The Testament of Sherlock Holmes is Frogwares’ 2012 detective adventure about Sherlock Holmes becoming the suspect in a dark London investigation. This guide is for Testament, not Sherlock Holmes: Crimes & Punishments, The Devil’s Daughter, Chapter One, The Awakened, or the older Frogwares Sherlock games.
Content warning: The Testament of Sherlock Holmes is rated Mature 17+ by ESRB for Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, and Use of Drugs. This guide keeps mature crime-scene and drug-reference material non-graphic and focused on player actions.
Spoiler note: This is a spoiler-light tips guide. It covers investigation habits, interface use, deduction boards, puzzles, sixth sense, completion habits, and controller caveats without giving exact puzzle solutions, deduction answers, chapter routes, culprit details, or plot twists.
The game rewards slow observation more than fast clicking. Treat each location like a layered scene: first identify every interactive point, then inspect close-up details, then use inventory and conversations, then update deductions.
Essential Tips
1. Change View When a Scene Feels Empty
Testament supports multiple ways to read the same room.
If a hotspot feels hidden, switch between the available point-and-click, third-person, and first-person styles. Some objects are easier to notice from a different angle, especially when the camera or furniture is blocking a small trace.
2. Read Cursor Icons Like Evidence
The cursor is telling you what kind of action is possible.
Magnifying glass prompts are for inspecting traces, hand prompts cover actions such as taking or using, cogs point toward item combinations, and speech bubbles mean conversation. Do not treat every icon as a generic click target.
3. Do a Full Sweep Before Solving
A puzzle can depend on a clue from another corner of the scene.
Walk the perimeter, check doors, desks, shelves, bodies, containers, tools, documents, and exits, then re-check any close-up views. Leave the deduction board for after the scene has been properly searched.
4. Activate Inventory Items Deliberately
Owning an item is not always enough.
When an object or person clearly needs a tool, open the inventory, make the item active, and then interact with the target. If nothing happens, test whether a different item, merged item, or close-up view is required.
5. Use the Bottom Bar as Your Case File
The interface stores more than inventory.
Check dialogues, documents, the map, achievements, deduction table, and controlled-character options from the bottom bar. When you are stuck, this is faster than wandering every unlocked room again.
6. Keep Deduction Boards Current
Deductions are part of the investigation, not only the finale.
After a clue-heavy scene or major conversation, open the deduction board and see what can be connected. Do not wait until the story forces you to sort a full board of half-remembered evidence.
7. Let Watson and Other Control Changes Matter
Character switching is a tool, not just a story device.
When the game gives you control of someone besides Holmes, re-check what that character can see, ask, carry, or access. A scene can change because the active character changed.
8. Use Sixth Sense as a Nudge
Sixth sense and hotspot reveal are useful, but do not let them replace observation.
Use the reveal when a location has gone quiet or the next interactive point is unclear. Completion-minded players should also remember that at least one achievement path cares about using sixth sense, while another cares about not skipping puzzle work.
9. Do Not Skip Puzzles on a Completion Run
Letting the game solve a puzzle can cost achievement or trophy progress.
Full completion depends on solving puzzles yourself. If you are stuck, step away, re-read documents, re-check nearby clues, or reload a save before using any solve/skip option.
10. Make Manual Saves Before Long Puzzle Blocks
Old adventure games can punish messy experimentation.
Before a complicated deduction board, lock, analysis screen, or late-story puzzle, make a fresh save if your platform allows it. That gives you a clean recovery point if you skip by mistake or realize you missed setup clues.
11. Treat Controller Support as PC-Specific Until Tested
Current PC support points toward Xbox 360-compatible controller behavior.
Steam lists partial controller support, and Frogwares support says the PC version expects a Microsoft Xbox 360 or compatible controller. If a different controller is unreliable, switch to keyboard/mouse before assuming the puzzle itself is bugged.
12. Keep Crimes & Punishments Advice Separate
Both games have Sherlock deductions, but they are not the same structure.
