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Sherlock Holmes (video game series)

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Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes series logo used since mid-2007
Genre(s)Adventure
Developer(s)Frogwares
Publisher(s)
Platform(s)
First releaseSherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Mummy
29 December 2002
Latest releaseSherlock Holmes: The Awakened
11 April 2023

Sherlock Holmes is a series of adventure games developed by Frogwares. The games are based on Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories, featuring the detective Sherlock Holmes and his companion Dr. John H. Watson. While the franchise is based on Doyle's stories, each game has an original plot and storyline.[1]

Overview

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Each game in the series lets the player control Holmes or Dr. Watson from either a first-person or third-person perspective. This adventure game series mainly consists of puzzles to solve during the course of the game, both by the use of Holmes' abductive reasoning and Watson's assistance. It also requires gamers to find clues and evidence hidden in the environment. Holmes must take this information back to his labs, both in his flat at 221 B Baker St. and elsewhere. Clues are examined under a microscope or combined with solvents to separate pertinent elements.

The chief objective of the games is to solve the main mystery in the story, but the games also involve side investigations not central to the plot. The series takes Holmes all over the world, including to New Orleans, Switzerland, and Scotland.

Main series

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Release timeline
2002The Mystery of the Mummy
2003
2004The Case of the Silver Earring
2005
2006
2007The Awakened
Versus Arsène Lupin
2008
2009Versus Jack the Ripper
2010
2011
2012The Testament of Sherlock Holmes
2013
2014Crimes & Punishments
2015
2016The Devil's Daughter
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021Chapter One
2022
2023The Awakened

The Mystery of the Mummy

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Main article: Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Mummy

Originally developed for Microsoft Windows, the series first began in September 2002 with Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Mummy. The debut is in the first-person perspective and follows Sherlock Holmes' investigation of a British archaeologist's mansion. The game was resurrected and expanded for the Nintendo DS[2] allowing puzzles to be solved with the stylus and touchscreen.

The Case of the Silver Earring

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Main article: Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Silver Earring

The second game in the series, Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Silver Earring, followed in October 2004, and introduced the third-person perspective. In it, Holmes and Watson investigate the murder of a construction tycoon, Sir Melvyn Bromsby; with his daughter, Lavinia, among the suspects.

The Awakened

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Main article: Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened

The third game in the series, Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened, was released in February 2007. It is the first game to feature first-person perspective in real-time 3D. The game follows an original plotline as Holmes and Dr. Watson investigate a series of strange disappearances related to the Cthulhu Mythos. Among the more positive reviews for the game, GameSpot gave it a rating of 8.3 out of 10, praising the storyline and stating that it was told "brilliantly", calling it a "Cthulhu-infused Victoriana".[3] A remastered version was released in 2008 offering a third-person perspective in addition to the first-person perspective. This game won GameSpot's Best Use of a License Award.

Sherlock Holmes Versus Arsène Lupin (aka Nemesis)

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Main article: Sherlock Holmes Versus Arsène Lupin

The fourth game in the series, Sherlock Holmes Versus Arsène Lupin (also known as Sherlock Holmes: Nemesis), was released in the third quarter of 2007. The game's antagonist is Arsène Lupin, a fictional gentleman thief created by French writer Maurice Leblanc. It begins at Holmes' residence at 221B Baker Street in London, where Holmes and Dr. Watson find a letter from Lupin. The thief states in the letter he will steal five items of great value to England.

Sherlock Holmes Versus Jack the Ripper

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Main article: Sherlock Holmes Versus Jack the Ripper

A fifth installment, Sherlock Holmes Versus Jack the Ripper, was released in March 2009 and had Sherlock Holmes against the infamous serial killer Jack the Ripper. This is the first game in the series to be released on console, specifically Xbox 360. The game consists of poems, puzzles and tasks that take Holmes from one clue to the next.

The Testament of Sherlock Holmes

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Main article: The Testament of Sherlock Holmes

A sixth installment, The Testament of Sherlock Holmes, was released for PC, Xbox 360 PlayStation 3[4][5] in September 2012,[6] and Nintendo Switch in 2023.

