Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened
September 30,2007 - So many Sherlock Holmes games have been made at this point that one must wonder what idea will be explored next to inject some new life into the genre of “mystery adventure” games. Frogwares attempts to come to our rescue with a new title, published by our friends at CDV – Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened. But is taking Sherlock to an entirely 3D and first-person environment a good idea, and does the game ride to the rescue or trip in its attempt to? The answer to both of these questions is unclear, though it is at least clear that The Awakened is a disappointment to adventure gamers.

Storyline is always an important thing in an adventure and mystery game, and The Awakened delivers an interesting plot, blending Sir Arthur Canon Doyle's Sherlock Holmes with HP Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos. Despite this potentially interesting combination, the story is sadly limited in scope and immersion due to a gameplay and pacing style that keeps the player in far too cerebral a mood to really enjoy the emotional elements of the story. Not only this, but the gameplay itself feels rather boring and detached, with clues integrated in such a way that, though they contribute to the story, the effort and manner of finding them leaves the player feeling somewhat cheated. The story is further hampered by the feeling that the world is simply not alive, with a general feeling of emptiness in a world that should be busy with individuals walking about the streets... yet, for the most part, is not. The story could have been more engaging and interesting if, say, the occasional creepy chills up one's spine were not subdued, even interrupted, by the fact that you are now furious that one last clue you cannot find is once again stumping and delaying you, or that the scene seems somehow empty. The first, at least, is the nature of adventure and mystery games along the lines of MYST, but making the environs seem somehow alive is integral to an adventuring experience. The Awakened's environs, though sometimes interesting, are simply missing what most of the game is missing – a heart and soul.

The Awakened has a simple mode of play, alternating between several tasks. The first task is typically speaking with the characters to reveal storyline and a new mystery within the mystery with voice acting that, while not fabulous, is still decent. After this the player typically searches for clues, finds puzzles to unlock along the way, and occasionally returns to Mr. Holmes' lab to play with what clues you did collect, picking them apart (literally) and analyzing them with a microscope and K thru 12 chemical set. Afterwards, there is often a quiz in which the player must exactly guess a conclusion by typing in the answer word for word – which occasionally causes frustration when terms can be put differently, i.e. “The Red Light District” versus “Red Light District.” This is all well and good, but the manner of play is so formulaic that the game feels forced, as if the player is even more railroaded than is typical in adventure games. And immersion is even harder to have when your faithful sidekick Watson, during some parts of the game, follows you about not by walking after you, but by magically appearing behind you whenever you turn more than 120 degrees in any direction. Walking away from him facing him results in a creepy feeling when you turn 120 degrees, and the moment Watson is out of view, there he is again right in your face. Somehow I do not think Watson's teleportation abilities were covered in the original works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

On the bright side, though The Awakened's graphics would be considered outdated in many game genres, for an adventure game it is well animated. Clues, though sometimes too obscure, are at least well modeled and the texturing and character models are passable for an adventure game. There is nothing particularly impressive to note here, aside that some of the artistic designs and puzzles are, conceptually speaking, well engineered.

The Awakened's voice acting is definitely a strong point, though is occasionally somewhat boring in the actual dialogue. A complete lack of clues based upon noises or sounds other than mere information given by voice also strikes off as a weakness – the opportunity for sound-based clues in a 3D, first person environment is something that a game would simply be remiss to skip out on, yet sadly The Awakened does.

In the end, The Awakened does have a few redeeming qualities: A good, creepy story; an excellent crossover plot; decent voice acting; and of course, a nice fix for those that enjoy mystery games more than they do traditional adventures. But in the end, The Awakened fails to deliver a fully satisfying adventuring experience, and even among sleuths, it may be found to be lacking. Consider picking it up if mystery games are your genre, as it is a decent sort of game for a sleuth, even if it does sometimes feel rather barren. For others, however, this game is probably not worth its admittedly modest price.

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