Case closed on "The Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Serrated Scalpel"!

So much detail in these scenes...

After finding the culprits behind the murder of Sarah Carroway in The Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Serrated Scalpel, I was led to a pawn shop. It didn't take long for the owner to spill the beans. This led me to the offices of a couple of private investigators who also got entangled in the Carroway case. 

Is it African or Indian?

Too bad for them, though, as I discovered after a visit to the zoo trying to find one of them, and tracking the other one down at a subway station. Suffice to say the case got an even darker edge and started to cost innocent lives. And if that wasn't enough, suddenly we also got a suicide on our hands! Filled with remorse, the person responsible for all the trouble in this story decided to take his own life after we discovered the truth. 

Plenty of drama in this game...

Then it took quite some searching and putting a couple of details together to finally discover where the missing Anna Carroway was. I must admit I was kinda stuck there at first, having exhausted all options, missing the next lead because I couldn't immediately connect the dots. But everything turned out alright in the end.

Took me long enough to find this place...

As far as I can tell, The Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Serrated Scalpel isn't currently available for purchase anywhere, though you CAN vote to put it on GOG!

My next playthrough will most likely be of a recent game again, about some guy who keeps getting killed over and over again or something...

The plot thickens in "The Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Serrated Scalpel"

This is where I learned the word "taxidermist"...

After following one lead after another, I discovered the identity of the possible murderer of Sarah Carroway in Covent Garden. It took me some time beating several patrons of the Moongate Pub, as well as the bartender, at darts. The name led me to yet another series of London locations where I presumably found the murder weapon as well: the famed serrated scalpel!

Skipper's goin' down!

Using the unbeatable nose of Toby, Holmes's favorite search dog, we found our way to the docks where the murderer was doing some business with a yet to identified stranger. We caught the murderer, but the stranger vamoosed in the struggle. Locked up in jail, the murderer isn't exactly cooperating, so we need some more dirt on him to make him talk.

Run, Sherlock, run!

Following some other leads I had abandoned for a while, I finally learned the name of that rugby player. Talking to him led me to yet another handful of locations and now in search of the victim's sister, Anna. After three hours of gameplay, it seems I have finally discovered the true motive behind the killing, and what is actually at stake here.

Once again succeeded in making a grown man cry...

After exhausting all other leads, I've returned to jail to confront the killer and indeed, he gives us another name, the identity of the second man at the docks. Could this lead us to the final chapter in this story? The answers seem to lie in a small pawn shop. Let's go find out!

I just knew someone posh was involved...

As far as I can tell, The Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Serrated Scalpel isn't currently available for purchase anywhere, though you CAN vote to put it on GOG!

"Agatha Christie - Death on the Nile", my Adventure Game Hotspot review!

Read my full review on Adventure Game Hotspot!

Excerpt: "I’m terribly ashamed to admit it, but I’ve never read the original Death on the Nile novel. I will get around to it someday, but in the meantime I was very happy to play through this interactive and embellished version of the story. For those who have read it or seen the various movie adaptations, the addition of Jane should add some much-needed novelty, and the two storylines of Jane and Poirot intertwine masterfully and even lead to an epilogue I didn’t see coming but made perfect sense. There seems to be a lot more to do here than on the Orient Express – perhaps even a bit too much that doesn’t really seem relevant to the story. And yet I was captivated by the setting and scenery, and really liked searching around for clues and elusive collectibles, as well as questioning people and trying to figure out their secrets. I’m very much a fan of these Poirot games, so I hope that if there’s another, Microids remembers that solving a murder with one of literary fiction’s greatest detectives is interesting enough without a boatful of diversions."

Classic time: "The Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Serrated Scalpel"

Replay!

After playing Casebook 1899: The Leipzig Murders, I was in the mood for some more sleuthing. Coincidence has it that in my list of classic playthroughs I had just come to an old friend from my youth again: The Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Serrated Scalpel by Mythos Software. As is the case with many classic adventure games, I lost count of the amount of times I've played through this game. It's been a while now, so let's see how much of it I still remember during this replay!

