Sherlock Holmes The Awakened

Two years ago, Frogwares explored the past of the most famous detective of them all in Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One. Now, the Ukrainian developer is bringing their own past to back to life with Sherlock Holmes The Awakened - a full blown remake of their 2007 adventure game that pitted the detective again Lovecraftian horrors. The question then is whether it's a joyful reunion or if the past best remains buried as is often the case in Cthulhu Mythos.

Long-time fans will have a hard time recognising Sherlock Holmes The Awakened as nearly every aspect of the original, be it world design, graphics, gameplay mechanics and even the camera angle, have been changed brining the game more in line with the developer's latest entries. One thing remains relatively unchanged though, and that is the story. Which is mostly a good thing as it manages to both frighten and entertain.

Starting with a seemingly simply kidnapping, the central mystery takes you on quite a journey. From the foggy streets of London you will follow clues leading you over the Atlantic Ocean to sunny New Orleans, and later deep into the bayou where unknown horrors lurk.

True to the style of Lovecraft's original short stories, violence and visible monsters are few and far between, and instead the game builds tension with a foreboding atmosphere and plenty of unnerving hints. You are always a step or two between whatever shadowy conspiracy you are chasing until the climatic finale that - unfortunately - doesn't quite manage to deliver on the suspenseful build-up.

Overall, it's a decent story that is somewhat let down by a clumsy presentation and a lack of characterization. Animations are a bit jerky, character models pop in and out as the camera shifts to a first person perspective when examining items, and the lips, well they are almost the true Lovecraftian horror of the game, moving in their own jerky rhythm with no relation to what is actually being said.

Not that dialogue matters that much anyway, as it is quite clear that many of the game's characters were originally designed mostly for providing puzzles and clues, and not for story purposes. Besides Holmes and Watson themselves, none of the supporting cast truly shines, and while the dialogue is serviceable, it's a far cry from the more narrative focused adventures of the Tell Tale ilk.

Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One introduced quite a few new options to Sherlock's investigative toolkit. Sadly, despite the character now being an established detective lodging in his iconic Baker Street apartment, he hasn't actually learned much from his last outing. Gameplay still consists of combing the environment for hotspots (which thankfully can be highlighted by the press of a button), and - when all the clues have been collected - drawing conclusions in the so-called Mind Palace.

While the game, unlike the previous entry, is not open world, the individual chapters still contain rather large environments, so you will also have to ask locals for directions and be observants of tracks or leads that might point you towards the actual crime scene. The gameplay works in these situations - when you are conducting the investigations through your own deductions. In this regard, the mental reconstructions of crime scenes are once again the true highlight.

At the same time, it's very clear that the mechanics have been tailored towards more open, less linear experiences. When advancing through the game's more linear chapters, the basic mechanics often feel too uninvolved. Most of the time you are not really thinking for yourself, but are being led through the environment by a conveniently placed trail of clues that Holmes unravels without much assistance from you, the player. Simply put, you often end up feeling more like Watson, than Sherlock himself.

Speaking of Watson, Holmes' trusted sidekick plays a much larger role in this new version of Sherlock Holmes The Awakened compared to the original, both in terms of story and gameplay. The doctor and would-be author is more assertive than is often the case, and his interplay with Holmes is easily the highlight of the story. His backstory - that involves having served in the British war in Afghanistan - is explored in details, and it's certainly welcome to learn more about this often one-dimensional character.

You even get to play as Watson in a couple of instances such as when you are firing a gun or piloting a boat in the Louisiana bayou. Unfortunately, besides these brief action sequences, Watson doesn't offer any alternative gameplay as he shares his investigative toolkit with Holmes. A slightly different experience when playing as Watson or the ability to freely shift between the characters would probably have gone a long way towards spicing things up a bit.

Just as Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One did, The Awakened digs deeper into the surprisingly frail psyche of Sherlock. This has resulted in some brand new story sequences where the detective gets trapped in a sort of nightmarish Lovecraftian hellscape where his usual rational mind proves of little use. Instead, you'll have to solve clever environmental puzzles involving a more dreamlike logic. These sequences are brief, but they add some much-needed gameplay variety and doses of cosmic horror.

With a price of €39.99 and a run-time of a little over 12 hours, Sherlock Holmes The Awakened proves decent value for your money. As I wrote in an earlier preview, the game in many ways feel like an expansion pack to the excellent Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One and thus builds on solid foundations. There are more shortcomings this time around though, most of them probably stemming from the fact that Frogwares were interrupted in their development of their next open world title.

Due to the war in their native Ukraine, they opted to make this game instead, which they have done in a little over a year - a quite impressive achievement all things considered. That being said, Sherlock Holmes The Awakened is betrayed by it's short development cycle, and ultimately the game feels caught between two worlds - not quite reaching the level of modern cinematic adventures and not being challenging enough to please fans of classic point-and-click adventures.