The Testament of Sherlock Holmes PlayStation 3
Metascore
65 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 16 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 16
  3. Negative: 0 out of 16
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  1. Game Informer
    Sep 26, 2012
    75
    Frogwares doesn't pull any punches in its irreverent yet thoughtful portrayal of the detective, and is similarly unflinching in the intelligence and attention to detail it demands of players. The Testament joins that small, respected group of M-rated games that actually require maturity from players; recommending this case to adventure game fans is elementary.
  2. Playstation Official Magazine Australia
    Nov 9, 2012
    70
    Being Sherlock Holmes is a welcome of pace. He's no Downey Jr., but this videogame version is still an amoral prick who 's totally down with poisoning plebs, breaking and entering, prodding corpses, and threatening some of the ugliest children ever rendered digitally. Aside from explosions, QTEs and loot, more could you want from a game? [December 2012, p76]
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  3. Playstation: The Official Magazine (US)
    Oct 23, 2012
    70
    Not based on any particular Sherlock Holmes story, this is a throwback to the point-and-click adventures of old, but with the clue-finding mechanics of L.A. Noire and puzzles that feel like old-school Resident Evil games. [Dec 2012, p.85]
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  4. PSX Extreme
    Sep 28, 2012
    70
    If you want a break from the hectic and edge-of-your-seat intensity found in the blockbusters, give your brain a chance to churn.
  5. Gameblog.fr
    Sep 28, 2012
    70
    Quotation forthcoming.
  6. InsideGamer.nl
    Oct 13, 2012
    67
    The Testament of Sherlock Holmes tries to capture the dark side of the master detective, but thanks to the awkward animations we barely recognize Holmes. The clunky controls make discovering a crime scene a grueling experience, but the game does excel in the things it's supposed to excel in: many different puzzles and some great detective work.
  7. Official PlayStation Magazine Benelux
    Nov 12, 2012
    66
    The biggest strength of The Testament of Sherlock Holmes is its atypical, riveting story and the adult themes and settings it explores. Dark dungeons and maimed corpses accentuate the mental decay of the once great detective. [November 2012, p.72]
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  8. GameCritics
    Dec 13, 2012
    65
    The Testament of Sherlock Holmes's execution is ordinary, and its flaws elementary.
  9. Playstation Official Magazine UK
    Nov 15, 2012
    60
    Sherlock's inconsistencies eventually exhaust you. [Dec 2012, p.115]
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  10. PSX-Sense.nl
    Oct 29, 2012
    60
    A surprisingly deep puzzle game supported by a great storyline... if you can put-up with the lousy control scheme, the graphical let-down, the terrible voice acting and an overall frustratingly slow pace.
  11. Gamer.no
    Oct 27, 2012
    60
    The Testament of Sherlock Holmes is a decent adventure game with some interesting elements like the "deduction board". It depicts old London in a good way, but sadly it feels a bit rushed and doesn't have any lasting appeal.
  12. TotalPlayStation
    Oct 22, 2012
    60
    A budget game through and through, it still manages to tell an interesting story but the whole experience is brought down by technical limitations and uninspired puzzle solving. The game would have felt out of date a decade ago.
  13. Thunderbolt
    Oct 10, 2012
    60
    The Testament of Sherlock Holmes isn't so much a detective game, but a puzzle title, one that limits its audience given its difficult old skool approach. On top of that, its outdated graphics and terrible frame rate asks more of its players to swallow before taking things seriously.
  14. Impulsegamer
    Oct 8, 2012
    60
    The Testament of Sherlock Holmes is an intriguing and well-written interactive adventure, it's just a shame that less attention was paid towards the presentation. It may be just the PS3 version, but the frame rate may be an unfortunate distraction for people used to the high standard set by the current generation of hardware. For fans of the series and characters however, there's plenty of solid narrative and development that may cause you to look at your beloved Holmes in a much darker light.
  15. PlayStation LifeStyle
    Oct 5, 2012
    60
    If you are a fan of mystery games, and a fan of Sherlock Holmes, you'll enjoy this title. If you are looking for a fast paced, action style game, look elsewhere.
