Two years ago, Frogwares explored the past of the most famous detective of all time in Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One. Now the Ukrainian creators are resurrecting their own past with the release of Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened, a 2007 remake of the game of the same name, name that set the investigator against horrors based on Lovecraft’s novels. The question is whether it’s a happy reunion or whether it’s better to let the past bury itself, as is often the case when it comes to the Cthulhu Mythos.
Longtime fans will have a hard time recognizing Sherlock Holmes The Awakened, as virtually every single element of the original game (world design, graphics, gameplay, mechanics, and even the camera angle) has been modified to better suit the latest works of their creators. The story is the only thing that stays more or less the same, which is a positive point because it manages to both entertain and scare the player.
It all starts with a simple kidnapping, it seems. Finally, the main mystery takes you on a whole journey: from the foggy streets of London, you follow clues that lead you to the Atlantic and sunny New Orleans, and later to the depths of the swamp where unknown horrors lurk.
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The game faithfully follows the style of Lovecraft’s original stories: what’s frightening isn’t the violence or the presence of monsters, but the tension, which builds thanks to the ominous atmosphere and several disturbing allusions. You’re always a step or two behind the shadowy conspiracy you’re trying to uncover, until the grand finale, which unfortunately doesn’t live up to the expectations created by the mounting suspense of the rest of the game.
Overall it’s a decent story that ends on a bit of a disappointment due to its weak presentation and lack of characterization. The animations are a bit choppy, the character models appear and disappear when the camera switches to first-person when examining objects, and the lips… arguably the true Lovecraftian horror of the game because they move at their own pace and do not agree with what the character says.
The dialogue doesn’t matter much either, as it’s clear that most of the characters in the original title were designed 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 light years 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 investigative abilities. Unfortunately, although the character is now a seasoned detective living in the legendary Baker Street apartment, he hasn’t learned much since his last adventure. Gameplay is still about combing your surroundings for clues to interact with (which luckily light up when you press a button). Once you’ve gathered all the information, draw your conclusions at the famous Holmes Mental Palace.
The game isn’t an open world like its predecessor, but the chapters take place in very large environments, so you’ll also have to ask the locals for directions and be very attentive in case you find footprints or tracks that lead you to the real scene. of crime. Dynamics works very well in these cases if you conduct the investigation with your own conclusions. In this respect, 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 tailored for a less linear and more open-ended experience. As you progress through the game’s more linear chapters, the mechanics are barely involved in the dynamics. Most of the time, you can’t think for yourself, but let your surroundings guide you, thanks to a conveniently placed clue line that Holmes deciphers without the player’s help. Basically, you feel more like Watson than Sherlock himself.
Speaking of Watson, Holmes’ trusty sidekick plays a much bigger role in this remake of Sherlock Holmes The Awakened compared to the original, both story-wise and dynamically. The doctor and aspiring writer is more confident than we usually see, and his interactions with Holmes are the best ever. His past, which includes his service in the British war in Afghanistan, is examined in more detail. In truth, the chance to find out more about this often one-dimensional character is very nice.
You can even play as Watson on occasion, like firing a revolver or piloting a boat in the Louisiana swamp. Unfortunately, aside from these brief action sequences, Watson doesn’t offer any other alternate dynamics as he shares his investigative skills with Holmes. Adding a different experience of 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 introduces us to some brand new story sequences where the detective is trapped in some kind of horrible hell. lovecraftiano where your rational mind is of no use to you. So you have to solve some ingenious puzzles with a more dreamlike and unreal logic. These sequences are short, but they add the necessary variety and a good dose of cosmic horror to the dynamic.
The title costs 39.99 dollars and the estimated playing time is just over 12 hours, so I think Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened is pretty good for the price. As I wrote in my first impressions, it feels somewhat like an extension of the excellent Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One, so it starts from a solid base. However, this new game has more flaws than its predecessor, probably because the Frogwares team got interrupted in the middle of creating their next open-world opus. Because of the war in Ukraine they decided to release this game instead. They made it in just over a year, which is definitely a great achievement. However, Sherlock Holmes The Awakened’s short development time is striking, and in the end it feels like it’s caught between two worlds: it doesn’t quite reach the level of modern cinematic adventures, and it’s not complex enough to satisfy fans of the Classic. point and click Classic.