Severe case of sciophobia...

London, 1888. A woman is attacked and killed in an alley behind the Regency Theatre. Inspector Lestrade requests Holmes's presence and so, accompanied by Dr. Watson, I make my way there. This point 'n click adventure uses a verb interface. Every piece of dialogue is recorded by Watson and can be read again under the Journal button. There are lots of hotspots and each one has an elaborate description. The game hails from a time when there weren't any voice-overs, though the cutscenes ARE voiced.

The scene of the crime...

After an hour of gaming, I've searched the crime scene and the victim's residence, conducted some chemical experiments on some pieces of evidence, sent Wiggins on an errand, and found a couple of leads which led me to several locations across London. Each time you think you're getting close, a new clue pops up taking you even deeper into the case.

This travel map taught me my way around London...

So far, only one thing bothered me a bit and that was an artificial lenghtening of the game by having you bump into some bureaucracy, forcing you into some back and forth between NPC's to get past some red tape before you can actually continue your investigation. All that stuff had nothing to do with the murder, but in hindsight perhaps it's an authentic and realistic obstacle to run into. It isn't fun, though.

Ugh... Sports...

My search led me to the Kensington rugby field. I found some evidence leading to one of the players, but the coach won't let me come near him unless I can tell him a name. I haven't found a name yet, though, but thankfully I've just found another lead that might prove fruitful in this regard. Back to late 19th century London it is! 

As far as I can tell, The Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Serrated Scalpel isn't currently available for purchase anywhere, though you CAN vote to put it on GOG!

I finished "Casebook 1899: The Leipzig Murders", but it took some trial and error...

A lovely, deserted city...

Casebook 1899: The Leipzig Murders consists of four cases, and for each one the difficulty level is raised. It's masterfully done, but I must say it's not a good feeling when a puzzle totally stumps you, even AFTER you brute-forced the solution by trying every possible combination.

Reminds me of my to-read pile...

I greatly enjoyed the third case and I was glad to see I could really accuse the person I already had my sights on for a while. But then the final case came along, which turned everything upside down and I must admit, I was completely lost.

Madame Sophia?

There were two puzzles I couldn't figure out. With the first, the locker room puzzle, I had no idea where to even start. I missed seeing the pattern, but once you realize what it's so supposed to be, you can complete the puzzle in a jiffy. The second was the puppet puzzle, of which I still don't know how you are supposed to figure it out. It's basically a code, but not only is there a specific order to clicking on the puppets when they're on the shelf, it seems there's also a specific order to placing them there in the first place! I had a feeling it had something to do with Shakespeare, but for the life of me I couldn't figure it out -- and still can't!

No master of puppets, me...

But other than that, and the rather deus-ex-machina demise of the villain, I totally enjoyed this game to no end. The investigations, the deductions, it's all great sleuthing material that kept me fully entertained for a solid 8 hours, and I hope we might get some more murder games from Homo Narrans Studio in the future!

This game did spark the desire for some more detective work, so for my next playthrough (which will be a replay for me, in fact) I'll be travelling back in time from Leipzig in 1899, to London in 1888...

You can find Casebook 1899: The Leipzig Murders on Steam!

Busy investigating the third death in "Casebook 1899: The Leipzig Murders"

Posh...

The second case in Casebook 1899: The Leipzig Murders took me an hour and a half. I had actually found the solution, but I thought I was still missing something since one piece of evidence on the deduction board wasn't connected to the others. So I did another round of questioning people, but there were no missed dialogue options. So I just went for it, and it looked like I got it right.

The puzzle of a thousand clicks...

It was a far more interesting case than the first one, with lots more character interactions and even some mini-games. One involved the typical convoluted fuse box which was trickier than it looked. And yes, you can skip it, but where's the feeling of accomplishment in that? Another one was a far simpler lockpicking simulator which offered no challenge at all. You just had to correctly line up the tumblers. But it was fun for variety's sake.

