Sherlock Holmes: The Devil’s Daughter Review: Clever Deduction, Combat That Stumbles

Sherlock Holmes: The Devil’s Daughter asks players to solve crimes alongside the detective himself, and for most of its runtime, that premise works. On PS4, PC, XONE and Switch, the game leans heavily on deduction, observation and timing, and it mostly succeeds at giving players a genuine sense of being cleverer than the room around them. But the pacing dips, the combat stumbles and the story’s back half drags, leaving a game that feels smarter than it plays.

Trailer, via IGDBcom.

The Case Files

The core loop is simple: Holmes and Watson walk through a crime scene, examine evidence, talk to witnesses and make deductions. Players choose questions to ask witnesses, and the answers narrow down suspects, motives and methods. It sounds mechanical, but it lands as a genuine puzzle system. The game rewards curiosity and punishes carelessness, and that balance holds up across most of the case files.

Deduction scenes also feature visual clues that require players to look closely at objects, furniture and wallpaper. Finding these details feels rewarding when done well, though some clues are buried beneath layers of texture that take several passes to spot.

Combat and Control

Combat is where the game stumbles. Holmes fights with a cane, fists and a revolver, and the action segments rely on quick timing and button presses. This works fine in short bursts, but extended combat stretches break the flow. Enemies telegraph attacks poorly, and the dodge mechanic feels sluggish compared to the swift movement Holmes shows in other scenes.

The game tries to make combat feel tense, but it often just feels awkward. Boss fights, in particular, demand repeated attempts that don’t teach much about the enemy’s pattern beyond trial and error.

Performance Across Platforms

Performance varies across the four platforms. The Switch version runs at a lower frame rate than the others but holds up during investigation scenes. Load times are longer on Switch and XONE, which can disrupt the rhythm of moving between rooms and witnesses. PC offers the best visual fidelity, though the game’s frame rate dips during busy investigation scenes even there.

What Works Best

1. Deduction scenes — the questioning and clue-finding mechanics are the strongest parts of the game.
2. Setting — Victorian London is rendered with a dense, atmospheric style that fits the material.
3. Voice acting — the lead performances carry weight, especially during emotional scenes.
4. Pacing — the early case files move quickly and keep momentum.
5. Writing — the dialogue is sharp, and the mystery plots hold together.

What Falls Short

1. Combat — the fighting sections feel out of place and punish players who aren’t quick enough.
2. Back half — the story loses steam after the middle, stretching out the case files with filler.
3. Platform load times — Switch and XONE players face longer waits between rooms.
4. Difficulty spikes — some boss fights demand repeated attempts without clear feedback.
5. Clue density — some investigation scenes bury too many clues, overwhelming the player.

The Devil’s Daughter is at its best when it lets players think. The worst moments come when it forces them to fight. The game’s ambition is visible in its ambition to make deduction a central mechanic, and that ambition largely pays off. But the uneven combat and a back half that loses momentum hold it back from greatness.

Sherlock Holmes: The Devil’s Daughter is a game that knows what it wants to be — a crime drama with a puzzle-solving heart — and mostly delivers on that promise. It’s worth playing for the early case files alone, even if the back half sags and the combat gets in the way.

detective games · game review · PC · PS4 · Sherlock Holmes · Switch · XONE