Two years ago, Frogwares explored the past of the most famous detective of all time in Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One. Now Ukrainian creators are resurrecting their own past with the release of Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened, a remake of the 2007 of the same name which pits the investigator against horrors inspired by Lovecraft’s novels. The question is whether this is a happy reunion or whether the past is best left buried, as is often the case when the Cthulhu mythos are involved.
Long-time fans will have a hard time recognizing Sherlock Holmes The Awakened, as virtually every element of the original game (world design, graphics, gameplay, mechanics, and even the camera angle) has been changed to better fit to the most recent works of its creators. The story is the only thing that stays more or less the same, which is a plus, as it manages to entertain as well as scare the player.
It all starts with a simple kidnapping, it seems. The main mystery ends up taking you on quite a journey: from the foggy streets of London, you will follow clues that will lead you to the Atlantic Ocean and sunny New Orleans, and later to the depths of the swamp where hidden unknown horrors.
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The game faithfully follows the style of the original Lovecraft stories: what is scary is not the violence or the presence of monsters, but the tension which increases thanks to the disturbing atmosphere and the multiple disturbing insinuations. You always find yourself a step or two behind the dark conspiracy you’re trying to uncover, until the grand finale which sadly falls short of the expectations created by the growing tension of the rest of the game.
Overall, it’s a decent story that ends up being somewhat underwhelming due to its weak presentation and lack of characterization. Animations are a little jerky, character models appear and disappear as the camera switches to first person when examining objects, and lips… Arguably the true Lovecraftian horror of the game, as they move at their own pace. and do not correspond to what the character says.
The dialogue doesn’t matter too much either, as it’s clear that most of the characters were designed in the original title to provide clues and puzzles to the player, not to be part of the story. Aside from Sherlock and Watson, none of the supporting characters really stand out, and while the dialogue is serviceable, it’s a world away from that of story-driven adventures like Telltale’s.
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Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One introduced a number of new options to Sherlock’s Investigation Skillset. Unfortunately, while the character is now a seasoned detective living in the iconic Baker Street apartment, he hasn’t learned much since his last adventure. Gameplay is still about combing through your surroundings for clues you can interact with (which, thankfully, glow when you press a button). When you have gathered all the information, you draw your conclusions in the famous mind palace of Holmes.
The game is not an open world like its predecessor, but the chapters take place in very large environments, so you will also have to ask the locals for directions and be very attentive in case you find footprints or traces which would take you to the actual scene. of the crime. The dynamic works very well in these cases, when you conduct the investigation from your own inferences. In this regard, the mental reconstructions of the crime scene remain the highlight of the game.
At the same time, it’s clear that the mechanics have been tailor-made for a less linear and more open experience. As you progress through the more linear chapters of the game, the mechanics are barely involved in the dynamics. Most of the time, you can’t think for yourself, but instead let the surroundings guide you through a row of well-placed clues that Holmes deciphers without the player’s help. Basically, you end up feeling more like Watson than Sherlock himself.
Speaking of Watson, Holmes’ trusty sidekick has a much larger role in this remake of Sherlock Holmes The Awakened than the original, both in terms of story and dynamics. The aspiring doctor and writer is more confident than we usually see, and his interactions with Holmes are the best ever. His background, which includes serving in the British war in Afghanistan, is explored in more detail. The truth is, the chance to learn more about this often one-dimensional character is pretty sweet.
You can even play as Watson on occasion, like when you’re firing a gun or piloting a boat through the Louisiana swamp. Unfortunately, aside from these brief action sequences, Watson offers no other alternate dynamics, as he shares his investigative skillset with Holmes. Adding a different experience playing as Watson or even being able to freely switch between the two characters would have greatly improved the dynamics of the game.
As in Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One, The Awakened delves even deeper into the surprisingly fragile mind of Sherlock Holmes. The game presents us with completely new story sequences in which the detective is trapped in a kind of horrifying hell. lovecraftiano where your rational mind is of no use to you. So you’ll have to solve some ingenious puzzles using more dreamlike and unreal logic. These sequences are brief, but they add needed variety to the dynamic and a healthy dose of cosmic horror.
The title costs 39.99 euros and the estimated playtime is just over 12 hours, so I think Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened is pretty good for its price. As I already wrote in my first impressions, this feels a bit like an expansion to the excellent Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One, so it’s starting from a solid base. However, this new game has more flaws than its predecessor, probably because the team at Frogwares was cut short in the middle of creating its next open-world installment. Due to the war in Ukraine, they decided to release this game instead. They created it in just over a year, which is definitely a great achievement. That said, the short development period of Sherlock Holmes The Awakened is quite noticeable, and in the end it feels like you’re caught between two worlds: it doesn’t quite reach the level of modern cinematic adventures, and that is not complex enough to satisfy fans of the classics. Point and click classics.