It is evident that Frogwares, the Ukrainian studio in charge of Sherlock Holmes video games, is going through a difficult time. The latest installment of the most beloved detective of all time, Sherlock Holmes Chapter One, was released last November, with very positive reviews for being the developer’s most ambitious adventure to date. This study has always shown that they are capable of developing great and fun Sherlock Holmes games, so from SomosXbox we bring you an interesting analysis of Sherlock Holmes: The Devil’s Daughter Redux.
Sherlock Holmes is back with The Devil’s Daughter, which was released for Xbox One in 2016 and has now been re-released under Redux. All players who want to replay this interesting title or enter it for the first time, will have to do it 100% under this new version, which is the only one available on the Microsoft Store. Sherlock Holmes: The Devil’s Daughter Redux brings back all the good and the bad of its previous version, which we are going to analyze in detail like the good detectives that we are.
Sherlock Holmes: The Devil’s Daughter Redux review – Xbox One
Sherlock Holmes: The Devil’s Daughter Redux takes us through the majestic Victorian London, where with the help of the well-known British detective, his companion Watson and the hound Toby, we will have to solve five completely different cases that intermingle with each other in the Sherlock story. Infiltration, stealth, combat, interrogations, investigations or persecutions through the dark neighborhoods of London, are some of the many things that we will be able to do in this Redux version of Sherlock Holmes The Devil’s Daughter that has not been translated into Spanish, although it does have subtitles.
Very funny and varied cases with different playable characters
As with Crimes & Punishments, we will have to solve a series of cases that are not fully written, since we will have the absolute freedom to conclude a case one way or another through the decisions. For the most part, the rate of cases is quite fast, maintaining suspense at all times and with crescendos in the final stretches of these. One of the important points of this issue is that the cases are not repeated at any time, but rather cover a variety of very interesting topicssuch as disappearances, murders, accidents and the very life of our detective Sherlock in danger.
As we have said, each case feels completely different. We will have to travel to different locations, always returning to Sherlock Holmes’s house, where we have a shelf with files to retrieve more information from the clues we have obtained. In the same house we also have a map that we will use on some occasions and a Chemistry table, which will help us analyze things that will also provide us with information for specific cases.
The game has two difficulties: bloodhound detective and expert bloodhound. Playing on normal difficulty, the cases are not complicated at all, although we will have to use our heads to link and relate what is happening when we have to examine the evidence to reach a final decision. Depending on the case we meet, not only Sherlock will be the only playable character, since our dog Toby will help us to look for traces. The Dr. Watson is a character very similar to Sherlock, which will help us to help the detective in the most tense moments. In addition, on the streets of London we have a young man who will also help us, among others.
Rough gameplay and elaborate minigames
In general, the gameplay is a bit dated, since it is very rough when it comes to handling the character, feeling very uncomfortable, as well as with the interaction of certain things in the environment. The gameplay of Sherlock Holmes The Devil’s Daughter Redux has personally caused me to get straight to the point and a little faster than I expected. But still, it’s still a fun game with a very original story through the different cases.
The process when investigating a subject also seems quite rough and boring to me. Personally, I ended up hitting the A button to find the clues, since on top of that, the game is not very intuitive at times, especially when we have to go to a specific location. I add that I have rarely used detective skills, apart from the moments in which the game has indicated it to me, since it seems that the game itself does not need them.
One of the things that surprised me were some typical mini-games like lockpicks or safes that we’ve seen in games like Fallout or The Elder Scrolls, which Frogwares has been able to bring to this detective game with a lot of originality and simplicity. There is also a minigame identical to petanque which was funnier than I thought, and you’ll find it at the beginning of the second case. Similarly, at Sherlock’s house we have a Chemistry table to investigate some tests, which is also entertaining and makes you feel a little more detective.
Performance, graphics and load times
The performance is not the most enviable, since in open areas like the city, the game does not go well at all. On FPS issues, it seems to have drops from 30 FPS, the textures of the houses and the objects in the environment are loaded many times as we advance, the NPC’s appear suddenly… Even in the matter of textures, when we go from a closed area to an open area, whether with cinematics or not , also gives errors super uncomfortable to look at. On other occasions, the game does not let you move forward as it suddenly loads the area and the textures for a few seconds, something very uncomfortable and that takes us out of the adventure. In addition, many objects vibrate and take time to charge, including clothes and items in our closet.
Graphically it is nothing to write home about, but it is conspicuously acceptable, with very detailed scenarios, especially in closed areas where the game does not seem to have any problems, beyond the typical 30 FPS that we are leaving aside with the new generation of consoles. The reflections are remarkable for the year in which it was developed and the ambient sounds are very successful.
As you can see, the performance is not very good, to which we add the tedious and long loading times when traveling. Although we have to say that Frogwares managed to make the load times not as heavy as they seem, since they leave us with the moving carriage, the ambient sound and the possibility of reviewing the case and even linking clues.
Conclusion of Sherlock Holmes: The Devil’s Daughter Redux
Sherlock Holmes: The Devil’s Daughter Redux is a very fun and visually acceptable game, where we can feel like one more detective in Victorian London and all the dangers that surround it. The notorious and annoying technical problems are a major setback, since they take us out of the adventure in most cases. This Frogwares re-release under the Redux version is still very poorly optimized, which is a shame as it is one of the best Sherlock Holmes and detective games around.