Sherlock Holmes Video Game Series

The first installment of the series, Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Mummy, debuted on PC in 2002. The action was presented from a first-person perspective (FPP), and we moved around the locations in leaps, as in the first parts of the Myst series. The goal of Holmes, was to unravel the mystery of the disappearance of the famous archaeologist.

The sequel, titled Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Silver Earring was released on PC in 2004. Here, Sherlock and his faithful companion Dr. Watson were tasked with discovering the identity of the person that killed construction magnate Sir Melvyn Bromsby. This was also the first part of the series in which events were observed from a variety of "cinematic" shots.

The third installment of the series, Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened, came out in 2006. In an effort to solve the mystery of a young man's disappearance, Holmes and Watson must unravel a mysterious and dangerous sect whose members worship ancient and powerful beings. To bring the investigation to a conclusion, Holmes and Watson must keep their nerves in check and not let the foreboding entities overtake their senses. It is worth noting that this was the first game in the series to offer a fully three-dimensional environment.

Sherlock Holmes Versus Arsene Lupin (also known as Sherlock Holmes: Nemesis was released on PC a little over a year later, in late October 2007. This time Holmes decided to accept the challenge of the king of thieves - Arsene Lupin - and attempted to capture him, interrupting his series of grand thefts across London.

The fifth installment of the series, Sherlock Holmes Versus Jack the Ripper, once again took us to the English capital. The game was released in 2009. As the title suggests, the protagonist had to face Jack the Ripper, one of the most famous serial killers in history.

Fans of the series had to wait until 2012 to get The Testament of Sherlock Holmes. Here, Sherlock was accused of committing murder, by which he not only lost the respect of Londoners, but also began to lose the trust of Dr. Watson himself. Holmes' main task, therefore, was to clear his name. The game offered refreshed mechanics and much better graphics, thanks to the new engine.

The seventh installment of the series, Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments, was released in 2014. This time there was not one, but as many as six cases waiting for Holmes to solve. The developers introduced a number of novelties like making choices that affected the course of the plot; the game even allowed you to choose the wrong perpetrator.

In 2016, we got the eighth part of the series, titled Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter. In it, Sherlock and Watson had to carry out five difficult investigations and discover the identity of the perpetrators of the crimes across London.

The ninth installment in the series, Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One, was the first that the Frogwares studio decided to release by themselves. The game debuted in 2021 and was a prequel to the entire series, allowing players to take on the role of a young and still inexperienced detective. In it, the protagonist returned to his native Mediterranean island, where he became embroiled in some major intrigue. The game offered, among other things, an open world, which Sherlock could freely roam, as well as introduced action sequences that diversified the gameplay; nevertheless, the detective could only reach for his weapon in moments provided for by the storyline. The game also featured choices that influenced the course of the story.

In 2023, we got a remake of Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened. Compared to the original, this game stood out due to a slightly altered storyline (the developers decided to make it a direct continuation of Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One) and modified mechanics (modernized and adapted to the third-person perspective). In addition, the visuals were thoroughly refreshed.

In addition to the main installments, over the years the series got various spin-offs. These games were of a slightly smaller caliber, maintained in a slightly less dark and serious tone, with simplified mechanics, and sometimes enriched with fantastic themes. The spin-offs include Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Persian Carpet (2008), Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of Osborne House (2010), Sherlock Holmes and the Hound of the Baskervilles (2011), and Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Frozen City (2012).