Detective Video Games Codexery

The Beekeeper's Picnic

A Sherlockian adventure game set in a beekeeping retirement.

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The Beekeeper's Picnic: A Sherlockian Adventure is an indie point-and-click adventure game created by Helen 'Jabbage' Greetham, based on the Sherlock Holmes stories by Arthur Conan Doyle. The game is set in the fictional Sussex village of Fulworth in the 1920s, where a retired Sherlock Holmes, now a beekeeper, plans a surprise picnic for Dr. Watson, only to be interrupted by a series of mysteries.

Lore & Background

The game follows Sherlock Holmes in his retirement as a beekeeper in the Sussex village of Fulworth during the 1920s. Dr. John Watson arrives to recuperate from his wartime service, and Holmes decides to arrange a surprise picnic for his old friend. However, his plans are disrupted by a series of mysteries occurring throughout the village. The puzzles in the game offer multiple solutions and outcomes, and the total playtime is approximately four to six hours.

Reader's Guide

The Beekeeper's Picnic received positive critical attention for its faithful and affectionate treatment of Arthur Conan Doyle's source material. Kotaku critic John Walker described it as an uplifting, gentle tale packed with superbly informed references, praising its design, storytelling, voice acting, and themes.

The Collegian's Fred Nguyen called it a love letter to the Sherlock Holmes stories. Indie Hive's Rachael Brearton highlighted the interesting characters and heartfelt narrative, noting the game's relaxing pace, detailed visual design, and pleasant soundtrack. The game was listed in Kotaku's 'Best Games of 2025 So Far' and was nominated for the 2026 Gayming Awards in the categories of Best LGBTQ+ Indie Game and LGBTQ+ Voice Actor of the Year for Tobias Weatherburn.

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Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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