The Testament of Sherlock Holmes is set in the London of 1895, with Holmes presented as the main suspect in a case in which he is unable to prove his innocence. It was developed primarily for consoles, and features a new graphic engine and gameplay mechanics.[7]

Crimes & Punishments

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Main article: Sherlock Holmes: Crimes & Punishments

Sherlock Holmes: Crimes & Punishments is the seventh game in the series.[8] The game was released on in September 2014 for PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation 4.[9]

The Devil's Daughter

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Main article: Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter

The eighth game, Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter, was released in June 2016.[10] It is the first game since 2007 not to be published by Focus Home Interactive; instead it was published by Bigben Interactive. No reasons were given for the change of publisher.[11] It was released on the Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC.[12]

Kerry Shale was originally expected to reprise his role as Sherlock,[13] but was later confirmed by Frogwares that the game would focus on a different incarnation of Sherlock Holmes and features a new actor Alex Jordan in the role.[14]

Chapter One

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Main article: Sherlock Holmes Chapter One

The ninth game, Sherlock Holmes Chapter One, was released in November 2021 for PC and PS4, as well as Xbox Series X/S and PS5.

The game is set as an origin story with Sherlock Holmes, being aged twenty-one, returning to the island of Cordona, where he spent a part of his childhood. The main plot revolves around Holmes slowly regaining memories of his mother's death, while also solving different cases on the island.

It is the first game in the series self-published by Frogwares and mechanically takes heavy inspiration from their previous title The Sinking City (for example, being set in an open-world environment).[15]

The Awakened (remake)

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Main article: Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened (2023 video game)

The tenth game in the series, Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened, was released in April 2023. It is a remake of the original version of The Awakened released in 2007 and was released for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch.

Summary

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Title Year Chronology (Classic/New) Platform Gameplay style
PC Xbox 360 Xbox One Xbox Series S/X PS3 PS4 PS5 DS Wii
Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Mummy 2002 8th • • Adventure, First-person
Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Silver Earring 2004 7th • • Adventure, Third-person
Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened 2007 2nd (Classic) • Adventure, First-person in real-time 3D, Third-person and first-person for remastered version
Sherlock Holmes Versus Arsène Lupin 2007 4th • Adventure, first or third person
Sherlock Holmes Versus Jack the Ripper 2009 1st (Classic) • • Adventure. first or third person
The Testament of Sherlock Holmes 2012 5th • • • Adventure
Sherlock Holmes: Crimes & Punishments 2014 3rd • • • • • Adventure
Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter 2016 6th • • • Adventure
Sherlock Holmes Chapter One 2021 1st (New) • • • • • Adventure, Mystery
Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened 2023 2nd (New) A remake of Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened from 2007.

Common elements

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Items and tools

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Throughout several games, Holmes uses his magnifying glass when he inspects things such as crime scenes, mutilated bodies, fingerprints, gashes and scratches—and uses it mostly for finding evidence. It is the only item to appear in most of the series.[citation needed]

He also uses his microscope in checking clues unseen by the naked eye. He has a chemistry set in his flat which he uses to dissolve solute, dissect clues, and find evidence. Each game also provides exploration to find items that Holmes can use later in the game to help solve the case.

Gameplay

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Much of the gameplay throughout the whole series consists of themes and gameplay found in a classic adventure game. Players are encouraged to explore the games' sandbox landscapes, where clues are hidden in them. Point-and-click game-play is also prevalent. The series also lets the players interrogate certain people to gather evidence for the investigation. There are also instances where Holmes disguises himself in order to infiltrate a hostile location to get more evidence. The series lets the player play both Holmes and Watson in either first-person or third-person perspective. Holmes' game-play mostly consists of investigations and finding evidence to come to a conclusion. Watson's game-play mostly consists of him running errands for Holmes and assisting in the investigation, but there are sometimes instances where he takes control of the investigation.

Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Mummy was the first to use the first-person perspective in the series. The Case of the Silver Earring is a point-and-click (mouse-controlled) third-person adventure, and the first one to use this perspective in the series. Clicking in the general direction will usually cause the character to move in that direction. As Holmes, the players spend time searching for important clues, most of which the bumbling police force have missed. Items are at least partly visible, though some are not interactive until an action in the game triggers them. The players can also analyze various clues using Holmes' desktop laboratory.

The Awakened was the first Frogwares title to allow gameplay to take place in an entirely real-time 3D landscape and from a first-person perspective, losing the pre-rendered backgrounds of its predecessors. Like other Sherlock Holmes games by Frogwares, it has an open world environment in every location that can have hidden clues and interactions with NPCs. The inventory system saves all objects, documents, and map locations for later use and can also be used to combine objects. The game can be viewed from a first or third person perspective. It provides the players with icons to indicate what actions Holmes can take within his world, like pick up something or talk to someone.

Development and inspiration

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Origin

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The characters of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson in the game series are modeled using the characters from the ITV series The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and the portrayals by Jeremy Brett and David Burke, respectively.[16]

Graphics and technology

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The Awakened uses fully real-time graphics.

Early games in the series use pre-rendered backgrounds, using them to hide clues in the scene and provide accessible open world landscapes. It features a combination of 2D and 3D styles of view in the background.[17]

The Awakened was the first Frogwares title to allow gameplay to take place in an entirely real-time 3D landscape and from a first-person perspective. Frogwares made a well rendered 3D environment without the normal excessive pixilation that haunted many adventure games.[18] This is mixed with a lush presentation of 19th century London, depicting its characteristic dimly-lit lonely alleyways. The graphics quality was an improvement from all the previous games in the series. Animation in particular became more smoother and much more natural-looking. The third-person camera can also be moved around the character independently, which helps both to find an angle that is comfortable for the players and to take in the surroundings while standing still.[19]

Holmes' face showing a leap in the series' graphics and the use of motion capture.

These upgrades are part of a broader move to attract more console players. After the last game, Frogwares got feedback, from Xbox players in particular, that they wanted more adventure games with 3D graphics and also production values to match what other genres are offering. Frogwares was eager to deliver, though the developer did not forget PC platform, as some speculated.[20]

Sherlock Holmes Versus Jack the Ripper used drawings to depict its murder victims, hiding the full horror of the scenes out of respect for the real historical victims. The new games in the series differ from this (especially The Testament of Sherlock Holmes); holding no restraint in displaying the grisly murders, the characters depicted are purely fictional.[19]

The Testament of Sherlock Holmes is the first in the series to have a great leap in graphics. Designers used motion capture to get realism in characterization. The game also benefits from a new light and shadow system, various post-treatment image effects, and high quality voice-over and cinematographic direction.[21]

Casual games

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In addition to the main series, Frogwares (by itself or through its casual division Waterlily) has developed four casual games, with simplified gameplay. They're generally less faithful to the canon, with fantasy and supernatural themes, for a younger target audience.

Release timeline
2008Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Persian Carpet
2009
2010Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of Osborne House
2011Sherlock Holmes and the Hound of the Baskervilles
2012Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Frozen City

Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Persian Carpet

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Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Persian Carpet was released in mid-2008. Unlike the preceding games, The Mystery of the Persian Carpet is primarily an object hunt game. The game was rated poorly and was generally considered a disappointing follow-up to Sherlock Holmes Versus Jack the Ripper. GameSpot's review of the game found it "not all that appropriate as a sequel to the other adventures that Sherlock and Watson have been starring in during the past few years".[22]

Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of Osborne House

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Main article: Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of Osborne House

Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of Osborne House is the first in the series to be made and published for the Nintendo DS. In this game, Holmes investigates a robbery and a deep conspiracy in Buckingham Palace.

Sherlock Holmes and the Hound of the Baskervilles

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Sherlock Holmes and the Hound of the Baskervilles, released in 2011 for PC and Nintendo DS and loosely based on the novel of the same name, is a hidden object game that features heavy supernatural themes. While the titular hound in the original story is a legend used to cover up a murder, the hound in the game is a supernatural monster associated with a curse, and the player is assisted by magical items and the ghosts of deceased members of the Baskerville family.

Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Frozen City

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Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Frozen City was released in October 2012 for the Nintendo 3DS.[23] According to review aggregator Metacritic, the game received mixed to negative reviews.[24]

Summary

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Title Year Chronology Platform Gameplay style
PC 3DS DS
Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Persian Carpet 2008 • Primarily an object hunt game
Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of Osborne House 2010 • Casual game
Sherlock Holmes and the Hound of the Baskervilles 2011 • • Casual game
Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Frozen City 2012 • Casual game

Reception

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Aggregate review scores
As of 25 April 2023; PC scores only.
Game Year GameRankings Metacritic
Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Mummy 2002 63%[25] 61/100[26]
Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Silver Earring 2004 70%[27] 68/100[28]
Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened 2007 71%[29] 72/100[30]
Sherlock Holmes Versus Arsène Lupin 2007 73%[31] 71/100[32]
Sherlock Holmes Versus Jack the Ripper 2009 72%[33] 73/100[34]
The Testament of Sherlock Holmes 2012 68%[35] 64/100[36]
Sherlock Holmes: Crimes & Punishments 2014 75%[37] 73/100[38]
Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter 2016 69%[39] 71/100[40]
Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One 2021 —[a] 69/100[42]
Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened 2023 —[a] 76/100[43]

The games are a commercial success. The series has sold "3 or 4 million copies", mostly on PC, as of 2012.[44]

Recognition

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A few titles of the series have also garnered awards from various gaming websites and communities. Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened earned GameSpot's "Best Use of a License" award in 2007.[45] It was also nominated for GameSpot's and IGN's "Best PC Adventure Game of 2007" awards.[46][47] In 2011, Adventure Gamers named The Awakened the 80th-best adventure game ever released.[48]

The Testament of Sherlock Holmes was awarded "Best of the Rest" in the Honorary Aggie Award category by the website Adventure Gamers, saying that "the surprising story of Sherlock's apparent fall from grace was thoroughly engaging right from the start and kept the momentum up through well-crafted characters and plenty of twists and turns. Topped off with stunning visuals and an impressive orchestral soundtrack, this was Frogwares at their finest".[49]

Notes

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  1. ^ a b GameRankings ceased operations on December 9, 2019, and was redirected to Metacritic.[41]