Not much skill involved here...

The third case really has me running around. I've played The Leipzig Murders for 4,5 hours in total now, but I think it'll be a while before I solve this particular murder. I have an intuitive feeling of who the real murderer is, but I'm still lacking the evidence to put that person up on the deduction board. Thankfully I just unlocked a new area, so I'm hoping to finally crack it!

One more unemployed cleaning lady...

You can find Casebook 1899: The Leipzig Murders on Steam!

New game: "Casebook 1899: The Leipzig Murders"

New game!

When I played the demo of Casebook 1899: The Leipzig Murders back in 2022, immediately I knew I wanted to back its Kickstarter. Being a longtime fan of Sherlock Holmes, I was very interested in another deduction-based adventure in a traditional point 'n click style, only this time featuring a German police inspector in an original story by Gregor Müller of Homo Narrans Studio. And here were are, with the game finally released!

A first case to solve!

The first chapter is the demo I had already played, but since that was several years ago it felt like the first time again. This time, I could enjoy voice-overs too! Yes, they are German only, and not being very fluent I'm glad there are English subtitles, but it does give The Leipzig Murders its authenticity. Not every line is spoken, though. The conversations and cutscenes are, but Joseph Kreiser's comments on whatever you click on only feature a hum, mumble or the occasional "Interessant..." though strangely enough even when it concerns - in my humble opinion - far from interesting hotspots.

Wir sind in Deutschland, mein Liebchen!

But it's the investigation part that matters. I love how you can discover evidence but then have to decide for your own what really happened. It really takes a sharp mind to find the truth, since at first glance every possibility seems to be genuine.

Accident or homicide, that's the question...

I've solved the first case in slightly less than hour - and I've already started to talk German to my wife... - but I probably did remember most of it from the demo. Now it is immediately on to der Bahnhoff for the second of the four cases in this game. Hopefully this one will have some more meat on its bones.

Choo-choo!

You can find Casebook 1899: The Leipzig Murders on Steam!

"Vlad Circus 2: Curse of Asmodeus", my Adventure Game Hotspot review!

Read my full review on Adventure Game Hotspot!

Excerpt: "This game certainly holds fast to the original’s production values, and its interesting story is a suitable new addition to the Vlad Circus lore. For anyone expecting more of the same, however, Curse of Asmodeus doesn’t follow the same path as its predecessor. Sure, there are some light horrific elements but you will never be truly scared or have to battle for your life, with the survival aspects largely gone in favor of a more straightforward adventure game experience with simple yet enjoyable puzzles. I mostly appreciated this decision, as I had a great time plotting my escape and playing through Josef Petrescu’s history. But even though I was relieved not to have to keep track of my health and ammunition, I can’t help but feel slightly disappointed as well in the reduced horror factor that made Descend Into Madness such a wonderfully creepy time. And so, while a fun game in its own right that fixes certain issues I had with the first game, ultimately it falls victim to the curse of the sequel rarely being as good as the original."

I've finished "The Dagger of Amon Ra" in 5 hours!

Ace reporter makes headlines!

After my previous post, a couple more bodies showed up and suddenly I was catapulted into the end game. I remember when first playing The Dagger of Amon Ra that this is a timed chase sequence where you need to stall your pursuer so you can make your escape. Forget to block one door, and the culprit catches up with you and bashes your head in.

Nothing beats a good back rub!

I didn't make it all the way through this time either. There was a pixel hunt where I had to cut a cable by clicking on the exactly right spot, which took some tries of frantically clicking. I also found Steve Dorian passed out in the furnace room, and he had lost one of his boots somewhere, so he burned his foot as soon as he got up and fell down again. So I restored my game and this time made sure to explore the museum some more before entering that one room that triggers the chase.

Goin' down with Laura...

