Sherlock Holmes uncovers new Crimes and Punishments screens

Frogwares’ newest Sherlock Holmes adventure, Crimes and Punishments, not only looks better than any previous installment, but it’s taking the lead character’s famous sleuthing abilities to new heights.

The greatest detective in the history of literary fiction (which I can say because Batman is technically a comic book character), Holmes’ ability to analyze a scene and deduce traits about assailants unknown is legendary- speaking of comic books, it’s almost a superpower unto itself! Till now though, the video game version of the consulting detective has mainly been restricted to simple point-and-click mechanics to get this across in some way for gamers playing as Holmes.

For Crimes and Punishments though, Frogwares had added an astounding 14 new gameplay mechanics that are all aimed squarely at making the player feel more like Sherlock Holmes.

But the change of game engine has not only improved the graphics; new investigation techniques have been developed and the game can now offer 14 game mechanics. From the opening of each of the eight investigations up to the arrest of the culprits and the moral dilemmas faced by the players, the new game mechanics convey the feeling of BEING Sherlock Holmes. Players will therefore be able to exploit the incredible gifts and talents for which he is renowned, such as his ability to guess the details of an individual’s life simply by observing them, or to imagine and reconstruct a past event by studying the key features of a crime scene.

I’m a pretty big fan of Holmes (including the awesome modern-set Cumberbatch version) so you could probably say I’m excited to try out what the developer has in store for the consulting detective. From the Unreal Engine 3’s addition to the over a dozen new gameplay enhancements (on what was already a really fun game), this should be one for Holmsian fans to really dig into like a hastily dug grave.

Look for Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments to hit the PS3/4, Xbox 360 and PC sometime in 2014.