Screenshots & trailers
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (Metacritic) | – | 64 | 6 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 80% | 74 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 82 | 1 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 82% | 76 | 8 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 23 reviews sampled · 24 total reviews in window · weighted 14.6 up / 3.2 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (24)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 79
“Overall, I really enjoyed The Testament of Sherlock Holmes. The story was compelling and made me want to continue, despite some clunky controls and elements that didn't translate nicely to using a controller. ”
read full review ↗ - 60
“As a story that up-ends an icon, Testament certainly delivers for the bulk of your adventure, stumbling only in its weaker, latter third. What hurts the game more, unfortunately, are its dicey production values.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“The Testament of Sherlock Holmes is the classic Frogwares adventure: quite good, quite interesting and with a good story, but excellence is quite far away.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“An admirable effort to make a serious Sherlock Holmes game, but the low production values and needlessly obscure puzzles hinder the ambitious storytelling. ”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Yet as an overall experience it works, the pacing is done well, the challenge is just right, the visuals just about hold up and you'll most certainly enjoy your time with it. ”
read full review ↗ - 70
“The Testament of Sherlock Holmes is a point and click-adventure, cast in a modern third person adventure, featuring the greatest detective of them all. Through a wild adventure through the rougher parts of London, an immense conspiracy needs to be cracked open. With decent atmosphere, a real page-turner of a story and clever puzzles, this is a must for fans of Sherlock Holmes or classic adventure games.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“The average visuals, clunky animations, clumsy controls, and nonexistent lip-syncing represents a distinct lack of polish, but this doesn't ruin the otherwise solid game tucked within.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“Sherlock Holmes himself becomes the suspect in a murder investigation. Some moments, the crime scene investigations for example, are really fun, but for the most part it's a pretty bland game with a low budget feeling.”
read full review ↗ - 40
“A game so scary, even it doesn't know what it is. [Dec 2012, p.101]”
- 68
“The Testament of Sherlock Holmes offers a challenging, rigid adventure that emphasizes details and a slow pace. It's not without some significant flaws, but it's a compelling entry into the genre nonetheless.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“If you can get past the way the characters move and look, and you buy into the slow and thoughtful pace, The Testament of Sherlock Holmes is an enjoyable yarn. If you have the attention span to sit through cut scenes that contain important information. If you enjoy poking around in the contents of a dead man's stomach. If you like opium dens, dirt encrusted cockney urchins, and murderous conspiracies that lead you to hell and back.”
read full review ↗ - 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.”
read full review ↗
ZTGD
Eurogamer
Metro GameCentral
Gamestyle
Digital Chumps
NZGamer
Game Informer…and 12 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Free Sherlock Holmes Chapter One “Plague Doctor” DLC and Major Update are here!Feb 22, 2022significant · resets scoring window
- Сompatibility Patch (Part 2 of 2) released!May 13, 2021
- Compatibility Patch (Part 1 of 2) released!Apr 26, 2021