  16. Play UK
    Nov 27, 2012
    55
    Very awkward to play. [Issue#224, p.81]
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User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.6 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 11 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 3
  3. Negative: 0 out of 3
  1. TonberryKing
    7
    This is a modern adventure game, a sort of hybrid between old school point-and-click pixel hunts and LA Noire crime scene investigation parts. The story is quite dark but not as humorless as some official reviews suggest. You control both Sherlock and Watson and the tone of the dialogue is more serious and deductive than that of other investigative games. This tone is the best thing in the game, the dialogue and situational analysis is inspired more by books and feels very Holmesian, there are no influences of Guy Ritchie's Holmes whatsoever. The quality of the voice overs are on the other hand inconsistent: some lines are louder than others, Watson's comments are out of place and plain idiotic at times. Holmes' voice actor does a great job on the other hand, portraying him as a calculating and self-aware detective. There is no clowning around and the humor is mostly derived from the situations where Holmes has already solved everything in his mind while Watson desperately tries to put the first pieces together, often failing at even that. Graphics in PS3 version are pretty awful if judged by AAA-standards. There is no lip synch at all which might put people off. The story manages to offer real surprises and twists that some of the bigger-budget games will never even risk to pull off. I won't spoil the details but the biggest appeal in the story are the constantly rising stakes. Especially the second act was far more entertaining than both Ritchie movies altogether. The controls in first-person (third person sucks) are ok and the puzzles are unique. Some are harder, some are easier and there is an option to skip puzzles. Some of the puzzles are very hard but sometimes the toughness doesn't come from the logic but from the lack of it. Luckily this doesn't ruin the game, most of the puzzles are actually great and you feel the satisfaction of accomplishment throughout the game. At times this game manages to make you feel like Holmes and for a small-budget game like this it is more than I expected. While this game is unpolished and uneven in terms of gameplay and graphics, the darker (not THAT dark) tone of 1890 London and great narrative are worth experiencing. It took me 14 hours to finish the game and it felt slightly too long. This is not a bad thing however. Buy this but don't expect this to be a triple-A title in terms of visuals and mechanics, expect this to be superb by the narrative standards however.… Full Review »
  2. BassManga
    8
    As somebody who enjoys these Sherlock Holmes games on the PC, I found it to be a pleasant surprise when they decided to make this into a multi-platform game. It also didn't surprise me that this game received a very ordinary score from critics, because the series has a history of rather poor voice acting (with the exception of Holmes & Watson) and being quite poorly animated with quite low frame rates. These low frame rates also make some NPCs look really ridiculous on screen. However, the game's strengths are in the story and the puzzles. Along with The Awakened and Sherlock Holmes Vs Jack The Ripper, this game has a very dark story. One in which Sherlock Holmes might actually be behind something terrible, and Watson is torn between loyalty and justice. It's writing and narrative is of a great quality in this sense, and there is great building of tension in it as it progresses. The puzzles are exactly what you expect from previous titles in the series, as you need to search everywhere for clues and make deductions as to what has taken place. Some of these puzzles are more difficult than others, and the easy version of this game allows players to simply skip difficult puzzles and enjoy the story. The music in this game is great, capable of creating the right mood for the scenario. The gameplay, though chunky, is very workable. And the graphics, despite the poor animation, are about the same as early PS3 & 360 titles. The background design is beautifully done with all of the grit and grime of whitechapel and the mill, as well as the lovely victorian design of Baker Street and various other high-end locations that Holmes and Watson visit during their investigation. If you have kids who are fans of Sherlock Holmes as well as video games, wait until they are at least teenagers before letting them play this game, because it does contain some disturbing imagery. Overall, an 8. It is a fun game, but it isn't trying to please the biggest demographic. It has its own audience, and it had the advantages of taking risks were bigger titled games wouldn't go.… Full Review »
  3. wesker2012
    6
    Ever since I found out about this title, it had sparked my interest with its game trailers. It looked like a good change of pace apart from most games nowadays with their non stop combat and shooting. I was really looking forward to playing it as soon as it came out. Boy was I in for a surprise. The opening of the game made me think I was going to be in for a huge treat, (not the children scene wtf was that **** but immediately the game showed me that would not be the case and instead became increasingly frustrating as I continued playing. Literally sucking the life out of my soul 0.0 It's been awhile since a game pissed me off as much as The Testament of Sherlock Holmes. I'd only recommend this game to fans of Sherlock Holmes or adventures games otherwise this game will piss the hell out of you. Actually it will probably piss you off no matter who you are. I'm a fan of these kind of games and the game made me want to smash my controller into the floor. The games puzzles are very difficult and not in a fun way. They are counter intuitive and you will mostly end up likely just trying everything you can do instead of using any natural logic to solve the puzzles. The atmosphere, dialogue, and voices are very well done. These along with the narrative are the main attraction to the game. The controls and puzzles are very frustrating to play through. If it weren't for wanting to know the outcome of the story, I would have stopped playing. While I think they nailed the characters of Sherlock Holmes and a great narrative that feels part of his universe, the execution needs a lot of work. The overall design of the game is good, now if only they could improve it to make it fun to play through.
    P.S. For a very fun time, watch someone else play it on youtube with commentary. **** is hilarious! After getting stuck many times in the game, I was erupting in laughter watching others getting pissed off playing this game. Way too funny. If anything this game is a good practical joke to play on someone. Tell them it has the best story you've ever seen, just to watch them struggle through some of the most frustrating puzzles they've ever encountered ;)    … Full Review »
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