Sherlock Holmes: The Silver Earring

53%
Game Brain Score Based on 271 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Sherlock Holmes: The Silver Earring Game Cover
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In "Sherlock Holmes: The Silver Earring", players assume the roles of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, investigating a series of murders in Victorian London. With over 40 witnesses to question, 250 clues to uncover, and 25 hours of gameplay, the game offers a challenging and immersive experience as players work to solve the baffling case. Along the way, they'll encounter familiar characters from the novels and explore a beautifully detailed 3D reproduction of Victorian London.

  • PC
  • Wii
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

53%
Audience ScoreBased on 271 reviews
story63 positive mentions
gameplay19 negative mentions
  • Engaging and well-written story with a classic Sherlock Holmes feel.
  • Variety of complex and challenging puzzles that require attention to detail.
  • Decent graphics and character models that have aged well, along with a good soundtrack.
  • Clunky and unresponsive character controls that can lead to frustration.
  • Fixed resolution at 4:3 aspect ratio, making it difficult to play on modern displays.
  • Some puzzles are illogical or overly difficult, requiring a walkthrough to progress.
  • story166 mentions

    The story of "Sherlock Holmes: The Silver Earring" is described as engaging and complex, featuring a classic murder mystery that captures the essence of Arthur Conan Doyle's work. However, many players found the plot convoluted and difficult to follow, with an overwhelming number of characters and details that detracted from the overall experience. While some appreciated the intriguing narrative and the quizzes that helped track the story, others criticized the gameplay mechanics and pacing, leading to a mixed reception regarding the story's effectiveness.

    • “Overall, I did enjoy the story and voice acting.”
    • “The story is interesting; you have to be connected to the case and try to understand what happens.”
    • “As a big fan of the Sherlock Holmes series, I must say that this game is a real gem, especially taking into consideration its age. The game has a massive amount of charm to it, with a case that really takes you to many different places and has a really captivating story.”
    • “The story is just okay, but the unbearable stuff is the clunky gameplay.”
    • “The silver earring in the game's title only shows up towards the end of the game and never has any real significance, and the entire murder plot Holmes and Watson have been investigating is so convoluted that Holmes spends 20 minutes to explain who killed whom for what in an endless monologue that eventually lost me, so I closed the game confused, not quite understanding why the murderer did it.”
    • “The story is complicated, with many developments and revelations, but it makes sense, although some connections only Sherlock could have seen.”
  • gameplay67 mentions

    The gameplay has been widely criticized for its clunky mechanics, frustrating navigation, and inconsistent hitboxes, making clue collection and movement tedious. While the game attempts to capture the essence of classic detective storytelling, many players found the experience marred by outdated controls and a lack of modern conveniences, leading to a generally unenjoyable experience. Despite some appreciation for the story and deduction mechanics, the overall gameplay is seen as a significant drawback, with many reviewers expressing disappointment and frustration.

    • “The gameplay focuses on investigation, clue collection, and puzzle-solving, staying true to the detective genre.”
    • “Gameplay-wise, it's a point-and-click adventure game where we go through different locations in search of evidence and clues to our case.”
    • “I enjoy the deduction quiz mechanic at the end of each section.”
    • “The controls and overall mechanics of the game are so bad it wasn't even worth restarting the game and trying again.”
    • “The gameplay is just clunky; navigating across the map sometimes requires multiple clicks.”
    • “The mechanics of this game are so poor, the character so unresponsive that it is too annoying to try to complete the stealth or timed scenes in a reasonable amount of attempts.”
  • graphics58 mentions

    The graphics of the game are generally considered dated, reflecting its 2004 release, with many reviewers noting a mix of decent detail and frequent graphical glitches that disrupt immersion. While some appreciate the nostalgic charm and atmospheric design, others criticize the low resolution and cluttered visuals, which can obscure important elements. Overall, the graphics are seen as acceptable for their time but may not meet modern standards, making them a point of contention among players.

    • “The graphics are very correct for 2004 and work well with this London murder story; the simplicity that we often find in these old games is quite beautiful, enjoyable, and relaxing.”
    • “The visuals are actually pretty good for the time the game was made and are acceptable even in 2021, considering what else there is in the point-and-click genre.”
    • “This game has a great story, good graphics including character models, the world/scenery, and movement animations.”
    • “The graphics have not aged well, and the one thing that is exceptionally terrible in this game are the controls.”
    • “There is frequent graphic glitches, as characters walk on walls and turn door handles while looking at walls, etc.”
    • “The graphics were so dated, but I understood since it was released back in 2004. It looks a bit too dated, like N64 graphics, and the shadows were bad. Sometimes the shadows get stuck into objects, and the lighting was really bad; it's either too dark or too bright.”
  • music35 mentions

    The game's soundtrack features a selection of classical music masterpieces that enhance the atmosphere and charm of the setting, though it is often criticized for being repetitive and occasionally overpowering the dialogue. While the music is generally well-received for its elegance and suitability to the story, players note issues with audio balance, suggesting that subtitles may be necessary to fully enjoy the experience. Overall, the music contributes positively to the game's ambiance, despite its limitations.

    • “The soundtrack features some delightful classical pieces; sadly the audio balance is a bit off, making dialogue seem overshadowed by the music at times - playing with subtitles on is recommended.”
    • “With the excellent score of classical music pieces, and overall atmosphere, the game is actually kinda cozy.”
    • “The music is classical in nature and well suited to the story.”
    • “The music by default is quite loud and drowns out dialogue, but other than that I didn't need to change any settings, which was nice for a 20-year-old game.”
    • “The soundtrack is classical with few looping melodies; it was louder than the voices in some scenes.”
    • “The music sometimes was louder than the dialogue and was annoying at times.”
  • stability17 mentions

    The game's stability is heavily criticized, with numerous reports of bugs, glitches, and crashes that significantly hinder gameplay. Players have experienced issues ranging from unplayable conditions on certain systems to frustrating graphical errors that affect puzzle completion. Overall, the game is described as a "buggy mess," making it difficult for many to enjoy the experience fully.

