Sherlock Holmes: The Silver Earring

53%
Game Brain Score Based on 542 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
  • Windows
  • Wii
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

53%
Audience ScoreBased on 542 reviews
story126 positive mentions
gameplay38 negative mentions
  • Engaging and intriguing story with a well-written plot that keeps players invested.
  • Nice looking and detailed graphics that have aged quite well, along with decent character models and cutscenes.
  • Variety of complex and challenging puzzles that require attention to detail and critical thinking.
  • Unresponsive and slow character controls that make navigation frustrating, especially during timed and stealth sections.
  • Fixed resolution at 4:3 aspect ratio, which can lead to visual issues on modern displays and makes some text hard to read.
  • Some puzzles lack logical coherence, leading to confusion and reliance on walkthroughs to progress.
  • story332 mentions

    The story of "Sherlock Holmes: The Silver Earring" is described as engaging and complex, revolving around a murder mystery that captures the essence of classic Holmes narratives. However, many players found the plot convoluted and difficult to follow, with an overload of characters and details that detracted from the overall experience. While some appreciated the intriguing twists and the immersive storytelling, others criticized the lengthy dialogue and clunky gameplay, suggesting that the narrative's potential was often overshadowed by gameplay flaws.

    • “A well-written, engaging, and intriguing story about the murder of a wealthy man, whose murder was investigated by Holmes and Watson.”
    • “Overall, I did enjoy the story and voice acting.”
    • “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 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.”
    • “The story plot gets a bit overly complicated at the midway point, with too many characters that don't amount to much.”
  • gameplay134 mentions

    The gameplay has been widely criticized for its clunky mechanics, frustrating navigation, and inconsistent hitboxes, making clue collection and movement tedious. Many players found the point-and-click mechanics outdated and unresponsive, leading to a lack of engagement with the story, despite its potential. Overall, while the game offers some interesting narrative elements, the poor gameplay experience significantly detracts from its enjoyment.

    • “The gameplay focuses on investigation, clue collection, and puzzle-solving, staying true to the detective genre.”
    • “Game developers mention that Sherlock Holmes games capture the essence of Conan Doyle's stories, offering engaging storytelling, classic point-and-click gameplay, and solid sound design for its time.”
    • “Gameplay-wise, it's a point-and-click adventure game where we go through different locations in a search for evidence and clues to our case.”
    • “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.”
  • graphics116 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 can disrupt immersion. While some appreciate the nostalgic charm and atmospheric design, others criticize the visuals for being blurry on modern displays and cluttered in certain areas. Overall, the graphics are seen as acceptable for their time but are marred by bugs and awkward animations, making them a point of contention among players.

    • “Nice looking and detailed graphics which aged quite well.”
    • “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).”
    • “The graphics have not aged well, and the one thing that is exceptionally terrible in this game are the controls.”
    • “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.”
    • “There is frequent graphic glitches, as characters walk on walls and turn door handles while looking at walls, etc.”
  • music70 mentions

    The game's soundtrack features a selection of classical music masterpieces that enhance the atmosphere and charm of the setting. However, the music can be repetitive and often drowns out dialogue, leading to a recommendation for players to use subtitles. Overall, while the compositions are beautiful and well-suited to the story, the audio balance issues detract from the experience.

    • “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.”
    • “The voice acting and music is quite enjoyable throughout the whole game.”
    • “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.”
    • “So unless you see indications that these problems have been fixed, save yourself the expense... and the pain of an endlessly looping soundtrack as Holmes combs every square inch of every level with his magnifying glass, seeking that one final clue.”
  • stability34 mentions

    The game suffers from significant stability issues, with numerous bugs and glitches that hinder gameplay and progression. Players report frequent crashes, unresponsive controls, and graphical errors that can make puzzles nearly impossible to complete. Overall, the game's stability is a major drawback, rendering it frustrating and at times unplayable.

    • “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.”
  • atmosphere22 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its cozy yet creepy 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 are encouraged to use a walkthrough to navigate the intriguing mystery without frustration.

    • “This game has some great atmosphere, music, and an intriguing mystery.”
    • “Creepy, atmospheric, beautiful.”
    • “The characters are well fleshed out and the story has depth and atmosphere.”
    • “I really liked the music and the atmosphere of the game.”
    • “Games, but all the delicious puzzles and atmosphere.”
  • grinding14 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game is characterized by slow and clunky character movement, tedious puzzles, and frustrating pixel hunts that hinder progress. Players find the controls and animations cumbersome, with poorly placed loading screens and disorienting camera angles adding to the overall tedium. While the content is engaging, the excessive grinding and reliance on walkthroughs detract from the experience.

    • “The character's movement is slow, and on many occasions tedious. 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, and the puzzles are sometimes complete nonsense. You cannot advance to the next stage unless you've gathered all of the required clues, which requires aggravating pixel hunts.”
    • “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 nearly unbeatable if you don't double-click to run at the exact pixels the game expects.”
  • humor10 mentions

    The humor in the game is often likened to that of a hilariously bad movie, providing unintentional laughs through graphical glitches and amusing typos. While some bugs can disrupt immersion, they generally contribute to a lighthearted experience that players find entertaining rather than frustrating. Overall, the game's comedic charm lies in its absurdity and the joy of embracing its flaws.

    • “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.”
    • “Not annoying, just funny.”
    • “The occasional typos and strange subtitles were more funny than annoying to me.”
  • emotional8 mentions

    Players report a strong emotional engagement with the game, feeling immersed in the role of a detective through its intricate puzzles and abundant evidence. This sense of investment enhances their connection to the story, making them feel compelled to solve crimes in real life. Overall, the game effectively fosters a deep emotional involvement in the detective experience.

    • “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.”
    • “But the last one - the most important - made me feel like I should solve crimes for a living.”
  • optimization6 mentions

    The game's optimization is severely lacking, with players experiencing slow movement, poor pathing, and frequent stuttering that disrupts gameplay. Additionally, the absence of an autosave feature and sluggish performance on even moderately powerful systems contribute to a frustrating experience, making it difficult to progress through challenging puzzles.

    • “The puzzles are hard; you have to find all the objects you can interact with using the mouse pointer (no help function). There is no autosave, and the performance is sometimes extremely sluggish and terrible, despite using a 2014 system (Intel 4-core with HT and a GTX 970).”
    • “Slow walking mixed with horrible pathing leads to frustrating movement and stuttering.”
    • “Slow walking mixed with horrible pathing leads to frustrating movement and stuttering.”
  • monetization2 mentions

    The monetization model is perceived as outdated, reflecting a lack of innovation that aligns with the game's overall presentation.

  • replayability2 mentions

    The reviews indicate that the game has low replayability, with multiple users stating that there is little incentive to play it again after the initial experience.

    • “Replay value: no.”
    • “Replay value: no.”
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 8 analyzed playthroughs

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