Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper
Encyclopedia
Sherlock Holmes versus Jack the Ripper is an adventure game
for Microsoft Windows
and Xbox 360
, developed by Frogwares
. It is the fifth game in the Sherlock Holmes series of adventure games developed by Frogwares. The game takes place in the London district of Whitechapel
in 1888, the historical site of the Jack the Ripper
murders.
Following the remastered version of Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened
, Sherlock Holmes versus Jack the Ripper offered the ability to play in a third-person perspective in addition to the first-person perspective. The French version of the game was released on April 30, 2009. The English version was released on May 24.
was at its peak. As the premiere world power, England's model of wealth and modernity radiated throughout the world. However, Whitechapel District, in the East End of London
, hardly reflected this brilliant reality. Whitechapel was the capital's most squalid neighborhood. Within its boundaries lived England's worst rabble including alcoholics, beggars, prostitutes, as well as a large community of Jewish immigrants fleeing Eastern Europe
's ever growing anti-Semitism
. In this terrible hole of misery, tens of thousands of people lived crammed within a maze of narrow, sinister, stinky streets overshadowed by fog. To deal with the poverty, the government created Public Work Houses in an attempt to manage the masses. It is within this sinister set, faithfully rendered in all its details and similar to a macabre playground that the player, as Sherlock Holmes
, will have to investigate and track Jack the Ripper
and solve one of the greatest mysteries of crime.
Each crime scene
allows the player to reconstruct what happened, taking the pieces of evidence and linking them together until forming a conclusion. For instance, when examining the body of Anne Chapman, the player discovers pertinent clues such as blood on a fence, bruises under the right side of the jawbone, and a bloated tongue, which allows the player to deduce that the victim was killed while lying down after being choked with a left hand. These deductions are chosen from pulldown lists.
The player is also required to solve mysteries at Holmes' famous 221B Baker Street
flat, a process which involves combing through dialogue and documents to establish murder times, before developing detailed theories about why the murders are being committed. The player pieces together torn-up notes, assembles objects, and takes on sliding-block challenges.
: Famous consulting detective who lives in 221b Baker Street with his loyal friend Dr. John Watson. Holmes' methods are unique and he must put all of his exceptional powers of deduction in this case.
Doctor John H. Watson: A doctor and Holmes' best friend. He will do whatever is possible in order to help his friend catch this new murderer called Jack the Ripper.
Jack the Ripper
: This serial killer who strikes at the sinister district of Whitechapel. He kills prostitutes with no mercy and mocks the police, and is regarded both as a madman and a genius.
Inspector
Frederick Abberline
: A police inspector who refuses Holmes's help. He believes he can easily solve the case.
Baker Street Irregulars
: A gang of poor children who help Holmes and Watson in their difficult case.
engine and has multiple issues like long loading time and crashes.
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,...
for Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
and Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
, developed by 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...
. It is the fifth game in the Sherlock Holmes series of adventure games developed by Frogwares. The game takes place in the London district of Whitechapel
Whitechapel
Whitechapel is a built-up inner city district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, London, England. It is located east of Charing Cross and roughly bounded by the Bishopsgate thoroughfare on the west, Fashion Street on the north, Brady Street and Cavell Street on the east and The Highway on the...
in 1888, the historical site of the Jack the Ripper
Jack the Ripper
"Jack the Ripper" is the best-known name given to an unidentified serial killer who was active in the largely impoverished areas in and around the Whitechapel district of London in 1888. The name originated in a letter, written by someone claiming to be the murderer, that was disseminated in the...
murders.
Following the remastered version of 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...
, Sherlock Holmes versus Jack the Ripper offered the ability to play in a third-person perspective in addition to the first-person perspective. The French version of the game was released on April 30, 2009. The English version was released on May 24.
