No matter how inexplicable secrets shrouded a complex case, Sherlock Holmes reveals it without hesitation. But what if the famous detective starts losing his mind? Well, more than usual. Will he persist in pushing beyond his limits, reaching out to his trusted friend John Watson, or will he allow himself and his cold case to sink into the void?
That’s what a 2007 game called Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened is about, and now its remake of the same name, which wants to honor it with its believable appeal without going beyond the rules set by the action in the form of the first chapter. Once again, Frogwares has prepared a task that will not be easy to complete, despite the fact that Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened combines the so-called best of both worlds.
OLD CASE, NEW SHERLOCK
Sherlock Holmes: Awakening it action adventure, free sequel to the recently released Chapter 1 and as mentioned I remake of the original 2007 game. The title takes the plot, world and characters from the original work and puts into them the newly created figure of a young Sherlock Holmes and his friend John Watson, as well as gameplay in the form of analyzing a crime scene, interrogating suspects, drawing conclusions and making decisions. At first glance, it might seem that, apart from repainting the scenery from a picturesque island to a darkened dungeon in the style of Lovecraft, not much has changed. However, looks can be deceiving. “Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened” surprisingly changes a lot.
The main storyline is quite simple, and if you’ve played the original game, you know exactly what’s going on. Both Sherlock and John follow the trail of a recently missing servant, entangled in different parts of the world in a much larger a plot full of occultism, rituals and depraved villains. It’s definitely a topic that might not be for everyone, but The Awakened manages to tell the story of the underworld and cults in such an interesting way that you won’t mind wading through hallucinatory hallways even if it’s not your cup of coffee. .
THE TITLE TAKES THE STORY, WORLD AND CHARACTERS FROM THE ORIGINAL WORK AND INSERTS THE NEUTRALIZED FIGURE OF YOUNG SHERLOCK INTO THEM.
Also, this is the very first case of the two main characters and the way the developers deepen their relationship and the character of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson is once again truly remarkable and you will enjoy every minute with the characters. And that there will be plenty of them, as well as cases that you have to solve.
HOW TO JOURNEY THE WORLD
Although the game presents you with different cases, solving them each time contributes to the same quest. They’re not all that different situations, but there’s something about each of them, whether it’s the story it tells for the supporting characters, the setting, or the way it’s resolved. Although this time you will be looking for the kidnapper v London slumsyou will find in the following the secret of the swiss resort or explore New Orleans mansion massacre. The mentioned passages will not be missing either, full of hallucinations that bring a really unpleasant, almost terrifying atmosphere to the game.
This is an atmosphere that the name conveys very well, and in the same way it manages to dose it correctly. All the time you play, you get the impression that something is wrong. And also what it is. But at the same time, after a cumbersome and gloomy experience full of dark projections and strange sounds, the game will give you the opportunity to relax in a much more pleasant environment. The game is like this rich not only in atmosphere and environment, but also in secondary characters, which you will meet and possibly interrogate in the game despite being much smaller than its Chapter One predecessor. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
“EASY” GAMEPLAY DOES NOT HARM THE GAME
A more modest adaptation concerns two questions: gameplay And the functioning of the world. The name takes what worked and simplifies some elements, not in the sense of complexity, but rather in the sense of feasibility.
So the gameplay still contains perfect passages. crime scene investigation where you have to search certain places to the last speck of dust, with or without the help of so-called “concentration”, which opens up insights that the average mortal is unlikely to notice. This is exploration, which is again one of the funniest elements, and despite their frequency, you’ll love it whether you’re exploring a ramshackle desk as Sherlock or limp bodies as John. This also includes the so-called deductions and the memory palace. And here we run into this simplistic feasibility.
To conclude this time, you do not choose from everything that the quest brought you, but the game will indicate whether you need a document, knowledge or subject to solveand their right combination will bring you out. And without even making any decisions when deducting. Personally, I can’t say which I like more: the way the first chapter is presented, or what we find in The Awakened. From my point of view, these are very creative performances, and I liked both in my own way.
However, I could add even more praise memory palace serving for the reconstruction of events. It’s not that different, but rather than randomly deciding where and what happened, the title gives you a clear indication of how many situations you’re looking for and how much evidence you need to unlock each alternative. Then you select only the most likely situations. While this may be an oversimplification for some, in my opinion it is a clearer picture of what the game actually wants from you.
THE NAME TAKES WHAT WORKS AND SIMPLIFIES SOME ELEMENTS, BUT NOT IN THE SENSE OF COMPLEXITY, BUT MORE IN THE FEASIBILITY.
