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review :: sherlock holmes the awakened
Sherlock Holmes The Awakened
Reviewed on: PCAvailable on: PC
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened is the third instalment of Frogware’s Sherlock Holmes adventure franchise. The Awakened has been seen as yet another attempt to breathe life back into the adventure game genre that we all grew up with.
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened is the third installment of Frogware’s Sherlock Holmes adventure franchise. The Awakened has been seen as yet another attempt to breathe life back into the adventure game genre that we all grew up with.
The adventure genre seemed to slowly lose its last legs with the introduction of 3D graphics. The 2D environments it had grown around in its hey-day could no longer be the background for the point and click adventure. The problem was that there was no longer a single screen to skim across with your cursor when you got stuck, perhaps three or four screens if the game was particularly immersive. With 3D environments, the possibilities of where a “hotspot” could be grew exponentially and soon the term “pixel hunting” was being used a lot more often.
Pixel hunting pops up a lot in reference to many 3D adventure games, including The Awakened. One of the most frustrating parts of any adventure game is getting stuck. Sometimes it’s the most enjoyable… but when you’re limited to pixel hunting, it’s plain irritating. At least the good people at Frogwares have made it so you can’t actually leave an area until you’ve done everything you need to in it. This limits pointless running around and time-wasting to a minimum.
Pixel hunting isn’t the worst of it though. The very linearity of the game is so strict that it can severely feel like you’re being led around by the nose all the time. If you don’t do what you’re meant to do in the right order, the game won’t let you do what you want to.
For example, Sherlock is looking for missing people. Head to wharf. What’s this? Footprints? Blood? This looks like something to investigate! Where’s my trusty…? Oh? What? I have to talk to the barkeeper and a drunken mailman first? But the footprints! Blood! Right there!
It’s not all point and click and let Holmes do the explaining, oh no. Every now and then Holmes will ask Watson/you a question, so you’d better have been paying attention to the clues. You type it in, so spelling is an issue sometimes too. There are also puzzles, perhaps half a dozen, scattered throughout the game. They steadily get more difficult but none are too hard or complex.
But there are many good points to the game! Don’t let my petty pickings get to you. The game plays a lot like an FPS, strangely enough, with first person perspective and even the WASD + Mouse controls. Though there isn’t actually any combat involved, there’s enough suspense to make you feel like you could seriously be harmed at any moment. Which is good because I *hate* dying and reloading, but that little kick you get is always a little fun.
This game freaked me out. It’s got a bit of horror mixed into the adventure. I admit I can’t handle much horror (though I laughed my arse off when I saw Final Destination). I hardly go anywhere near the stuff. Playing this had me well and truly spooked. I imagine most other people wouldn’t be so spooked, but hanging bodies, skeletons and decapitated corpses had me a little on edge.
Let’s get to the background.
You (Detective Sherlock Holmes) are sent to initially investigate the disappearance of some foreigners in London. Soon this leads to a mental asylum in Switzerland, the back-swamps of New Orleans (or N’Awlins, as the locals call it) and an abandoned lighthouse in Scotland. All to uncover a mysterious sect that partakes in ritual human sacrifice in the name of… Cthulhu. This game’s strength is its story and it never lets up on it.
If you aren’t familiar with the likes of Cthulhu, you soon will be. A creation of a 1920’s writer, H.P. Lovecraft, Cthulhu has had a cult following since. Though it’s referred to mainly as the more biblical title of a Leviathan in-game, it is basically a giant titan with tentacles for teeth and some not-so-hot dragon wings that, once awoken, will gobble the whole world up (and we unworthy mortals are to be the happier for it). There’s lots of blood on walls, creepy statues, eerie music, squishy/crunchy footsteps, rats, cockroaches, Watson whining, dead bodies swarming with snakes, the usual. There are some awesome scenes, but still quite freaky. Atmosphere in this game was a priority, and I feel that they got it right. The voice acting is fantastic – I squealed smiled with delight every time Holmes would say a Victorian colloquialism in his impeccable British accent.
Watson is a bit of a pain. A dunce, really. He’s a useless sidekick you sometimes have to commandeer if he’s going to do something properly for you. In one instance, his obliviousness to you is so apparent that he nearly screws up a perfect plan of Holmes’ even when Holmes is only half disguised. You often feel like slapping him silly (Though there’s an idea… Hmm, Brett?)
There are some awesome bits of this game. The highlight was definitely a little chase in New Orleans after some villain who’d taken Watson’s bag (he can never hold on to it). In chasing the thief, you have to take a bit of a roundabout way by running across thin planks, getting past moving windmill things, swinging on pulleys, using bags of wheat as flying foxes… lots of fun.
Another little bit they’ve included are little references, such as Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot bumping into Sherlock and the reintroduction of Moriarty, Holmes’ nemesis in passing. There is some pretty decent Mythos for Lovecraft fans that doesn’t fall into the half-researched category most crossovers end up in.
The Awakened has a brilliant story, and the detailed settings and realistic characters make it quite an immersive game. You don’t get bored by it. The only thing that has kept me puzzled was how this game only got PG with all the gore and cult themes.
