Your surroundings are extremely important in Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishment, whether in a crime scene or just out in the open. A white magnifying glass option will pop up on something that you can examine. Once everything in that location has been examined, the magnifying glass will turn green when you go to examine it again.
Within each location, not every item is important, but you should attempt to examine everything so you do not miss that very important clue. The first major clue filled area in the game is Woodman’s Lee, where you attempt to solve the murder of Peter Carey. Within this area there are a number of ways to find clues.
First of all, there is the basic see a clue and hit X (On PS4) to examine it as mentioned above. Sometimes, there are multiple layers to these examinations. For instance, in Woodman’s Lee, you can examine the body of Peter Carey. Upon this area, you can dive in further with the Pool of Blood itself. Then, you can choose the Notebook item, which has a few parts to investigate. Upon doing that, you will have the option to open the notebook and then examine within. This brings a lot of depth to the investigation side and helps to make sure you are truly paying attention. If you happen to miss even one examination on any layer, you will not get a completed green icon on the original, such as Peter Carey’s body.
We also have what is known as Imagination Space, which is basically this game’s version of Detective Vision or the like seen in many games in recent years. This allows Sherlock to hone his senses and find details that would otherwise not be able to be found. This includes maybe a loose floorboard in a house or more detailed analysis of footprints. It’s certainly not as widely as say the Batman: Arkham series’ Detective Vision, but it is very helpful in crime scenes and other locations where you just seem to be missing something.
As the lead character from the anime Detective Conan, which takes a ton of inspiration from Sherlock Holmes, says, “with a keen eye for details, one truth with prevail!”