Story
At the time the industrial revolution was in full swing, the British EmpireBritish Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
was at its peak. As the premiere world power, England's model of wealth and modernity radiated throughout the world. However, Whitechapel District, in the East End of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, hardly reflected this brilliant reality. Whitechapel was the capital's most squalid neighborhood. Within its boundaries lived England's worst rabble including alcoholics, beggars, prostitutes, as well as a large community of Jewish immigrants fleeing Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
's ever growing anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
. In this terrible hole of misery, tens of thousands of people lived crammed within a maze of narrow, sinister, stinky streets overshadowed by fog. To deal with the poverty, the government created Public Work Houses in an attempt to manage the masses. It is within this sinister set, faithfully rendered in all its details and similar to a macabre playground that the player, as Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
, will have to investigate and track Jack the Ripper
Jack the Ripper
"Jack the Ripper" is the best-known name given to an unidentified serial killer who was active in the largely impoverished areas in and around the Whitechapel district of London in 1888. The name originated in a letter, written by someone claiming to be the murderer, that was disseminated in the...
and solve one of the greatest mysteries of crime.
Gameplay
The player can play from a first- or third-person perspective as Holmes or Watson. Holmes and Watson arrive to inspect each crime scene after the murder takes place, giving the player a close-up look at Jack's work.Each crime scene
Crime scene
A crime scene is a location where an illegal act took place, and comprises the area from which most of the physical evidence is retrieved by trained law enforcement personnel, crime scene investigators or in rare circumstances, forensic scientists....
allows the player to reconstruct what happened, taking the pieces of evidence and linking them together until forming a conclusion. For instance, when examining the body of Anne Chapman, the player discovers pertinent clues such as blood on a fence, bruises under the right side of the jawbone, and a bloated tongue, which allows the player to deduce that the victim was killed while lying down after being choked with a left hand. These deductions are chosen from pulldown lists.
The player is also required to solve mysteries at Holmes' famous 221B Baker Street
221B Baker Street
221B Baker Street is the London address of the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, created by author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In the United Kingdom, postal addresses with a number followed by a letter may indicate a separate address within a larger, often residential building...
flat, a process which involves combing through dialogue and documents to establish murder times, before developing detailed theories about why the murders are being committed. The player pieces together torn-up notes, assembles objects, and takes on sliding-block challenges.
Characters
Sherlock HolmesSherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
: Famous consulting detective who lives in 221b Baker Street with his loyal friend Dr. John Watson. Holmes' methods are unique and he must put all of his exceptional powers of deduction in this case.
Doctor John H. Watson: A doctor and Holmes' best friend. He will do whatever is possible in order to help his friend catch this new murderer called Jack the Ripper.
Jack the Ripper
Jack the Ripper
"Jack the Ripper" is the best-known name given to an unidentified serial killer who was active in the largely impoverished areas in and around the Whitechapel district of London in 1888. The name originated in a letter, written by someone claiming to be the murderer, that was disseminated in the...
: This serial killer who strikes at the sinister district of Whitechapel. He kills prostitutes with no mercy and mocks the police, and is regarded both as a madman and a genius.
Inspector
Inspector
Inspector is both a police rank and an administrative position, both used in a number of contexts. However, it is not an equivalent rank in each police force.- Australia :...
Frederick Abberline
Frederick Abberline
Frederick George Abberline was a Chief Inspector for the London Metropolitan Police and was a prominent police figure in the investigation into the Jack the Ripper murders of 1888.-Early life:...
: A police inspector who refuses Holmes's help. He believes he can easily solve the case.
Baker Street Irregulars
Baker Street Irregulars
The Baker Street Irregulars are any of several different groups, all named after the original, from various Sherlock Holmes stories in which they are a gang of young street children whom Holmes often employs to aid his cases.- Original :...
: A gang of poor children who help Holmes and Watson in their difficult case.
Reception
The game received mixed to positive reviews from critics. But its mechanics and gameplay were heavily panned. Reviewers negatively commented on the way the player gathers clues in the game, as they must first run errands from the police.. They also say that it doesn't run greatly for the PhysXPhysX
PhysX is a proprietary realtime physics engine middleware SDK developed by Ageia with the purchase of ETH Zurich spin-off NovodeX in 2004...
engine and has multiple issues like long loading time and crashes.