And good thing I did, because there were some more pieces of evidence lying around that I hadn't picked up yet. After the chase, I had to answer a load of questions during the coroner's inquest pertaining the killer and their motives, and my replies need to be supported by the items I collected. I had to give that another try too, and frankly even after getting the good ending I still don't understand the reasoning behind all the murders, though I did understand at least a lot more when I first played this game and didn't yet have such an extensive grasp of English vocabulary...

How big IS this place?

So I finished my replay in five hours! It's fast this time because I only did the essentials and didn't explore fully. It was amazing how I can't remember what I ate yesterday but most of the details of this game came back to me after probably twenty-five years since playing it last.

My next playthrough will be of a more recent game again, about some murders in some German city...

You can find The Dagger of Amon Ra on GOG!

I'm 3,5 hours into "The Dagger of Amon Ra" and my suspects keep dying!

Peekaboo!

After my first session of my "The Dagger of Amon Ra" replay, I spent an hour talking to all the guests at the museum fund raiser, and eavesdropping on their private conversations. Then I finally got the chance to explore the exhibits. Security guard Wolf Heimlich blocked the way at first, but had conveniently moved location. And that's how I discovered the first murder victim of the night...

Yvette admiring the modern art...

Yes, I do say, first victim, because the bodies keep dropping in this game! It felt like every time I turned a corner, one of my suspects would no longer be a suspect. I'm moving rather fast through this game since it's a replay, and I still remember all the times I died when I first played this game. So I already know where to go, what to do, and most importantly what to pick up.

Always dreamt of an office like this...

Which means I'm not really taking the time to enjoy the scenery, which is a shame. There is so much to look at in this game, so many elaborate descriptions, not just informative but also often funny. I really love the writing in this game, and I'm not just saying that because it's Josh Mandel... The artwork as well is amazing to look at, so detailed. You can spent hours exploring the museum and examining everything.

Ooh la la...

Besides the dead bodies, I've found lots of notes of appointments the different characters have with each other. Each time you make some sort of discovery, the in-game clock moves forward. You can then go to the respective meeting place for that time and eavesdrop on the people. You get lots of information this way, which I remember you need later on.

I feel I'm close to the finale, which I recall gave me a really hard time as a novice adventure gamer. Hopefully I can do a better job this time around...

You can find The Dagger of Amon Ra on GOG!

Classic time: "The Dagger of Amon Ra"

Replay!

Time for another great classic point 'n click adventure. I'm REplaying The Dagger of Amon Ra. It's the second Laura Bow game after The Colonel's Bequest. It's actually one of the first Sierra games I played, (after Police Quest) and I'm still the proud owner of the big box and the booklets that came with it!

Is this Cruise for a Corpse?

I'm one hour into the game, running the files from an external drive through ScummVM. Immediately I'm thrown back in time, not only to 1926 when the story takes place, but my own teenage years playing this in my bedroom. I can hardly believe that since then I've actually visited New York City myself, and I didn't even get mugged! (I did get run over by a car, which is actually a random death you can encounter in The Dagger of Amon Ra...)

First death scene: getting run over by a car...

This first hour of gameplay is spent mosly visiting all the different New York locations jotted down in your notebook, and talking to all the people. There's your colleague at the newspaper, a desk sergeant in the police station, a stoolpigeon in a local speakeasy, a stevedore at the docks, Lo Fat the laundry guy. The interview system isn't that user friendly, though. Instead of automatic replies when you click the topics in the notebook, you have to close it first and then open it again to ask your next question. I'm glad later games - like Gabriel Knight - improved on that.

The Roaring Twenties...

Having played this game countless times in the past, I was suddenly stuck trying to get ready for the fund raiser at the museum. I found a dress, but no idea how or where I was supposed to change into it. So that cost me some time before I realized which location offered that possibility. So now I'm ready to talk to everyone at the party, as Act 2: Suspects on Parade, kicks off!

Like flies on a turd...

