyable thriller. Albeit one that doesn't always know its strengths.
For those who have already played [Crimes and Punishments], Devil's Daughter will provide the same fix in the same way that a low fat version of your favorite food does, in that it's not as satisfying as you would like it to be. It doesn't help any that Devil's Daughter also offers less game for more money. It's a shame, because the story here is enjoyable and the ending has some legitimately tense moments, but almost everything about it feels like it could have, and should have, been better.
Over eighteen months on from the release of Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments and there still hasn't been anything quite like it on PS4. Trust the developers of that game then to be the ones who surpass it with Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter, an effort that not only meaningfully evolves over its predecessor but also one that sadly suffers from a small handful technical issues, making it fall just shy of greatness. All the same, the fact remains that sleuthing about Victorian London has never been as entertaining as this.
Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter is a competent adventure game featuring a varied and well crafted gameplay experience, charming characters and engaging stories. The game still suffers from some issues, such as the the trial and error nature of the action sequences and the excessively long load times, which prevent it from being really great. With a few adjustments and improvements, the Sherlock Holmes formula could become the standard for adventure games of the future, as achieving such gameplay variety is no small feat. Highly recommended to fans of the series and adventure games' fans.
Whether it's sniffing out clues with Holmes trusty basset hound, planning an elaborate diversion in slow motion like you're in a Guy Ritchie film, or dodging spike pits and giant rolling balls a la Indiana Jones, the Sherlock games are always throwing something different at you. Devil's Daughter focuses more on story, with a larger plot taking over from the case work in satisfying ways. Some extended sequences of button mashing can become tiresome and the moral choice system doesn't add anything substantial, but the overall experience is great fun.
The base gameplay of Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter allows you to pick the brains of the great detective while testing your deductive skills. It's just a shame that long loading times and grating puzzles constantly interrupt any intrigue found within the vague stories.
Sherlock Holmes-The Devil�s Daughter is born from below, affected by a quite limited financial investment, which can be seen through its weak technical part. Yet, it has tried to remedy to this lack by offering an excellent gaming variety, with a less linear and more compelling progress. It is a small but necessary step forward for this franchise.
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If Frogware could just tighten up the good stuff and lose what doesn't work, it might just give us the ultimate Sherlock Holmes game. As it is, The Devil's Daughter is flawed but entertaining, with lots of great detective work, some fun if baffling storylines and annoying action bits you can cheerfully skip through.
Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter continues to be one of the best adventure/puzzle games around. It has nearly perfected the deduction system, but the contrived action sequences forced into the new title can be very frustrating. While one is slightly disappointing, five of the six new cases are quite enjoyable and features all the twists and turns you could hope for. Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter is another solid entry into this long-running franchise.
A better presented package overall, Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter is a small step forward for the series, but still in serious need of polish and a greater level of cohesion between its disparate parts. Fewer mini-games and more sleuthing would have been preferable and played to the game's strengths. As it is, The Devil's Daughter is a solid Sherlock yarn, but one that falls well short of greatness.