Sherlock Holmes Mysteries for iPad. Game Review

Sherlock Holmes Mysteries for iPad_2

Sherlock Holmes Mysteries for iPad [rating: 4/5]

An Entertaining Short Adventure Set in Olde London Town

Much of the success in the world is not necessarily about how good something is but more about timing and so on the back of the recent release of the Hollywood version of Sherlock Holmes starring Robert Downey Jr. Warner Bros have released Sherlock Holmes Mysteries for iPad. So it certainly meets the criteria for success on the timing, how does it stand up on the quality issue?

The game is an adventure game that see’s you take the role of Sherlock Holmes in a point and click style adventure. There are two separate mysteries to solve in the game and in addition the iPad version comes with a mini game called Puzzle Boxing Tourney where you are challenged to fight your way through 12 different boxers to become the boxing champion. The style of the boxing mini-game is a simple multi-touch game where you need to touch the different bubbles as they appear on the screen. It’s a simple game and getting through the 12 different fighters is going to be based on the speed of your reactions. Too slow and your opponent will land punches on you before you can retaliate and you’ll soon find yourself counting the birds as they fly around your head.

The mini-game is not going to be the reason you buy this game, it’s very repetitive and is relatively unexciting so let’s get back to the investigations themselves.

As mentioned previously there are two mysteries to solve, The Missing Memento & Case of the Innocent Man and both are independent of each other and can be played at any time.

Sherlock Holmes Mysteries for iPad_4

The game is obviously set in Victorian London and the graphics and sound reflect that pretty well. The graphics are good and help to set the Olde London Scene pretty well as do the sound effects and incidental sounds.

You start the game in a bar, a place where many a good mystery starts, and you are introduced to the basics of the control mechanism and interacting with the various characters. You can look around each of the locations by simply dragging your finger across the screen and any characters that you can interact with are high-lighted and you can click on the interact button on the top of the screen.

The conversations between the characters are well written and engaging but it’s a shame that they are all text based and that no vocal acting has been used through out the game as that would definitely made the game more enjoyable.

As you would expect speaking to the various characters will lead you the clues you need to solve prevent an innocent man from being convicted of murder.

As you move around the various locations which you can do via the map you will need to solve a variety of puzzles. These will include a hidden object style game where you search the screen for clues, a lock picking game reminiscent of the classic lock picking game and the foot chase where you need to out-maneuver those attempting to catch you.

The puzzles offer a nice variety but there is no penalty for failing any of them meaning that you can simple repeat them until you are successful which reduces the enjoyment of the game as you know that you can just keep trying until you succeed.

The game is very linear too. There are limited options to take different paths through the game and you simply have to follow the flow of the game.

The first of the two mysteries is pretty short and you’ll have the mystery solved relatively quickly. The 2nd mystery though is more involved and you will find yourself getting drawn into the story more offering a much more satisfying game.

It would be nice if additional mysteries are provided via additional updates but even without them at just $2.99 Sherlock Holmes Mysteries for iPad is an entertaining game all be it a short one.

The Good

  • Atmospheric Olde London Style
  • Creative, intriguing storyline
  • Additional boxing mini game

The Not So Good

  • Too Linear
  • Only two mysteries to solve
  • No real voices

Price: $2.99 (iTunes Store Preview)
Released: Apr 01, 2010
Reviewed Version: 1.0
Size: 55.9 MB
Language: English
Seller: Warner Bros. Entertainment
WB™ & © and Frogwares™ (S10)
Rated 12+ for the following:
Infrequent/Mild Cartoon or Fantasy Violence
Infrequent/Mild Alcohol, Tobacco, or Drug Use or References
Infrequent/Mild Simulated Gambling
Requirements: Compatible with iPad. Requires iPhone OS 3.2 or later.

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