Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter Reviews
Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter isn't necessarily a bad game. Each individual case is written rather well, voice acting is about as good as you can expect, and some of those puzzles along the way work well enough to keep the game challenging, but fun. It still looks good and offers that "Holmes" feel, but unfortunately no game is perfect. Bad puzzles and poor performance can easily kill the pace of the game, and with only four and a bit cases you'll find the content as a whole a bit lacking for $50.
The Devil's Daughter is a collection of minigames sewn together with a very questionable story, but that manages to keep the player amused for the duration of the game. Particularly given the atmosphere crafted in every detail of London and the deduction mechanics, the game will often make you feel like Sherlock.
Sherlock's powers of deduction are as enthralling as ever, but middling action gets in the way.
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.
The Devil's Daughter is an enjoyable thriller. Albeit one that doesn't always know its strengths.
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.
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.
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.
With a bit more polish, and a few much needed scenes, this game could be amazing.
Frogwares' past Sherlock Holmes games… have always been unexceptional interpretations of the world's most exceptional detective, at times displaying some moments of brilliance, but mostly held back by their ineptitude and desire for safety
This game is recommended to hardcore Sherlock fans, otherwise, fans of adventure games won't find this game memorable at all. The Devil's Daughters doesn't offer much more than the previous installment of the series.
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An increased focus on action and unsatisfying cases overshadow the decent bits in this detective adventure.
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.
This is far from Frogwares' worst effort till date but Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter is far from the detective's greatest adventure yet.
When it's not suffering from an identity crisis, Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter is a fine adventure/mystery game. Each case is intelligently designed and some aspects are really fascinating. Drawing conclusions from deductions is satisfying, especially when the right call is made. However, far too much time is spent engaging in distractions. This game would be much more fulfilling if it stuck entirely to what makes Sherlock Holmes great. That means no pointless activities, no misguided characterisation, just a plethora of mysteries that are fun and interesting to solve.
Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter feels like a let-down. Crimes & Punishments was far from perfect, but it felt like clear progress – this latest effort feels like treading water at best.
There is some elementary adventure to be found here, but new players looking for a real Sherlock Holmes experience would find better material in some of the previous installments.
Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter is a hard left over Reichenbach Falls. It's Frogwares taking all the wrong lessons from Crimes and Punishments, turning out its least-coherent Sherlock games in ages and filling it with all sorts of mechanical drudgery. Such a shame.
Another rewarding glimpse inside the mind of London's greatest detective that's a little too old-fashioned and clumsy to shine.