Crimes And Punishment breathed new life into the Sherlock Holmes line of video games for many gamers, and it showed us that Sherlock was capable of offering us a huge thrill packed mystery that keep us guessing every other second and of a game that will offer free roam and clue investigating as well as criminal prosecuting as we see fit. Not only that, but with Holmes intuitive perception abilities that almost seem to border the lines of mind reading and magic, there is no crime scene that you cant get a grip of understanding from. So, the question in hand is Sherlock Holmes: The Devils Daughter any better than its predecessor or does it fall flat? I believe it surpasses the fun level and overall experiences of Crimes And Punishments and betters several aspects of it despite all the negative reviews which by the way are ALL false. You CANT HELP but love this game if you did indeed love Crimes And Punishments.
The formula from C&M remains remotely the same, with a few new tweaks and improvements. You will have full control of Holmes and be able to roam freely around limited access areas and the various crime scenes Holmes will investigate. The city around Baker Street where Holmes resides at is even made bigger and explorable and although there is little to be seen or of relevance there, you cant help but appreciate the nod the dev's make to open world freedom. Other than that, players are allowed the same freedoms as C&M, with crime scenes being fairly small and limited. The world is much more nice to look at this time too, with the beautiful designs of the environs made obvious over the dull and gray pale look of Crime And Punishment's gloomy designs.
The biggest set of great news about the game, however is the choice to bring back the awesome feature of Holmes perceptive and genius detective skill set. He can spot things in the dirt before others, or notice the most minute of details that others would surely think nothing of, and he can also draw up on any conclusions from the clues you find and from there present himself with different motives and reasons behind the crimes. These skills make it fun and interesting to play and are surprisingly quite thought provoking and don't appear to be as simple as they may seem. The crime scenes aren't big but some of the cases have vast number of clues scattered ALL about and finding all requires a keen eye and good intuition. Holmes also has the freedom to choose his own way to prosecute the guilty party whether it be by laying the hard hammer of justice on them or by sparing them any consequences and letting them walk free. This time around I felt compelled to do both depending on which cases I was on as opposed to Crimes And Punishment where I always convicted the guilty party to the fullest. Dear old Dr. Watson also makes a return and can offer Holmes aid in some cases should you need it. He also sports a new look. Toby, Holmes hound dog is here again as well, and his nose may produce results later on. There are many possible suspects and often times, your first initial thoughts on who may have committed the crime likely will change should you investigate the matter further and uncover more and more facts about the crimes. The cases are awesome and a blast to play especially for the first time around!!
Easily one of the most underrated games of 2016, in my opinion Devils Daughter enhanced the possibilities and experience of a good Sherlock Holmes game. While the story may have slacked a little, (which is why I scored the game a 9/10 stars), the new fresh features are welcomed and the return of some of the mechanics that made Crime And Punishments a hit in the gaming world are what really offer the most. Sure, don't go expecting a 100 hour mystery here, but all in all, worth every dime I spent and enjoyed every one of the smartly devised and thought provoking criminal cases I pursued! Amazing thriller detective experience!!