The adventure genre seemed to slowly lose its last legs with the introduction of 3D graphics. The 2D environments it had grown around in its hey-day could no longer be the background for the point and click adventure. The problem was that there was no longer a single screen to skim across with your cursor when you got stuck, perhaps three or four screens if the game was particularly immersive. With 3D environments, the possibilities of where a “hotspot” could be grew exponentially and soon the term “pixel hunting” was being used a lot more often.
Pixel hunting pops up a lot in reference to many 3D adventure games, including The Awakened. One of the most frustrating parts of any adventure game is getting stuck. Sometimes it’s the most enjoyable… but when you’re limited to pixel hunting, it’s plain irritating. At least the good people at Frogwares have made it so you can’t actually leave an area until you’ve done everything you need to in it. This limits pointless running around and time-wasting to a minimum.
Pixel hunting isn’t the worst of it though. The very linearity of the game is so strict that it can severely feel like you’re being led around by the nose all the time. If you don’t do what you’re meant to do in the right order, the game won’t let you do what you want to.
For example, Sherlock is looking for missing people. Head to wharf. What’s this? Footprints? Blood? This looks like something to investigate! Where’s my trusty…? Oh? What? I have to talk to the barkeeper and a drunken mailman first? But the footprints! Blood! Right there!
It’s not all point and click and let Holmes do the explaining, oh no. Every now and then Holmes will ask Watson/you a question, so you’d better have been paying attention to the clues. You type it in, so spelling is an issue sometimes too. There are also puzzles, perhaps half a dozen, scattered throughout the game. They steadily get more difficult but none are too hard or complex.
But there are many good points to the game! Don’t let my petty pickings get to you. The game plays a lot like an FPS, strangely enough, with first person perspective and even the WASD + Mouse controls. Though there isn’t actually any combat involved, there’s enough suspense to make you feel like you could seriously be harmed at any moment. Which is good because I *hate* dying and reloading, but that little kick you get is always a little fun.
This game freaked me out. It’s got a bit of horror mixed into the adventure. I admit I can’t handle much horror (though I laughed my arse off when I saw Final Destination). I hardly go anywhere near the stuff. Playing this had me well and truly spooked. I imagine most other people wouldn’t be so spooked, but hanging bodies, skeletons and decapitated corpses had me a little on edge.
Let’s get to the background.
You (Detective Sherlock Holmes) are sent to initially investigate the disappearance of some foreigners in London. Soon this leads to a mental asylum in Switzerland, the back-swamps of New Orleans (or N’Awlins, as the locals call it) and an abandoned lighthouse in Scotland. All to uncover a mysterious sect that partakes in ritual human sacrifice in the name of… Cthulhu. This game’s strength is its story and it never lets up on it.
If you aren’t familiar with the likes of Cthulhu, you soon will be. A creation of a 1920’s writer, H.P. Lovecraft, Cthulhu has had a cult following since. Though it’s referred to mainly as the more biblical title of a Leviathan in-game, it is basically a giant titan with tentacles for teeth and some not-so-hot dragon wings that, once awoken, will gobble the whole world up (and we unworthy mortals are to be the happier for it). There’s lots of blood on walls, creepy statues, eerie music, squishy/crunchy footsteps, rats, cockroaches, Watson whining, dead bodies swarming with snakes, the usual. There are some awesome scenes, but still quite freaky. Atmosphere in this game was a priority, and I feel that they got it right. The voice acting is fantastic – I squealed smiled with delight every time Holmes would say a Victorian colloquialism in his impeccable British accent.
Watson is a bit of a pain. A dunce, really. He’s a useless sidekick you sometimes have to commandeer if he’s going to do something properly for you. In one instance, his obliviousness to you is so apparent that he nearly screws up a perfect plan of Holmes’ even when Holmes is only half disguised. You often feel like slapping him silly (Though there’s an idea… Hmm, Brett?)
There are some awesome bits of this game. The highlight was definitely a little chase in New Orleans after some villain who’d taken Watson’s bag (he can never hold on to it). In chasing the thief, you have to take a bit of a roundabout way by running across thin planks, getting past moving windmill things, swinging on pulleys, using bags of wheat as flying foxes… lots of fun.
Another little bit they’ve included are little references, such as Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot bumping into Sherlock and the reintroduction of Moriarty, Holmes’ nemesis in passing. There is some pretty decent Mythos for Lovecraft fans that doesn’t fall into the half-researched category most crossovers end up in.
The Awakened has a brilliant story, and the detailed settings and realistic characters make it quite an immersive game. You don’t get bored by it. The only thing that has kept me puzzled was how this game only got PG with all the gore and cult themes.
Final Verdict
Decent adventure game with a good atmosphere and engaging, persistent storyline. Sherlock Holmes is a lot of fun to play and the mystery/horror genre works well. A good pick up for the weekend if you’re missing the old days.Pros
Pretty cool gore, great plot, Cthulhu, immersive gameplay, voice acting, details haven’t been forgotten. Not addictive.
Cons
Dealing with Watson, pixel hunting, extremely linear, walkthrough essential if you get stuck.
