Sherlock Holmes vs Jack the Ripper PC Video Game Review
The Good Parts (4 out of 5)
Sherlock Holmes vs Jack the Ripper closely follows the historical trail of Jack’s activities in the White Chapel area. The storyline is a well-written and extremely engaging tale that immerses your mind using detailed investigative procedures and excellent voice acting. You’ll wander around the White Chapel area from crime scene to crime scene and use your perception to figure out the mystery. The close up views of the bodies and the scenes allows you to use your intelligence to come to your own conclusions about Jack the Ripper and his activities.
The Bad Parts (4 out of 5)
Sherlock Holmes vs Jack the Ripper contains many interesting and well constructed quests and tasks for you to undertake, but a few are a little mundane and boring to complete. These mundane quests contain puzzles and tasks that are a little too orthodox to entertain hardcore gamers but casual gamers should be slightly entertained. You’ll have to follow the police from scene to scene on occasion to keep up with the action and spend time at 221B Baker Street combing through the clues to establish the times of the murders and other facts.
The Graphical Picture (3 out of 5)
The atmosphere of the environments in Sherlock Holmes vs Jack the Ripper immerses your senses in the game play beautifully. Putting a magnifying glass to the bodies of Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes and Jack’s other three victims allows you to see bruises and other clues that have pretty good detail. All the murder scenes have been reproduced in detail, so you get a close up view of Jack’s work. The detail of the blood and bodies isn’t particularly graphic in nature, so this video game is good for older kids. The menus used are useful and look nice, and they help you figure out the clues that are important as you play. The animations are simple, since there’s no real combat or action to push the limits of your computer, but they’re smooth and useful.
Sounds in the Game (4 out of 5)
The engaging sound track included with Sherlock Holmes vs Jack the Ripper is wonderfully matched to the feeling and energy of the scenes. The included songs are never very energetic but they’re appropriate for the action occurring on the screen and keep you in the action occurring around you as you try to figure out who Jack the Ripper really is. The voice acting is excellent and sets up the action and atmosphere in the environments to make trying to figure out the mystery really immersive.
The Story Line (5 out of 5)
Sherlock Holmes vs Jack the Ripper tells the tale of the unfolding events surrounding the murders of five prostitutes in the White Chapel district of London in the year of our lord 1888. The script was developed using the historical newspaper and police records of the time when the murders occurred. Gamers who like a well-told tale along with their video game action will love the way the story is constructed around the historical events.
Playability (4 out of 5)
Sherlock Holmes vs Jack the Ripper is a very playable gaming adventure for those who prefer a story-driven title over an action title. You get to control both Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson as they try to stop the murders and determine the identity of Jack the Ripper. You need to take the clues and evidence you find at the murder scenes and link them together to form conclusions about his identity. You’ll also need to piece together torn notes, assemble objects, and complete simple puzzles as you progress through the game. This set-up is very engaging and challenging and will make you think as you play Sherlock Holmes vs Jack the Ripper.
The Final Word (4 out of 5)
Sherlock Holmes vs Jack the Ripper is a video game adventure that is suitable for all ages and types of gamers. The production values are above average in this adventure title and playing Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson is satisfying and enjoyable. Gamers who like to figure out a good mystery or a historical adventure tale will find hours and hours of fun in Sherlock Holmes vs Jack the Ripper.