Sherlock Holmes The Awakened Reviews
Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened has a very good and interesting storyline, capable of keeping us glued to the end, but it suffers from a few too many bugs and gameplay that is a bit too frustrating and confusing. It is worth a try, but maybe after the arrival of some patches and a price drop.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Just a couple of notes. First, as this is based on the works of Doyle and Lovecraft and set in Victorian times, some questionable ideas are espoused here. For the most part, the game goes out of its way to repudiate such views, like the man abusing his servant. But be aware they are there (the game warns you about this in its loading screens). Second and far less important, the game is relatively short. It took about fourteen hours to complete, and I wasn’t exactly trying for a speed run. I in no way think this is a bad thing, however. The timeframe kept the story tight and meant the game did not outstay its welcome. The game releases April 11, 2023, so if you pick it up let me know what you think in the comment below!
While Sherlock Holmes The Awakened has an incredibly rich story to experience, it feels like you have to work much harder than normal to get to it. The overall gameplay is incredibly smooth and the mechanics balance each other out quite well, but a form of hint is desperately needed for a game like this.
Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened does a brilliant job at showcasing a curious case of the most famous detective in the world, one in which he needs to go beyond his intellect to deal with things his skepticism never let him believe in. The narrative sequence and ambientation don't disappoint when compared to its literary adventures. It's a must-play title for fans of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's work.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened, despite visual inconsistencies and limited accessibility for newcomers, remains a solid entry in the series. Its Lovecraftian twist, complex mysteries, and character development engage players. While some areas need improvement, the game offers a captivating experience for Sherlock Holmes and adventure game fans. Frogwares delivers a notable adventure, albeit not perfect.
Sherlock Holmes The Awakened is a thoroughly enjoyable detective adventure which is well written and explores some dark themes. The gameplay, mostly notably the absence of action, will not be to every player’s taste but for those who appreciate this style, it will deliver an exceptionally rewarding experience.
Sherlock Holmes The Awakened explores a haunting adventure that is unsettling to live through and succeeds as a creative take. Marketed as a Lovecraft meets Sherlock Holmes original story, there are tinges of both mythologies that will satisfy any eager fan of either world.
If you think about what Frogwares had to go through this past year in Ukraine, it’s an amazing feat that Sherlock Holmes The Awakened came to fruition. Sure, the game doesn’t break any new ground, but the team did it, and it just works! This crossover between Lovecraft and Sherlock is a dream come true for a detective and horror fan like myself. Even though The Awakened re-uses many of the same assets and engine and suffers from some of the same frustrations as Chapter One, it still remains a compelling detective experience from start to finish. There’s plenty of madness to lose your sanity to and lots of cases waiting to be solved!
Frogwares have done it again, despite the terrible events going on around them, they’ve managed to create a brilliant and memorable game for us all to enjoy. Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened looks and feels like a new game, despite being a remake of a game from 2008. The added content was fun to play through, creating replayability to unlock everything, and the visual and spoken references to previous titles were a nice touch. Fans of the original game will enjoy the tweaks to the story, mechanics, and gameplay, making the experience familiar yet different. Sadly, there are a number of things ‘missing/different’ which I would have loved to see in this new version – such as the detailed corpse, silly humour, and a first-person mode – but none of these omissions reduced my overall enjoyment. I’d personally recommend you go out of your way to complete all of the side cases, even though there are no trophies assigned to them, I don’t think Sherlock would be happy if you left a bunch of cases unsolved!
The union between Lovecraft's world and Sherlock Holmes makes this adventure essential for all those lovers of detective, mysterious adventures, with a certain air of terror and a lot of investigation. Frogwares brings us a remake of the title with the same name released in 2007 in which we saw the detective and Doctor Watson face the satanic cult from the world of H.P. Lovecraft, although this new remake has new sequences, new cases, new mechanics and a renewed story to adapt it to the latest and improved Sherlock Holmes games with Unreal Engine. Completing the game will take approximately 15-20 hours depending on your detective skills.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Sherlock Holmes The Awakened is an enjoyable re-imagining of one of Frogwares best takes on the great detective. Stunningly recreated with Unreal Engine, this story has new puzzles, a wealth of side missions, quirky mechanics, and an intriguing plot that keeps itself interesting throughout. A remarkable accomplishment considering the horrendous circumstances the studio has had to overcome.
Frogwares' remake of Sherlock Holmes The Awakened successfully blends the otherworldly with the logical in a compelling and well-written adventure that shows a different side of the iconic detective.
Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened is smaller than the game it's a sequel to. It had to be, due to painful real-world events that affect the developer to this day. But by streamlining mechanics and sticking to what they do best, Frogwares delivers a refreshingly focused experience. Despite its gruesome subject matter, the game is a joy to play, taking care not to cause anxiety through gameplay. This is a masterful detective game, giving you the tools to figure out complicated mysteries on your own. The final chapters may leave certain things open-ended, but that only raises hopes that Frogwares can make another fantastic game next time. Based on their past work, I know they can.
Sherlock Holmes The Awakened does what a good remake should, and remakes the entire game. New graphics, gameplay, story elements, dialogue, and more all work to bring together an experience any fan of detective-focused gameplay will love. It has some issues with signposting and movement bugs, but if you love Sherlock Holmes then this is a trip worth taking.
Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened has received a rather elementary remake. Those returning from Chapter One will appreciate the witty writing and banter between Holmes and Watson, though it is missing a certain 'wow factor' for a remake like this to truly stand out in today's market.
Far more than just a remake of the 2007 game, Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened (2023) is a character driven deep dive into the psyche of the titular detective and a competent, enjoyable mystery game to boot. It might not be the most accommodating to newcomers to the series, but if you're a fan of the Frogwares Sherlock Holmes titles, this is yet another cracking crime solver.