References

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  1. ^ "Frogwares Game Development Studio". Archived from the original on 26 July 2007. Retrieved 21 June 2007.
  2. ^ Tong, Sophia (28 July 2008). "Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Mummy Hands-On". Archived from the original on 1 November 2015. Play as the famous Sherlock Holmes in this PC remake that has been redesigned for the Nintendo DS.
  3. ^ Todd, Brett (27 March 2007). "Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened for PC Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 1 July 2007. Retrieved 21 June 2007.
  4. ^ "Elementary! New Images of The Testament Sherlock Holmes". sherlockholmes-thegame. Archived from the original on 9 July 2011.
  5. ^ "The Testament of Sherlock Holmes delayed to late 2011". News.bigdownload.com. 17 November 2010. Archived from the original on 8 August 2011. Retrieved 29 August 2011.
  6. ^ "Game website of Testament of Sherlock Holmes". Archived from the original on 25 August 2012. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  7. ^ "Sherlock Holmes". Sherlockholmes-thegame.com. Archived from the original on 28 March 2012. Retrieved 28 August 2011.
  8. ^ Matulef, Jeffrey (2 February 2013). "Crimes & Punishments, the New Adventure of Sherlock Holmes announced". Eurogamer. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
  9. ^ Matulef, Jeffrey (19 September 2013). "Sherlock Holmes adventure Crimes & Punishments announced for PlayStation 4". Eurogamer. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
  10. ^ "Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter Launching on 27 May for PS4, XB1 & PC". PlayStationLifeStyle.net. 9 February 2016. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
  11. ^ "New Sherlock Holmes Game Airs in 2016". 8 May 2015. Archived from the original on 21 July 2015. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  12. ^ "Bigben Interactive and Frogwares Reveal the New Sherlock Holmes Game". 22 October 2015. Archived from the original on 22 November 2015. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
  13. ^ Kerry Shale [@kerryshale] (24 October 2015). "Watch this space, Mark. I'm expecting a call, but the voices are added towards the end of the production" (Tweet). Retrieved 25 October 2015 – via Twitter.
  14. ^ Davey, Jamie (14 April 2016). "Frogwares delays Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter until 10th June, 2016". GameWatcher. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  15. ^ Fillari, Alessandro (25 May 2020). "The Sinking City Devs Are Tackling Sherlock Holmes Origin Story In A New Game". GameSpot. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  16. ^ "Game Credits For Sherlock Holmes: Nemesis". Moby Games. Archived from the original on 16 February 2009. Retrieved 20 February 2009.
  17. ^ "Adventure game: Sherlock Holmes and the case of the silver earring Review". Archived from the original on 30 December 2010. Retrieved 27 August 2011.
  18. ^ "Adventure game: Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened Review". 20 March 2007. Retrieved 27 August 2011.
  19. ^ a b "Adventure game: Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened Review". Retrieved 27 August 2011.
  20. ^ "Adventure game: Testament Of Sherlock Holmes". Retrieved 27 August 2011.
  21. ^ "Production". Game Website, Testament of Sherlock Holmes. Archived from the original on 7 July 2014. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
  22. ^ Todd, Brett (21 May 2010). "Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Persian Carpet Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 1 November 2015. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
  23. ^ Frogwares (18 September 2012). "Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of the Frozen City for 3DS". WordPress. Archived from the original on 11 January 2014. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
  24. ^ "Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of the Frozen City for 3DS Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
  25. ^ "Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Mummy Reviews". GameRankings. Archived from the original on 9 December 2019. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  26. ^ "Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Mummy for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  27. ^ "Sherlock Holmes: The Silver Earring Reviews". GameRankings. Archived from the original on 9 December 2019. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  28. ^ "Sherlock Holmes: The Silver Earring for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  29. ^ "Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened Reviews". GameRankings. Archived from the original on 9 December 2019. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  30. ^ "Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened (2007) for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  31. ^ "Sherlock Holmes: Nemesis Reviews". GameRankings. Archived from the original on 9 December 2019. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  32. ^ "Sherlock Holmes: Nemesis for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  33. ^ "Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper Reviews". GameRankings. Archived from the original on 9 December 2019. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  34. ^ "Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  35. ^ "The Testament of Sherlock Holmes for Xbox 360". GameRankings. Archived from the original on 9 December 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  36. ^ "The Testament of Sherlock Holmes for Xbox 360 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  37. ^ "Sherlock Holmes: Crimes & Punishments for PlayStation 4". GameRankings. Archived from the original on 8 December 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  38. ^ "Sherlock Holmes: Crimes & Punishments for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  39. ^ "Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter for PlayStation 4". GameRankings. Archived from the original on 9 December 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  40. ^ "Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  41. ^ Plunkett, Luke (5 December 2019). "RIP Gamerankings.com". Kotaku. G/O Media. Archived from the original on 18 March 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  42. ^ "Sherlock Holmes Chapter One for PlayStation 5 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  43. ^ "Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened for PlayStation 5 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  44. ^ Campbell, Colin (21 September 2012). "Sherlock Holmes Returns to Investigative Gaming". IGN. Archived from the original on 27 September 2014. Retrieved 21 June 2007.
  45. ^ "Frogwares Game Development Studio". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 30 March 2012. Retrieved 21 June 2007.
  46. ^ "IGN: Best of 2007". IGN. Archived from the original on 25 December 2007. Retrieved 21 June 2007.
  47. ^ Staff. "Best of 2007; Genre Awards: Best Adventure Game". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 30 November 2009.
  48. ^ AG Staff (30 December 2011). "Top 100 All-Time Adventure Games". Adventure Gamers. Archived from the original on 4 June 2012.
  49. ^ "Aggie Awards 2012". Adventure Gamers. 25 March 2012. Retrieved 25 March 2012.
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