Macabre mysteries from the Cthulhu Mythos await in Sherlock Holmes The Awakened.
Ever since legendary author Arthur Conan Doyle created Sherlock Holmes in 1887, the character has been the subject of countless interpretations over the centuries. Classic mature Sherlock, older and living in the modern age, is among a few of them. But to see him in the realm of video games and fighting against the eldritch horrors of H. P. Lovecraft is an especially intriguing entry of the investigator in Sherlock Holmes The Awakened.
Frogwares, the Ukrainian-based developer of Sherlock Holmes The Awakened, who has decades carved its take on the consulting detective, knows this well. In this particular instance, it rebooted the franchise with Sherlock Holmes Chapter One in 2021 and is dealing with a much younger and inexperienced character. As such, it opens the possibility to put the detective in much more complicated situations and have him constantly doubt his ability to overcome them.
Sherlock Holmes The Awakened does the arduous job of being both a sequel and a remake. This original plotline was first told as a computer game in 2008 and is now adapted as a sequel to the storyline rebooted in Chapter One. Although it is not necessary to have played these previous entries, a few nods and characters are mentioned and add to the established lore.
The last entry ended with renowned sidekick Doctor John Watson and Holmes meeting for the first time, and in Sherlock Holmes The Awakened, they are now living in the same infamous 221B Baker Street flat. Plenty of the excitement, in the beginning, comes from their first interactions, and having such iconic characters develop their bond on screen is a delight.
This new entry starts with Watson being rather annoyed at Holmes’ lack of hygiene and proper manners and urging him to change his ways. Sherlock naturally ignores any of his remarks. Not long after, a case is presented in the most serendipitous of ways, and they are off to the races. What starts with a small case regarding the disappearance of a servant of a local landlord devolves into a full-blown chase of a cult of Chtulhu carefully interwoven across several countries.
As with any direct sequel, Sherlock Holmes The Awakened plays similarly to Chapter One, with a few welcome additions that feel more streamlined. The tutorial area of the game tasks you with simple cases, such as investigating a library and asking straightforward questions to guide you and help you grasp the mechanics clearly.
Sherlock Holmes The Awakened is described as a horror adventure and is true to its word. Once the horror elements settle in, they are put front and center, giving an eerie vibe throughout the narrative that never lets up. Not long after you finish the tutorial, you are shown morbid and intense cases, such as the death of children by hard labor, that convey that the game does not shy away from having a dark tone.
The story takes Sherlock and Watson to a psychiatric asylum, which, of course, is just a facade for something far more sinister lurking beneath the surface. This is where, coming from Cthulhu’s mythology, the plot masterfully reveals its cards when you least expect it, playing with your perspective and slowly showing Sherlock’s descent into madness.
A key aspect of Sherlock Holmes The Awakened is the detective’s slow descent into insanity, as Sherlock’s mind fervently believes everything can be explained with reason and logic, and being in the thick of the Cthulhu mythology could prove otherwise. The physical deterioration of Holmes is palpable as the chapters progress, and he starts questioning his sanity. To see such a beloved and timeless character lose his mind in this way is unsettling and an excellent narrative decision, given the opportune introduction of Dr. John Watson.
Watson’s trauma, derived from his time in the second Anglo-Afghan War, belief in the unknown, and superstition clash with Sherlock’s firm roots in reality. Even though these characters have barely met, this case puts their bond to the test. Watson’s eventual warming up to Sherlock is a lifeline to the chaos unfolding around them. Thanks to the clever and humorous writing, it is refreshing to see their friendship shine among all the madness.
The main gameplay feature and what you will spend most of the time doing is inspecting places and things, as a detective does. Every mansion, every room, and every corridor is a puzzle waiting to be solved. Each investigation scene is meticulously crafted and feeds into the main storyline.
As you start a case, you find an investigation scene that you must thoroughly search and start concluding as to what happened. Most puzzles are straightforward, but as you progress, there are more demanding puzzles involving solving riddles, exploring every inch of the map, and finding specific items. Investigative enthusiasts will be glad to know that the action sequences from the previous entry are nonexistent and solely focus on the narrative and sleuthing aspects.
A brilliant part of Sherlock’s adventure is when you click with that eureka moment. The monotony of exploring every single object in a room dissipates, and it is hard to put down and solve the next case, making you feel like the detective solving the case in the room is yourself. The gratification of finding the answer on your own without external aid is a thrill.
The semi-open world is a character of its own. Based on the late 1800s, the atmosphere of all places the dynamic duo visits evokes a certain uneasiness in them, transcending their own historical inspirations to belong in the Holmes universe. Dreary London, the oppressive Swiss Alps, and the musky swamps of New Orleans all take a life of their own, with characters walking about with different accents and from varied places.
Getting the lay of the land is crucial as though the spaces are not too wide, but to avoid needlessly looking around for your next objective, it comes in handy. Fast travel is a very convenient tool for moving around as well. The level and quest design allow for easy exploration and simultaneously solve the main case and accidentally encounter equally great side cases that enrich the context of each environment.
An everlasting grim and gray aesthetic permeates the world of Sherlock Holmes The Awakened. This goes well with the fierce vibe of the adventure, with a small exception when Sherlock and Watson travel to New Orleans, which is mostly sunny for a moment. The experience is much better cinematically, as any sequel should be. The way the cutscenes are framed instills tension and stress, closing into the characters’ faces with each new revelation on the case at hand.
A minor nuisance of an otherwise respectable Sherlock adventure is the fact that there are certain sequences in which you must ask NPCs in the area for directions, and you cannot skip the dialogue if you are wrong. Also, a lack of guidance and waypoints might take aback certain players, but the lack of hand-holding opens the door for players to feel the rush of discovering things on their own, much like the main character single-handedly does.
Finally, the game lasts only a few more than 10 hours, but considering its only year of development time and the circumstances under which it was developed, it is an exhilarating experience from start to finish. The climax of Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened is well handled, too, opening the door for a different kind of storytelling from the intrepid detective duo in the future.
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, it contains tinges of both mythologies that will satisfy any eager fan of either world.