Testament uses its own one-case investigation flow, perspective switching, inventory handling, deduction boards, and older adventure-game puzzle logic. Do not import Crimes & Punishments habits such as six-case verdict planning into this guide.
Investigation Workflow
- Read the room first: Move through the full area before solving anything.
- Switch perspective: Try another view if a clue is hard to frame.
- Inspect every icon type: Magnifying glass, hand, cogs, and speech bubbles mean different actions.
- Check close-ups: Small details can hide inside object or body inspections.
- Activate inventory: Select the item you want to use before clicking its target.
- Revisit documents and dialogue: The case file can remind you what a scene expects.
- Use sixth sense late: Reveal missed hotspots after your own sweep.
- Update deductions: Connect clues while the latest evidence is still fresh.
- Save before risky puzzles: Protect completion progress before using hints, skips, or long puzzle chains.
Deduction and Puzzle Habits
| Habit | Why It Helps |
|---|---|
| Search before deducing | Prevents board work from missing scene evidence |
| Re-check close-up views | Some clues are smaller than the main object |
| Keep documents handy | Codes and logic often depend on written context |
| Try item combinations | Cogs can signal that two inventory pieces belong together |
| Use conversations as evidence | Witness and suspect lines can unlock later logic |
| Solve puzzles yourself | Full completion can depend on not skipping |
| Save before experiments | A clean save protects against accidental skips |
Completion Habits
| System | Completion-Friendly Rule |
|---|---|
| Sixth sense | Use it across the game if you care about related achievements |
| Puzzles and riddles | Do not skip or have the game solve them on a completion run |
| Optional interactions | Talk to background characters and inspect unusual objects before leaving major hubs |
| Character switching | Re-search with Watson or another active character when control changes |
| Achievements/trophies | Expect some missables even though many unlock through story progress |
| Platform cleanup | Confirm trophy and achievement behavior on your exact platform before a 100% run |
Hidden Mechanics
| Mechanic | What To Do |
|---|---|
| Perspective switching | Change view when movement or hotspot visibility feels awkward |
| Trace color/status | Re-check untested traces before assuming a scene is done |
| Bottom bar | Use it for inventory, dialogues, documents, map, deductions, achievements, and character options |
| Active item | Select an item before using it on a person or object |
| Cogs icon | Look for item-combination logic |
| Sixth sense / hotspot reveal | Use it as a late sweep or completion tool |
| Map | Revisit available locations when a lead goes quiet |
| Save files | Keep manual saves before major puzzles where available |
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Do not play every view the same way - Switch perspective when the camera is hiding small evidence.
- Do not click icons blindly - Read whether the prompt means inspect, take, combine, talk, or move.
- Do not leave close-up screens too quickly - Small traces may require rotating, zooming, or scanning the object again.
- Do not forget to activate items - Inventory tools usually need to be selected before use.
- Do not ignore documents - Written clues can be the difference between a fair puzzle and a guess.
- Do not delay every deduction board - Connect clues after major evidence beats.
- Do not skip puzzles during a completion run - Solve them yourself if achievements or trophies matter.
- Do not assume every controller works on PC - Use an Xbox 360-compatible pad or keyboard/mouse if input becomes unreliable.
- Do not mix up Frogwares Sherlock games - Testament is not Crimes & Punishments, Chapter One, The Devil’s Daughter, or The Awakened.
Summary
| Category | Top Tip |
|---|---|
| Scenes | Sweep every room before solving |
| Camera | Switch perspective to expose hidden traces |
| Inventory | Activate items before using them |
| Interface | Use the bottom bar as your case file |
| Deductions | Update boards after clue-heavy moments |
| Puzzles | Avoid skips during completion runs |
| Controls | Confirm PC controller setup early |
Did this answer your question?
Your feedback helps keep the useful answers visible.Sources
8 checked for this guideEvery factual claim in this guide was checked against at least two independent sources before publication. These are the references used for The Testament of Sherlock Holmes.
Next answers
Community notes0
No community notes yet.
Sign in to contribute