Sherlock Holmes versus Arsène Lupin
Encyclopedia
Sherlock Holmes versus Arsène Lupin (known in North America and some parts of England as Sherlock Holmes: Nemesis) is an adventure game
, developed by the game development studio Frogwares
. The fourth game in the Adventure of Sherlock Holmes series of adventure games developed by Frogwares, it was released in the October of 2007 and is published by Focus Home Interactive. It was preceded in 2002 by Sherlock Holmes: Mystery of the Mummy, in 2004 by Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Silver Earring and in 2006 by Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened
.
Retaining the first-person interface and gameplay of The Awakened, the game follows Holmes and Watson as Holmes is challenged by the legendary gentleman thief Arsène Lupin
, who threatens to steal England's most prized treasures. It is the first in the series to feature a cat-and-mouse style plot, the second is Sherlock Holmes versus Jack the Ripper.
Style and setting stand out more than the plot. As with last year's The Awakened, all of the game's locales are brought to life with a 3D engine that allows you to roam the full depth and breadth of your surroundings. Many are landmarks staged, particularly the National Gallery and British Museum, which feature scanned copies of dozens of famous paintings, as well as numerous historical artifacts. The musical side of the audio is about perfect, thanks to a subtle-yet-tension-building classical score reliant on strings and piano. Solving puzzles requires a ton of busywork. You constantly wander back and forth examining your surroundings, engaging in a great many pixel hunts with the naked eye, as well as Holmes' famous magnifying glass.
Virtually all of the puzzles here are worthy of the great detective, partially because of their difficulty and partially because of their reliance on British historical or cultural artifacts.
Note has also been made of a prominent glitch in which as the player plays as Holmes, the game makes sure Watson is always nearby; however the developers did not animate Watson walking from place to place, resulting in a "creepy" Watson who apparently always stands still when in view, but seems to silently teleport closer when the player looks away.
Adventure game
An adventure game is a video game in which the player assumes the role of protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving instead of physical challenge. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media such as literature and film,...
, developed by the game development studio Frogwares
Frogwares
Frogwares is an independent adventure game development studio, having branches in Ukraine, Ireland and France. Its president is Waël Amr.It is best known for its ongoing Sherlock Holmes series of adventure computer games starring Sherlock Holmes and Dr...
. The fourth game in the Adventure of Sherlock Holmes series of adventure games developed by Frogwares, it was released in the October of 2007 and is published by Focus Home Interactive. It was preceded in 2002 by Sherlock Holmes: Mystery of the Mummy, in 2004 by Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Silver Earring and in 2006 by Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened
Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened
Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened is an adventure game developed by Frogwares and published in 2006 for Microsoft Windows. The game follows an original plotline as Sherlock Holmes and his companion Dr. John H...
.
Retaining the first-person interface and gameplay of The Awakened, the game follows Holmes and Watson as Holmes is challenged by the legendary gentleman thief Arsène Lupin
Arsène Lupin
Arsène Lupin is a fictional character who appears in a book series of detective fiction / crime fiction novels written by French writer Maurice Leblanc, as well as a number of non-canonical sequels and numerous film, television such as Night Hood, stage play and comic book adaptations.- Overview :A...
, who threatens to steal England's most prized treasures. It is the first in the series to feature a cat-and-mouse style plot, the second is Sherlock Holmes versus Jack the Ripper.
Gameplay
Nemesis is an adventure in the first person, with a full and elaborate 3D environment to explore. Most of the time you play as Holmes but you do switch off with Watson, who is generally doing fetch quests for Holmes, and at one point you also get to play as the Inspector Lestrade. Controls are similar to a FPS, where you use the WASD keys to move and the mouse to look around.Style and setting stand out more than the plot. As with last year's The Awakened, all of the game's locales are brought to life with a 3D engine that allows you to roam the full depth and breadth of your surroundings. Many are landmarks staged, particularly the National Gallery and British Museum, which feature scanned copies of dozens of famous paintings, as well as numerous historical artifacts. The musical side of the audio is about perfect, thanks to a subtle-yet-tension-building classical score reliant on strings and piano. Solving puzzles requires a ton of busywork. You constantly wander back and forth examining your surroundings, engaging in a great many pixel hunts with the naked eye, as well as Holmes' famous magnifying glass.
Virtually all of the puzzles here are worthy of the great detective, partially because of their difficulty and partially because of their reliance on British historical or cultural artifacts.
Reception
It received mixed reviews on Metacritic, with an average of 71%. Gamespot criticised the game's "obtuse puzzles".Note has also been made of a prominent glitch in which as the player plays as Holmes, the game makes sure Watson is always nearby; however the developers did not animate Watson walking from place to place, resulting in a "creepy" Watson who apparently always stands still when in view, but seems to silently teleport closer when the player looks away.