Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened (2007)

 PC
User Score
7.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 56 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 26 out of 56
  2. Mixed: 24 out of 56
  3. Negative: 6 out of 56
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  1. RiderA.
    Sep 14, 2007
    8
    Deep, exciting, with puzzles that are interesting, logical, and very Sherlock Holmes. The Cthulhu element is a huge bonus pitting the most logical of detectives with the most chaotic of elder beings. The game would have been perfect if it is not for the buggy and picky game engine. It could be fixed with a patch but doubt with the non-existing replayability the game would fair any better.
  2. AndrewM.
    Feb 5, 2007
    9
    Am only a little over half way through but feel compelled to vote already. If you like adventure games mixed with genuine detective work and straight-forward mental challenge - you truly can't go wrong with The Awakened. Great story (thus far), voice acting, location and design; if only the loading times were significantly shorter, this would be a perfect 10. Great game for mystery Am only a little over half way through but feel compelled to vote already. If you like adventure games mixed with genuine detective work and straight-forward mental challenge - you truly can't go wrong with The Awakened. Great story (thus far), voice acting, location and design; if only the loading times were significantly shorter, this would be a perfect 10. Great game for mystery buffs who enjoy adventure!… Expand
  3. GolovA
    May 4, 2012
    6
    I must agree with some of the reviews - the puzzles are... well... either too easy (you just follow the plot and do whatever Homes says) or make no sense whatsoever. If you are looking for an adventure where you solve an inventive riddle using your mind - look some place else: this rendition of Holmes has no such puzzles. That said, the game still has some grabbing power - theI must agree with some of the reviews - the puzzles are... well... either too easy (you just follow the plot and do whatever Homes says) or make no sense whatsoever. If you are looking for an adventure where you solve an inventive riddle using your mind - look some place else: this rendition of Holmes has no such puzzles. That said, the game still has some grabbing power - the intermixing of Lovecraft and Conan Doyle is quiet inventive and innovative; the execution of such **** however, suffers from lack of detail and general harmony between the two. Any adventure fan, or Holmes fan, or Lovecraft fan for that matter should definitely try this title considering the fact it is on sale on Steam for 2 bucks or so. But i would definitely not recommend it to an Adventure (Quest) fan of oldschool or newage.… Expand
  4. BobH.
    Mar 10, 2007
    0
    I have often found myself wondering why this French studio keep making Sherlock Holmes games; they haven't done any research, care little for the characters and history and include some of the worst puzzles and voice acting I have ever experienced. Then, in the product description, I noticed that 500,000 games have already been sold. That says everything, really. There is no real I have often found myself wondering why this French studio keep making Sherlock Holmes games; they haven't done any research, care little for the characters and history and include some of the worst puzzles and voice acting I have ever experienced. Then, in the product description, I noticed that 500,000 games have already been sold. That says everything, really. There is no real care or thought behind the games except to cash in on the names created by Conan Doyle over a century ago. This latest adventure, which I finished in one sitting, see our 'hero' (wrong eye colour, voice tone and outfit) hunt for demons in the USA. Now, if you are thinking that doesn't sound very 'Holmes', you'd be right. The game, as it is, is a poor excuse for an adventure, and gives the genre a bad name. There have been quite a few point and click games released these past few months, so I would suggest you seek those out, and avoid this cash-in stinker.… Expand
  5. Bmane
    May 8, 2014
    3
    A quick review on this one, because I couldn't bear myself to play the game any further...

    Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened is very much a game I wanted to love. I wasn't put off by the outdated graphics, so I was expecting solid gameplay, solid voice acting and solid writing to compensate. Sadly, none of that is the case here. I'm a big fan of Sherlock Holmes, (particularly Jeremy    A quick review on this one, because I couldn't bear myself to play the game any further...

    Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened is very much a game I wanted to love. I wasn't put off by the outdated graphics, so I was expecting solid gameplay, solid voice acting and solid writing to compensate.

    Sadly, none of that is the case here. I'm a big fan of Sherlock Holmes, (particularly Jeremy Brett Holmes) so I do expect a certain level of a quality when it comes to these games to set them apart.

