Sherlock Holmes The Awakened Reviews
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.
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.
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 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.
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 has dynamic gameplay and the dark story leaves no loose ends in its conclusion. It's a smart game (as expected) and transforms its predecessor's open-world experience into something more linear and succinct. Some might see this as a positive thing, while others might be left with the impression that there's something missing compared to the previous title. Either way, it's clear that Frogwares has masterfully remade a game that was already successful at its time, taking it to another level – and this needs to be recognized.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Sherlock Holmes The Awakened is an amazingly creative way of remaking a game. Taking a piece of your past and making it a building block for your future is genuinely impressive, and it's a captivating tale that can be experienced now in a deeper capacity. He may not be the same after what he's just experienced, but Sherlock Holmes has never looked better, and I can't wait for the next one.
For a game that was never meant to exist, Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened is a revelation. It has everything a Holmes fan could want; mysteries to unravel, fun dialogue and banter between Holmes and Watson, and plenty of investigations to be had. Playing through with barely any instruction or assistance from the game itself really gives a sense of achievement not often found with other detective games. A compelling and mythical storyline is really the cherry on top of a fantastic, thought-provoking game which will have players exploring every nook and cranny to get to the bottom of the mystery at hand.
Sherlock Holmes The Awakened combines horror and Holmes to create a wonderful adventure game, but don't expect it to hold your hand.
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.
Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened is a solid, long-lived detective adventure profoundly different from the original 2007 version. It's a pity that the graphics are not up to the rest.
Review in Italian | Read full review
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
Frogwares successfully completes a re-release that surpasses the original in every way, making it one of the studio's best proposals.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Beautifully blending two realms, Sherlock Holmes The Awakened presents a great investigative game, asking you to do your own research without going too far. For your own good, grab this game if you have even the slightest bit of curiosity. You won't regret it.
Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened blends Cthulhu and Holmes very well, but the strengths of its story and premise are let down by the weaknesses of its meandering and opaque gameplay.
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!
For a title one year in development, Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened impresses with enjoyable - albeit simple - puzzles, a fun story, and beautiful visuals.
Sherlock Holmes The Awakened is a solid entry to the franchise by Ukrainian developer Frogwares, and I hope to see some DLC in the future to keep the adventure going.
Sherlock Holmes The Awakened is a competent remake featuring all the best features the series is known for, such as an engaging mystery and solid investigative gameplay. While the game is lacking in terms of innovation, doing away with the open-world setting seen in Chapter One, Frogwares developed Sherlock Holmes The Awakened it in less than a year and in the middle of a war, so no one should be disappointed that the game doesn't feel much different from past entries in the franchise.
Nevertheless, the small problem that surrounds this title is that it plays quite a lot like Chapter One and — though better — still has that general feel of Sinking City. It also will serve to frustrate many because of the way it doesn’t attempt to hold your hand as you play. If you don’t mind that duopoly of deja vu — nor a bit of trial and error — then jump right in.