Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: The Case of the Mystified Murderess
- June 8, 2015
- Zojoi
In "Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: The Case of the Mystified Murderess," players become detective consultants to solve a perplexing murder case in Victorian London. By examining crime scenes, interrogating suspects, and analyzing clues, players aim to solve the mystery before receiving their final score. With a focus on logical reasoning and personal deduction, this game offers an immersive and challenging experience for armchair detectives. Reference: steamid: 376790
Reviews
- The game offers a nostalgic experience with early 90s FMV, allowing players to enjoy unique performances and storytelling.
- It provides a good challenge for players who enjoy solving mysteries without much hand-holding, encouraging independent thinking and deduction.
- The interface is simple and easy to use, with helpful tutorials available, making it accessible for fans of Sherlock Holmes and interactive storytelling.
- The mysteries can be poorly constructed, with illogical elements and a lack of critical information, leading to frustrating gameplay.
- The game suffers from outdated mechanics, such as a tedious clue retrieval system that requires rewatching long FMV clips without the option to skip.
- Overall, the game feels short and lacks replayability, with many players feeling that it doesn't justify its price or the time investment.
- gameplay12 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a trial-and-error approach typical of 90s games, offering players the freedom to explore and solve mysteries without a guided path, relying on clues gathered throughout the experience. While this open-ended style is appreciated for its refreshing challenge, many reviewers criticize the overall execution, citing poor acting, lackluster sets, and a short playtime of 60-90 minutes per mystery, leading to feelings of boredom. Despite its outdated graphics and mechanics, the game allows for a unique deductive experience that some players find engaging.
“That the game allows me to solve the case by going through my own deductive path, without giving any hints or treating me like a dimwit is very refreshing and frankly works surprisingly well on the computer, despite not using anything even remotely close to modern graphics or gameplay.”
“Typical 90s extending the gameplay through trial and error.”
“Yet more terrible acting, poor sets, non-gameplay, and utter boredom.”
“It is only about 60-90 minutes of total gameplay in most instances for each mystery.”
“The gameplay consists of you poring through newspapers and lists of people and locations, the main idea being that you have utter freedom on how to proceed, which place to go, whom to interrogate, with the game providing no 'path' for you to follow, except for the clues that you've gathered so far.”
- story8 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The game's story is noted for its complexity and strong performances from the voice actors, creating an engaging narrative experience. However, some players feel that significant portions of the story are missing, and the gameplay leans more towards an interactive story format with limited actions. Overall, while the storytelling is praised, it may leave players wanting more depth and content.
“It has more complex storytelling and avenues to explore, and the actors you talk with in this one are some of the strongest performances.”
“Nice acting and storytelling.”
“Will start off by saying that this game has very little to actually 'do' in it; it is more of an interactive story, almost, but not quite.”
- optimization6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game is praised for its ability to deliver a rich and complex storytelling experience, allowing players to explore various performances and side stories. Users recommend engaging with the game for its strong actor performances and the unique avenues it offers, particularly for fans of FMV games.
“It has more complex storytelling and avenues to explore, and the actors you talk with in this one are some of the strongest performances.”
“I recommend these 3 episodes to anyone interested in FMV games and schlock, and wants to play just to experience all the different performances and actors.”
“But it is worth it to explore the different performances and cute little side stories.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is consistently described as funny and entertaining, with video clips that add a humorous touch, making the overall experience both engaging and thought-provoking.
“It was entertaining and thought-provoking, and the video clips throughout are at times humorous.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, particularly due to the lack of features like scrollbars, which makes navigating through content cumbersome. The ability to skip around videos would significantly enhance the experience by reducing monotony without detracting from the game's enjoyment.
“Skipping around the video would be hugely useful and make everything far less tedious, without really compromising anything of the enjoyability of the game.”
“There are no scrollbars, so you'll have to use the mouse wheel to scroll through the notebook, which can be tedious.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game offers limited replayability, primarily appealing to players who seek to improve their scores, despite its relatively short length.
“The game is not very long, but it offers some replay value if you're aiming for a better score.”
“The game is not very long, but it offers some replay value if you're aiming for a better score.”
“The game is not very long, and it has some replay value if you're aiming for a better score.”
“The game is not very long, and it has some replay value if you're aiming for a better score.”
- stability2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Overall, the game is praised for its stability, being described as bug-free and well-executed for an early 90s title, leading to positive recommendations despite any minor issues.
“I will recommend the game because it was bug-free and well-made for an early 90s game.”
- graphics2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are described as outdated and not modern, yet they effectively support the gameplay by allowing players to engage in their own deductive reasoning without unnecessary guidance. This approach is appreciated for its refreshing take on the gaming experience.
“The game works surprisingly well on the computer, despite not using anything even remotely close to modern graphics or gameplay.”