You can find The Dagger of Amon Ra on GOG!

"Carnival", my Adventure Game Hotspot review!

Read my full review on Adventure Game Hotspot!

Excerpt: "Carnival is like a five-hour creepy gondola ride, guided along by an experienced storyteller at the helm. It’s very much narrative-focused and light on gameplay, but the amount of research put into it is astounding, and along with the detailed close-up character portraits and the brilliantly atmospheric soundtrack, it is easy to ignore its few hiccups and let yourself be swept along by an increasingly dark story. It all culminates in a horrific ending that definitely makes the voyage worthwhile, even with some loose ends left untied. A little more gameplay would have gone a long way, but the story is compelling enough that from now on I will always remember that someone who wears a mask might be hiding even more than just their face."

I finished "Loco Motive" in 10,5 hours!

This looks like the start of "The Last Express"

The last playthrough post of a game is always the hardest, because I don't want to spoil the ending, of course! I reached the credits of Loco Motive in 10,5 hours. This makes it a good length game, with puzzles that tripped me up but also others that flowed along without much trouble. 

Get this baby up to 88 mph!

It's also nicely structured when it comes to the three playable characters, though I did want to play as Diana only a bit longer. In the last chapters, you have to switch first between Diana and Arthur, and lastly between Herman as well. This reminded me a lot of Day of the Tentacle, where you have to switch between Bernard, Lavern and Hoagie to solve to puzzles, and exchange inventory items through the Chron-O-John. 

The Last Will And Testament!

But the quality of the game remained all the way through. The animations, the music, the humor, the voice acting; this is true adventure game stuff. If I had played this last year, it would definitely have made my top three, but personally I think I still enjoyed PRIM more. 

End credits!

I'm really looking forward to hear Adam Riches talk about the game at AdventureX, and even more about their plans for future games. No way is this a one hit wonder; I certainly hope they've got a lot more adventure games up their sleeves!

You can find Loco Motive on Steam and on GOG.

Since I always switch between a more recent game and a classic one for these playthrough posts, next up is a Sierra title about a young reporter sent to write a story about a museum theft.

I'm 8,5 hours into "Loco Motive" and I'm playing as Diana now!

Third playable character unlocked!

While playing as Arthur Ackerman was okay, I didn't give me the amount of laughs as playing as Herman Merman did! This second part of the game was hilarious and I was finally starting to see why everyone was so hyped up about this game. And now, at the start of chapter 5, I get to play as yet another character, Diana: the secret service agent that was helping out Arthur (or the other way around) in the first parts. It was a brilliant move of the developers to create three playable characters to keep things interesting and new.

Herman Merman and the Slurping Servant

After I reached chapter 3 in my previous playthrough, I got to play as Herman Merman and I had an absolute ball. We returned to a time before the Reuss Express departed, and it was great to see how some things I saw when playing as Arthur actually came to be. While Arthur is pretty much the good guy, just trying to help out, Herman is much more of a rascal, quite full of himself and not scared to bend the rules once in a while to get what he wants.

Herman Merman and the Hurtful Kerfuffle

And his scenes are much more memorable. His kitchen antics, the "Knifey Stab Stab" game, his disguise... This is typical adventure game fare, very close to that Sam & Max humor. I also love the many close-ups of the characters when they do something special.

Herman Merman and the Rehearsing Chanteuse

While I keep spending lots of time walking from one end of the train to the other looking for puzzle solutions, it wasn't as bad this time as with Arthur. I must admit I didn't quite see the answer to puzzles fast enough, which led to me trying out everything, hoping to strike gold, but in hindsight it was always very obvious what the game intended. I was stuck at only one instance because I didn't realize I could use something that I had already concocted earlier, but it did make sense. It is a game where it's best to finish each chapter in one go, though, so everything remains fresh in memory.

I hope the next parts with Diana will be equally fun!

You can find Loco Motive on Steam and on GOG.