Production of new Sherlock Holmes afoot in Crimes & Punishments

Written by Jack Allin — February 1, 2013 at 15:04

If the thought of a new Sherlock Holmes adventure from Frogwares elicits a "been there, done that" sensation, it's time to think again, because a much different Great Detective will be starring in the upcoming Crimes & Punishments, which itself promises to be much different than the adventures we've seen so far.

Abandoning the familiar 1960s movie look used in their previous games, Frogwares has chosen a more modern look for Holmes this time around, powered by the acclaimed Unreal 3 engine. But the changes aren't just skin-deep, as Crimes & Punishments represents not just one but eight different cases for Sherlock to solve, each of them "written in the pure tradition of Conan Doyle’s novels" and including the likes of "murders, disappearances, spectacular thefts, and other investigations."

Also unlike previous Sherlock mysteries, it will not simply be Holmes solving these cases and influencing the stories, but the players themselves. The game promises much more freedom to "make important moral choices instead of simply enforcing justice by the book. All decisions have an influence in the game and affect your character’s reputation in addition to having realistic, sometimes unexpected, consequences." You'll need to consider your choices carefully, as between them the eight cases will offer up to twelve possible endings.

There is no official release date planned yet for Crimes & Punishments, but since The Testament of Sherlock Holmes just launched last September, it may be some time before we see the Great Detective next.