Uncover the truth behind Sherlock Holme's disappearance in Lost Detective

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by Chrisanna Lazaridou on 29 November 2015 · 4484 views

As a long-time fan of the Sherlock Holmes books, I never miss a chance to watch a movie/series or play a game with my favorite detective (Hercule Poirot holds the same spot in my heart too though). For that reason, I was delighted to play and review Sherlock Holmes: Lost Detective, a game based on Sherlock Holmes' strange disappearance. This definitely made it even more interesting and a must play in my book. The game’s format follows the so called Hidden Objects genre in which you look for clues, investigate crime scenes, interrogate witnesses and suspects, and find the answers behind the crimes.The developers did a great job creating a mysterious and captivating setting for the player to be engulfed in.

Plot

Over a century ago, the famous detective Sherlock Holmes disappeared leaving no trace behind. Time jump on present day, when mysterious murders start happening, all of which are connected to Sherlock Holmes cases. Our character is a Scotland Yard rookie who is called to investigate these strange cases and maybe even uncover the secret behind the famous detective’s disappearance. A masked man who claims to be behind the murders and a strange person who calls himself Sherlock Holmes are the key characters that will lead you to the truth.

Gameplay

The game begins with you choosing whether you wish to play as a male or female character. After that you are taken to the 1^st crime scene. The game is separated in episodes in each of which you examine different locations and try to find answers regarding previous episodes. To be able to begin an episode you need to spend energy. You get one energy every 2-3’ so it’ll be hard to run out of them.

One of the main objects is to find the items asked of you at the bottom of the screen and that are scattered around in each scene. The faster you find them the more points and stars you will collect. Each item also rewards you with XP points and coins. You can also use the Hints function which points you to an item you’re having a hard time finding. Hints are limited though and you’ll have to spend diamonds to make use of more later on so use them wisely.

Important clues will be taken to the lab to be examined. Analyzing the clues takes some time but you have the option to speed up the process by spending diamonds. Usually the waiting time for this process is not long so I suggest you keep diamonds for things that take an hour or more to complete (if you don't wish to wait that is). You also have the ability to zoom in on objects like bags, closets and more, to find clues when the magnifying glass appears on screen. Also, the sparkles that appear occasionally mark spots where you will find useful hidden objects. You drag and drop item from the inventory when needed (like keys to unlock doors). More functions will appear as you progress, such as lighting up dark rooms and more.There is also a progress icon to help you keep track of the actions you completed successfully and for what the next goal is.

Among the things you’ll have to do is to restore torn papers by putting the pieces in the right order and in right rotation, solve various puzzles and interact with people (witnesses or suspects) which is important to find info about the cases so listen to them carefully. If you don’t have enough stars to complete a goal, you can always go back to an episode and score higher.

In-App Purchases

There are 3 kinds of bundles that you can purchase from the shop. Diamonds, Coins and Energy. To be more precise, Diamonds are the currency you use to purchase Energy which is important to advance on the game, and they are also used to speed up some goals that take time and to buy hints. The prices for Diamonds range from $1.99 for 20 Diamonds and reach up to $ 95.99 for 1,250 Diamonds. The same prices apply to the coin bundles too, but for different amounts of coins. I know the prices are high but there’s basically no need to make use of the IAP unless you really want to, because the game plays quite fairly on this aspect. The daily bonuses also help with that.

Graphics & Sounds

Similarly to other games of this genre, Lost Detective is also 2D designed with detailed environments, vibrant colors and unique character designs. They each have a distinct design that gives them personality and makes them stand out. The BG music is also very fitting of a mystery dealing with Sherlock Holmes. It is reminiscent of the Victorian era and that gives the game a different, nostalgic feeling despite taking place in the present day.

Conclusion

Sherlock Holmes: Lost Detective is a game that will be hard to let go of once you start playing, and that goes especially to those of you who can’t get enough of crime/mystery games. Although it doesn’t add something new to the gameplay formula, its captivating story will be enough to hold your interest and make your need to find out the truth stronger every time you progress a bit further. If you’re familiar with the Sherlock Holmes cases (the most known ones) you’ll enjoy it even more because it is based on them.