Ukrainian developer Frogwares has a nearly 20-year history with the famous detective Sherlock Holmes and the lovable Dr. John Watson. The studio released its first Sherlock Holmes game, The Mystery of the Mummy, in 2002. Now, the developer is preparing to release its latest installment featuring the detective duo with Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One, due out later this year.
Before the next game comes out, it's worthwhile to take a retrospective look at the historic main series of Sherlock Holmes games by Frogwares to see which ones stand at the top. The score averages are taken from critic scores across Metacritic and Internet Games Database. For the purposes of this list, a series of non-canonical titles released for handhelds and aimed at a more casual audience are not included.
7. Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Mummy - 60.5/100
Mystery of the Mummy was Frogwares' first foray into the sleuthing world of Sherlock Holmes. Initially released for PC in 2002, it was later ported to Nintendo DS by Mistic Software. A Wii version was scheduled but canceled. Mystery of the Mummy is a first-person point-and-click adventure, and it is noted for being quite short. The game sends the famous detective on the hunt for a missing Egyptologist, Lord Montcalfe, who is presumed dead by suicide. Players explore Montcalfe's mansion at the behest of his daughter to find out what truly happened to him. Most notably, Dr. Watson does not join Holmes; instead, he was on vacation during the events of the game.
7. Sherlock Holmes: Nemesis - 60.5/100
Also known as Sherlock Holmes Versus Arsène Lupin in Europe, Nemesis is the fourth entry in Frogwares' series. Released in 2007 for PC, the game initially focused on a third-person perspective for exploration, but the 2010 remaster included a third-person point-and-click mode. Nemesis is a crossover with French author Maurice Leblanc's Arsène Lupin. Taking place after the events of The Awakened, Holmes and Lupin go head-to-head in a battle of wits. Lupin informs Holmes that he will steal various artifacts, and it is up to Holmes to foil the thief's plans.
6. Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened - 67/100
The Awakened is the third Sherlock Holmes game by Frogwares and marks the developer's biggest departure from its earlier efforts. Released in 2007 for PC, The Awakened does away with the point-and-click interface and is the first 3D Sherlock Holmes game. Players explore using a first-person perspective, although a 2008 remaster brought back both the third-person puzzle-solving and the point-and-click interface (to less favorable critical reception). The Awakened enters the world of Lovecraftian horror and its most famous tentacled beast. The game begins with a kidnapping and ends with Holmes and Watson traveling the world to unravel a much bigger mystery.
5. Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter - 67.25/100
The latest release from Frogwares, The Devil's Daughter came out in 2016 for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. This game explored a different avenue of horror than Holmes typically ventures into, including his brush with Cthulhu mythology in The Awakened. The Devil's Daughter, as one might guess from the title, features a more diabolical plotline that includes a quest with an exorcist. Overall, critics considered the story of The Devil's Daughter to be one of Frogwares' best, but the gameplay held the title back.
4. Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Silver Earring - 68/100
Frogwares came back stronger for its second outing with Sherlock Holmes in The Case of the Silver Earring, also known as Secret of the Silver Earring. Instead of retaining the first-person perspective, the game switched to third-person for its puzzle-solving. Released in 2004 for PC, Case of the Silver Earring was later ported to the Wii in 2011. This game sees both Holmes and Dr. Watson in attendance at a party where the host is killed. Cue the duo taking up the case, and the rest of the game leaves the player to sort through the politics of the victim Sir Bromsby's death.
3. Sherlock Holmes Versus Jack the Ripper - 69.5/100
Sherlock Holmes Versus Jack the Ripper is the fifth entry in Frogwares' Sherlock Holmes series. Taking place in 1888 during the time of the Ripper murders, Holmes follows the trail of mutilated women to discover who the infamous serial killer is. Released in 2009 for both PC and Xbox 360, Sherlock Holmes Versus Jack the Ripper features both first and third-person perspective options right off the bat. It is worth noting that this score excludes the Xbox 360 port, which was developed by Spiders rather than Frogwares. Overall, the Xbox 360 version received a much poorer critical reception.
2. Sherlock Holmes: Crimes & Punishments - 74/100
The seventh game in the series, Crimes & Punishments released in 2014 for PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One. Unlike early releases, Frogwares handled the game's development for all platforms. Crimes & Punishments was split into six different cases and introduced a morality system to the game. This character reputation system, which more and more games seemed to be adopting around this time frame, was designed to impact how events played out based on which style of sleuthing players chose. In this respect, Crimes & Punishments offered some leeway for players to choose how they went about solving puzzles.
1. The Testament of Sherlock Holmes - 74.5/100
Sherlock Holmes himself is the suspect in the sixth entry to Frogwares' detective series. Released in 2012 on PC and later ported to PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, The Testament of Sherlock Holmes marks the second Mature-rated game in the series. The drama unfolds as the city of London and even Holmes' friend Dr. Watson himself suspect Holmes of theft and manipulation. The player then has to gather clues and ultimately prove Holmes' innocence. The Testament of Sherlock Holmes was a turning point from Frogwares, representing a step up in its detective storytelling and gameplay elements.