Can Sherlock crack this latest case?
After the recent revival of Sherlock with the Moffat era and the US version of Elementary, I was wary of a Sherlock game that put us back in the 1800’s, I personally think that a more modern Sherlock is just what the gaming world could do with, almost along the lines of the detective mode in the Batman: Arkham games. But that opinion aside, what can The Testament of Sherlock Holmes provide gamers?
The game is a puzzle/point-and-click adventure title and while the story itself is intriguing, sadly the voice-acting isn’t. Sherlock and Watson just aren’t believable and it just feels very low-budget, but as the mechanics go…it’s not terrible, most of the puzzles are actually good and some are real head-scratchers. Despite the poor voice-acting, I found myself compelled to go on and complete Sherlock’s latest case.
There are a few issues that make the game look incredibly dated, like a lack of an Autosave function. I mean, why? You have to manually save your progress or be prepared to lose it. The game was made for PC, that much is easy to determine when selecting objects with the A button and analog stick can become a real pain, not to mention tedious. I did like the overall setting of the game; I just wish the simple mechanics could have been tailored to the console more.
Visually, Sherlock looks rough around the edges…but there are moments where it looks really good, it’s just a shame that the actual character models for Sherlock and Watson also make them even more unbelievable with the voice-acting mixed in. The music isn’t too shabby, but it’s hardly memorable and there are a few framerate issues at times.
The Verdict
The Testament of Sherlock Holmes is a good enough point-and-click adventure/puzzle game, but the low-budget voice-acting and visuals, not to mention the lack of an Autosave feature and controls hinder it from being a must-have title.