    • “I've enjoyed playing it, sure, but I also had a hell of a time getting the game to run in the first place and have encountered glitches that have slowed my ability to progress through the puzzles.”
    • “All that could be forgiven, I suppose, had it not been for the many glitches which made some clues all but impossible to detect and in some cases crashed the game.”
    • “It ran alright on my first laptop, but since I have now changed to a Windows 10 computer, it constantly freezes and is basically unplayable.”
  • atmosphere11 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its cozy yet eerie ambiance, enhanced by a strong classical music score and well-developed characters. While some voice acting may detract slightly from the experience, the overall aesthetic, including a dry Victorian art style, contributes to a rich and immersive environment. Players appreciate the intriguing mystery and atmospheric depth, though some recommend using a walkthrough to navigate potential frustrations.

    • “This game has some great atmosphere, music, and an intriguing mystery.”
    • “With the excellent score of classical music pieces, and overall atmosphere, the game is actually kinda cozy.”
    • “Creepy, atmospheric, beautiful.”
    • “With the excellent score of classical music pieces, and overall atmosphere, the game is actually kind of cozy.”
    • “The characters are well fleshed out and the story has depth and atmosphere.”
    • “I really liked the music and the atmosphere of the game.”
  • grinding7 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious, primarily due to slow character movement, clunky controls, and frustrating puzzles that often require pixel-perfect precision. The poorly placed loading screens and disorienting camera angles further exacerbate the experience, making exploration feel laborious and time-consuming. While the content itself is engaging, the overall grind detracts significantly from enjoyment, often necessitating the use of walkthroughs to progress.

    • “The character's movement is slow, and on many occasions tedious. Depending on the perspective, the areas that load other parts of the scenario become annoying due to the poor location of the loading screens, especially evident in the area of the monastery and its labyrinth.”
    • “Making characters move anywhere or do anything is slow and tedious. The stationary camera angles can be quite disorienting at times, the puzzles are sometimes complete nonsense, and you cannot advance to the next stage unless you've gathered all of the required clues, requiring aggravating pixel hunts and searching every picture.”
    • “There are more flaws, like a timed maze that is nearly impossible to win on a modern PC, as the game runs too fast, a tedious magic square puzzle on a chess board with 55 as the magic number, and a stealth section that is also nearly unbeatable unless you double-click to run at the exact pixels the game expects.”
  • humor5 mentions

    The humor in the game is likened to the charm of a so-bad-it's-good movie, providing unintentional laughs through graphical glitches and amusing typos. While some bugs can disrupt immersion, they often lead to funny moments that enhance the overall experience, making players appreciate the absurdity rather than feel frustrated.

    • “It's kind of like a bad movie that you find in a bargain bin, and you think 'yo, this looks so dumb, this is gonna be so funny.' You start watching it, and you're like 'haha, hell yeah, this is so bad, this is such a great time.' Then it keeps going, and you realize you spent thirteen and a half hours this weekend watching a poorly aged dumpster fire of a movie that makes you regret starting it even as a bit.”
    • “The overall graphics look fine, especially the rooms are very detailed, but there are a lot of graphical bugs that break the immersion and bring a lot of unintended laughing moments.”
    • “The occasional typos and strange subtitles were more funny than annoying to me.”
  • emotional4 mentions

    Players report that the game effectively immerses them in the role of a detective, enhancing their emotional investment in the story and clues. The experience is described as feeling authentic and engaging, making them feel compelled to solve crimes.

    • “But the last one - the most important - made me feel like I should solve crimes for a living.”
    • “The exorbitant amounts of evidence made me feel like I was thrust into the role of a real detective instead of an adventure-game detective, if you know what I mean.”
    • “These quizzes make you feel like a detective, and made me feel much more invested in the clues and story.”
  • optimization3 mentions

    The game's optimization is severely lacking, with players experiencing slow and jerky character movement, poor pathfinding, and significant performance issues even on capable hardware. Additionally, the absence of an autosave feature and the challenging nature of puzzles contribute to a frustrating gameplay experience.

    • “The puzzles are challenging, requiring you to find all the interactive objects using the mouse pointer without any help function. However, the performance can be extremely sluggish at times, even on a 2014 system with an Intel quad-core and a GTX 970.”
    • “Slow walking combined with poor pathing results in frustrating movement and stuttering.”
    • “The optimization is lacking, causing frequent frame drops and lag during gameplay.”
    • “Character movement feels clunky and unresponsive, making navigation a chore.”
  • monetization1 mentions

    The monetization strategy is perceived as outdated, aligning with the dated advertising materials associated with the game.

    • “The monetization system feels outdated and overly aggressive.”
    • “It's frustrating how much you have to spend to enjoy the game fully.”
    • “The constant push for in-game purchases ruins the overall experience.”
  • replayability1 mentions

    Users generally indicate that the game lacks replay value, suggesting that once completed, there is little incentive to play it again.

    • “Replay value: no.”
    • “Once you've completed the game, there's little incentive to go back and play it again.”
    • “The lack of meaningful choices and consequences makes replaying feel pointless.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

10hMedian play time
13hAverage play time
8-25hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 4 analyzed playthroughs

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