    I've tried the other Sherlock Holmes games in the past and found them completely and utterly devoid of essence of what Sherlock Holmes should be. This game does no better, although it does improve on several designs, namely the remastered edition that features a 1st person mode. However the game should be reviewed in its original state.

    To summarise:

    Voice Acting - Dreadful. The only decent voice acting that game from this is Watson. Holmes was flat, dry and contained none of the eccentricity that the character should have. It was as if they hired Microsoft Sam to take the part of Holmes in this one. I can't say their support cast were great either. There is one scene in which Holmes is speaking to a (indian?) foreigner in their native language, and it had me in stitches at just how bad it was. I was literally face palming.

    Theme: I'm a fan of Cthulhu. Not a huge fan, but I've read the books and anything Cthluhu related gets my juices flowing, so this is why I really wanted to like this game. However, since I didn't play the game through its fullest it would be unfair to review it in full on this (despite looking up the plot after). I can say however that from what I played of it, the premise was not exactly subtle, which is a bad thing in my books.

    Writing: Really bad. Enough sad on this the better I reckon.

    Setup/Puzzles: The general logical setup had me stumped. Why was Holmes interested in a book on piracy (it has relevance to the plot later, but why at the start?) and fish (again relevance, but much later) at the start... These were books that would be useful later on, but at the very start you acquire them despite not having any need of them. It was nothing but lazy writing and plot setup. I can say the same for a lot of the detective work.

    I would like to say more but want to avoid spoilers, but I found the whole way they laid out the puzzles as bizarre.    … Expand
  6. Gelaos
    Sep 20, 2018
    7
    Really very well done adventure game. Perfect voice acting, exciting puzzles that require logical thinking and overall the game follows the tone of A. C. Doyle's work. However, the Cthullu element could be used in a much better way.
  7. ALBERELVIS
    Feb 1, 2021
    7
    First of all, I'm probably not the best person to judge this episode of the Sherlock Holmes games, because for me, this game involves a very high level of nostalgia.

    The game starts off perfectly, calmly, and without unnecessary fuss, with class and elegance, but it quickly turns dark, and it is precisely in this balance between fantasy and reality that it gives my 20-year-old self and    First of all, I'm probably not the best person to judge this episode of the Sherlock Holmes games, because for me, this game involves a very high level of nostalgia.

    The game starts off perfectly, calmly, and without unnecessary fuss, with class and elegance, but it quickly turns dark, and it is precisely in this balance between fantasy and reality that it gives my 20-year-old self and my 10-year-old self the chills.

    The story is told in a very visual way, and unlike the predecessor games, there is no final moment of "revelation", which although it usually works very well in cinema, in video games I think it is a disservice, as it generates in the player, the feeling of disconnection from the character, as this is able to draw conclusions without you remotely dazzle them, something that in this game is handled very well, being logical but not absurdly elementary.

    As far as the puzzles are concerned, I have mixed feelings, and I found some of them very elementary, while others, on the other hand, hid a logic on the verge of absurdity, as is the case of the numbering of the coordinates. In any case, I found them all satisfactory, unlike the first episode of the saga, the mystery of the mummy, where most of the puzzles involved completing images by moving squares.

    Speaking of previous episodes, I was a bit sad that the references were so scarce, as in the case of one of the paintings in Baker Street, or news in the newspapers, a real shame.

    The controls were smooth and agile, and with the remastered edition, in addition to a considerable improvement in the animations, the possibility of marking objects of interest, for me, has been a real luxury, since the countless hours trying to find the pixel that contains the x object of interest are over.

    For me, its only weakness lies in the decline of the plot, especially after the asylum in Switzerland, as the trip to Louisiana feels a bit forced and disjointed with the rest of the events. (I found the chase a bit too long).