This can no longer be said about puzzles that can stop you for a moment, especially in the underworld full of hallucinations. This does not mean that they were bad, on the contrary, they were very smart, and every time I found the right solution after a few minutes and after some trial and error, I was truly happy. On the contrary, such an element as the confrontation of key people remains almost the same and the whole situation depends on your deduction and the amount of evidence you have, this also applies to the profile of the character and a little blunt making decisions.
There was a tendency in the first chapter that no matter what decisions you make, the story either adapted to what you chose or didn’t give you the right answer. This also applies to The Awakened, but here you will only be subject to decisions when determining the nature of the character, so this game stupidity it hides much better.
OPEN WORLD REPLACED WITH SEMI-OPEN LOCATIONS
However, the game managed to hide much more and often only improve the name. Virtually any skirmishes and fights disappear from the game, for which I can thank the developers many times, because the action passages were a big stumbling block of the previous part. We won’t see chemical analysis either, but on the contrary, it is replaced by a very fun picking of locks, and the search in the archives is back, but you don’t have to go far for it.
In general, you will walk much less, especially since the game does not have a large open world, but it offers only semi-open locations. The name immediately becomes a much more intimate place that does not offer you the opportunity to explore the corners of the world in detail or look for streets on the map, but do not expect any clues or detailed maps either. You will need to find all the locations by following the instructions you receive from passers-by or by your own research. In addition, you will feel that each location has been given enough space and that it is not empty, which is a significant improvement over the previous game.
However, don’t expect semi-open locations to be full of side activities or side cases. Although you will encounter so-called side cases, they will often involve five-minute questions or the secondary body very quickly becomes part of the main. It’s a bit of a shame in my opinion, because it was the side quests, even if they were somewhat generic, that managed to fill the title with great stories that were a pleasure to go through.
TECHNICAL HANDLING IS LAGGER FROM THE PREVIOUS GAME
In terms of gameplay and storytelling, The Awakened is nothing to be ashamed of. He often alternated elements for equal or better. However, I can’t speak highly enough of the technical side of the title and especially of its graphics and animations. It’s not that the graphics are bad, in my opinion, they are again very friendly and, in addition to a realistic concept, also bring their own stylization to the game.
However, this is where the developers’ limited time for the game starts to show. Moments especially the character animation seems worse and unnatural than in the first chapter, whether we are talking about a general attitude or facial movements. Believe me, you may neglect this element during the game, but don’t miss it right away, as conversations with characters are an integral part of the game. I would attribute a slight malaise control the title and camera movement, which seemed too sharp and clumsy to me. On the contrary, the optimization of the title is at an excellent level, and even in the review copy, I did not encounter any serious bugs and problems that would somehow affect my gaming experience. And again the cherry on the cake Czech localization, making the game accessible even to non-English speakers. The text plays a very important role here.
THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS
Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened truly brings together the best of both worlds. If you are looking for an accurate interpretation of the original work, the title will certainly provide it. If you are looking for another adventure with a young Sherlock Holmes and quality gameplay, then you will get exactly what you want. And if you miss the gloomy atmosphere of Lovecraft, even in this case, the game will not disappoint you.
While the title simplifies some elements at first glance, it does so every time. relative to the previous game and with a sense of detail to a much more intimate title, which is undoubtedly The Awakened. Even so, you’ll enjoy an incredibly entertaining investigation, an incredibly entertaining main story, and a little flourish on both main characters, so you’ll be left with nothing to do but ignore things like choppy character animations or the slightly more complicated grip of a moving camera. Frogwares Studio proves once again that it has borrowed something from the famous detective over the years. Indeed, they brilliantly managed to unravel the case of the great remake.
Verdict
Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened is the perfect combination of a faithful remake of the 2007 game and a sequel that stems from Chapter One’s previous work. The picturesque island gives way to a horror setting inspired by the underworld, the occult and, above all, Lovecraft, which unfolds a seemingly simple case that gradually unravels throughout the gameplay. So what you can expect from the game is what you can guess: great crime scene exploration, drawing conclusions from a simplified model, and puzzles that will take your time into the world of hallucinations. A great storyline and a fun game model are only spoiled by the character animations, which probably look unnatural due to lack of time, on the contrary, the graphics still retain their realistic side with stylization. Taken together, Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened will appeal to a variety of players: those who are looking for a true interpretation of the original work, and those who are looking for another adventure against the young Sherlock, and lovers of the atmosphere of Lovecraft’s works.
Source :Indian TV
