The 10 best Sherlock Holmes games, according to Metacritic
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The world seems to be in one Sherlock Holmes mania with Henry Cavill returning to character Enola Holmes 2Robert Downey Jr.’s upcoming HBO series Max. and the announcement of the Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened remake. It is understandable to see how Sherlock Holmes is one of the most famous literary characters in history.
This has been proven through the many mystery puzzle games that have been made based on the character and his friend Watson. Those looking for more Sherlock Holmes content later Enola Holmes 2 should look to play these games that test the player as a real detective.
11/11 Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of the Osborne House (2011) – 48
Nintendo DS
While far from terrible, this portable adventure is often criticized for its lack of polish, rather cheap visual style, and rather short story. Sherlock Holmes and the Osborne House Mystery is presented as a slightly more complex version of a free-to-play point-and-click adventure title that can be found almost everywhere these days.
However, in terms of a detective game for the Nintendo DS, it could be a lot worse. It still has some intriguing puzzles to enjoy and solve, especially for lovers of the Professor Layton series on the DS and is a pretty fun little game despite its length.
10/11 Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Mummy (2002) – 61
Nintendo DS and PC
While the DS is good enough, the PC version of Sherlock Holmes: The Mummy Mystery it’s a much better version. It is one of the first Sherlock Holmes games from Frogwares and like most of their titles, this is a true detective experience where the player has to think and solve the case.
The gameplay is more like the classic dot and clock puzzle games like 11th Hour or Myst. As a result, those more accustomed to the modern style of Sherlock Holmes games will have trouble adjusting, but the game makes up for it with a strong mystery involving a missing archaeologist and an ancient mummy that players must solve.
9/11 Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Silver Earring (2004) – 68
Nintendo Wii and PC
Sherlock Holmes games tend to experiment with new ways to play the titular detective. The sequel to The mystery of the mummy switch to a third-person point-and-click game similar to Grim Fandango. The character walks, picks up objects and the player has to solve puzzles.
In terms of quality, The silver earring it’s quite a blow for Frogwares. It takes everything that its predecessor did well and improves on it while improving on the elements that didn’t. It still tells a strong original story that feels straight out of the Basil Rathbone era of Holmes, with Holmes resembling Christopher Lee’s version of the character.
8/11 Sherlock Holmes: Nemesis (2008) – 71
7/11 pc
Despite the infamous meme of John Watson always behind the player; as well as quite old visuals, Sherlock Holmes: Nemesis helped redefine Sherlock Holmes games. It maintains the same gameplay style established in The Awakened and pits the detective against another famous literary figure: Arsene Lupin.
Not only is this one of the most logical crossovers, but it’s essentially a battle of two equally challenging enemies. Holmes and Lupine are geniuses and their rivalry is just the right fuel for the player to want to defeat the thief as Sherlock. This game was even remastered, showing the legacy that Frogwares had gained over the years.
6/11 Sherlock Holmes: The Devil’s Daughter (2016) – 71
PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PC
After years of first-person adventures, The devil’s daughter took on a third-person adventure while maintaining many elements of the previous games. While it certainly has the difficult unforgivable crime solving, Sherlock Holmes: The Devil’s Daughter It takes on a more cinematic experience where the player becomes invested in the story and characters.
This game is also a solid new starting point for newcomers Sherlock Holmes games since it’s pretty much a reboot. Instead of the smooth-talking gentleman that the Frogwares games represent, Sherlock enters The devil’s daughter it is more eccentrically akin to Arthur Conan Doyle’s books.
5/11 Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened (2007) – 72
PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo Switch and PC
This time, Frogwares switched to a first-person game that allowed the player to freely roam locations to collect clues, which future titles would stick to for years. Although it may be to the chagrin of some players, The Awakened is when the games continued to increase the difficulty.
Some players may even need to keep a notebook on standby, and that’s what makes the games so charming: solving cases, cataloging clues, and talking to each person makes it very rewarding; making the player feel like a real detective. On top of that, Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened delves into Eldritch horror with elements straight out of an HP Lovecraft story, giving the game a unique look and feel; which has resulted in a full blown remake in the future.
4/11 Sherlock Holmes Vs Jack The Ripper (2009) – 73
Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PC
Similar to Nemesis, this is a perfect pairing for a Sherlock Holmes movie or miniseries. Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper it takes the best elements of both The Awakened i nemesis and brings them together, creating a darker horror mystery as Holmes confronts the haunting murders of Whitechapel.
Rather quickly, the mystery is intriguing and some fans of this game series have called it the best stories in the Frogwares series. There isn’t much difference in the gameplay, but it even manages to improve and polish the mechanics that it had done so well before.
3/11 The Testament of Sherlock Holmes (2012) – 73
PS3, PS4, PS5, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PC
Where it does not have horror and supernatural elements, The Testament of Sherlock Holmes hooks the player with the fact that the titular hero is a suspect in a case and must prove his innocence. As it turns out, the story is a basic Sherlock mystery, and a well-done mystery at that.
What players often praise is Frogwares’ attempt to recreate the era. Most of the Sherlock Holmes games have never excelled in visual aspects, but this installment changed that, creating a visually stunning world and atmosphere to accompany the intriguing mystery.
2/11 Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments (2014) – 77
PS3, PS4, PS5, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch and PC
Instead of a mystery driving the entire game, Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments takes a more episodic approach to the character, something that would continue with The Devil’s Daughter. The game was praised for having more simplified stories and each one feeling like a movie or an episode of the Benedict Cumberbatch series.
While some cases are stronger than others, each one provides something different from the others. This has been earned Offenses and punishments praise for coming out as a compilation of Frogwares best efforts in an interactive experience that continued to expand on the formula.
1/11 Sherlock Holmes: Chapter 1 (2021) – 77
PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PC
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After a long hiatus, the Sherlock Holmes games are back with Chapter one went back in time and told Sherlock’s story as a young, consulting detective for the first time. Instead of a linear story told in small maps, Sherlock Holmes: Chapter 1 was Frogwares first step into an open world to explore.
Chapter one won some praise for having the most character-driven story, focusing on Sherlock proving himself and still struggling with the death of his mother and the often estranged relationship with his brother Mycroft Holmes. As a result, Chapter One can be seen as another new starting point for new players, as it is the earliest point in Sherlock’s career, as well as a fresh start for Frogwares.