    Anyway, it seems to me a more than worthy game to be played and that without a doubt, it has a special place among the famous British detective's deliveries.    … Expand
  8. mskhm7949
    Jul 19, 2020
    5
    한국인 셜록키언을 위해 한국어 평가 남깁니다.
    우선 시스템의 경우 실버 이어링에 비해 많이 개선된 게 사실이고 윈도우 10에서도 호환에 큰 문제가 없을 정도로 무난한 편입니다.
    다만 셜록홈즈의 유언 비공식 한글패치가 출시되기까지 사실상 한글판이 없어 해석에 어려움을 겪는다는 것이 문제일 것입니다. 스스로 영어 중급 이상의 실력을 가지고 있다고 자부한다면 해볼만한 게임입니다. 그러나 이따금씩 주관식 질문이 나올때가 있는데 이 경우 알맞은 단서를 찾아 그에 맞는 답을 직접 타이핑해야 하기때문에 난이도는 제법 높다고 볼 수 있습니다. 이는 후속작인 네메시스 또한 마찬가지입니다. 영어에 조금 자신은 있으나 복잡한 문제풀이, 계산, 단서발견의 어려움이 싫으시다면 잭더리퍼를 추천합니다.    한국인 셜록키언을 위해 한국어 평가 남깁니다.
    우선 시스템의 경우 실버 이어링에 비해 많이 개선된 게 사실이고 윈도우 10에서도 호환에 큰 문제가 없을 정도로 무난한 편입니다.
    다만 셜록홈즈의 유언 비공식 한글패치가 출시되기까지 사실상 한글판이 없어 해석에 어려움을 겪는다는 것이 문제일 것입니다.
    스스로 영어 중급 이상의 실력을 가지고 있다고 자부한다면 해볼만한 게임입니다. 그러나 이따금씩 주관식 질문이 나올때가 있는데 이 경우 알맞은 단서를 찾아 그에 맞는 답을 직접 타이핑해야 하기때문에 난이도는 제법 높다고 볼 수 있습니다. 이는 후속작인 네메시스 또한 마찬가지입니다.
    영어에 조금 자신은 있으나 복잡한 문제풀이, 계산, 단서발견의 어려움이 싫으시다면 잭더리퍼를 추천합니다.
  9. bergcamp101
    Aug 7, 2020
    7
    This is a very strange game in the series. From one side it has all well-known Sherlock Holmes things and mechanics, but from the other side, the horror line looks a bit out of place.
  10. M00nC4t
    Jan 17, 2022
    6
    A good adventure game and a very interesting take on a Sherlock Holmes' type of case; the mix with the Cthulhu mythos worked amazingly. However, I found it not to be as good as its sucessor, 'Sherlock Holmes vs Jack the Ripper'. Midway through the game, the actions and the puzzles became mostly sorely unintuitive; in order to interact and/or pick up some objects, you had to perform aA good adventure game and a very interesting take on a Sherlock Holmes' type of case; the mix with the Cthulhu mythos worked amazingly. However, I found it not to be as good as its sucessor, 'Sherlock Holmes vs Jack the Ripper'. Midway through the game, the actions and the puzzles became mostly sorely unintuitive; in order to interact and/or pick up some objects, you had to perform a specific series of actions, even if you already knew what to do; it was very frustrating. The puzzles in the last part were a mixed bag as well; some of them required mathematical knowledge (which I do not possess), others wanted you to know things I believe you had no way of knowing beforehand or were mentioned way back - such as the symbol of the Old Ones -, and the Scotland map puzzle was absolutely ridiculous; the map was immense and you had to ciick on a VERY specific point in it in order to continue. With the Remastered version came a strategy guide, but I found it to be mostly useless, what with it being awfully vague. It was a shame really, since the ambience, the music, the art and the voice acting were mostly lovely. Although the dark element of the Cthulhu mythos was very welcome and well done, I felt the story could have gone deeper - it felt as if the huge amount of gory and bloody elements were just there to shock.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

75
#75 Best PC Game of 2007

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
72

Mixed or average reviews - based on 28 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 28
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 28
  3. Negative: 2 out of 28
  1. PALGN
    65
    The very mention of Sherlock Holmes is enough to award some merit, and the gameplay isn't half bad either. Players thirsty for a classic adventure should give it a shot.
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  2. Pelit (Finland)
    90
    The combination of Holmes and Cthulhu works very well. The puzzles are challenging but realistic, and the plot is intriguing. On the minus side, there is too much running to and fro and sometimes the 3D environment makes it hard to find the needed things. [Feb 2007]
  3. Just Adventure
    75
    Those who are only interested in Eye Candy or who are squeamish at the sight of blood should probably look elsewhere. But those who like a good story and lots of inventory based puzzles should enjoy it.
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