Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened

Sherlock Holmes The Awakened is a rewarding investigative experience with familiar gameplay that has you play as both Sherlock and Watson as they follow the phenomenon of Cthulhu around the world while fighting to keep their sanity. Although it's smaller in scope than the previous title and is lacking in terms of side-quests, it's still a fun journey and is presented beautifully to boot.

Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened is smaller than the game it’s a sequel to. It had to be, due to painful real-world events that affect the developer to this day. But by streamlining mechanics and sticking to what they do best, Frogwares delivers a refreshingly focused experience. Despite its gruesome subject matter, the game is a joy to play, taking care not to cause anxiety through gameplay. This is a masterful detective game, giving you the tools to figure out complicated mysteries on your own. The final chapters may leave certain things open-ended, but that only raises hopes that Frogwares can make another fantastic game next time. Based on their past work, I know they can.

Sherlock Holmes The Awakened is an amazingly creative way of remaking a game. Taking a piece of your past and making it a building block for your future is genuinely impressive, and it’s a captivating tale that can be experienced now in a deeper capacity. He may not be the same after what he’s just experienced, but Sherlock Holmes has never looked better, and I can’t wait for the next one.

In spite of a few weak spots, the remake of Sherlock Holmes The Awakened is a must for every fan of mystery and horror. No need to know the original game, but I strongly recommend playing the oft-mentioned Chapter One first to appreciate the reasons behind Sherlock's behavior. [Issue#327]

Without reinventing the recipe, Sherlock Holmes The Awakened offers a compelling gameplay experience even if you’re not a good detective. The wide variety of environments in each location that you can explore and the many characters that you meet along the way make this a very enjoyable ride.

Frogwares successfully completes a re-release that surpasses the original in every way, making it one of the studio's best proposals.

Even if Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened was slightly disappointing, we’d ultimately still be impressed, given the hardship that Frogwares has faced over the course of its development. The fact that it’s actually a very good game its own right shouts volumes about the talent housed within this small Ukrainian developer. Truly, this is a real showcase of passion, perseverance and raw talent. Detective games really don’t come much better than this – especially if you like a bit of the occult thrown in for good measure.

Far more than just a remake of the 2007 game, Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened (2023) is a character driven deep dive into the psyche of the titular detective and a competent, enjoyable mystery game to boot. It might not be the most accommodating to newcomers to the series, but if you’re a fan of the Frogwares Sherlock Holmes titles, this is yet another cracking crime solver.

Beautifully blending two realms, Sherlock Holmes The Awakened presents a great investigative game, asking you to do your own research without going too far. For your own good, grab this game if you have even the slightest bit of curiosity. You won't regret it.

For a game that was never meant to exist, Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened is a revelation. It has everything a Holmes fan could want; mysteries to unravel, fun dialogue and banter between Holmes and Watson, and plenty of investigations to be had. Playing through with barely any instruction or assistance from the game itself really gives a sense of achievement not often found with other detective games. A compelling and mythical storyline is really the cherry on top of a fantastic, thought-provoking game which will have players exploring every nook and cranny to get to the bottom of the mystery at hand.

A well-made remake that smartly avoids some of the mistakes we saw in Chapter One.

Sherlock Holmes The Awakened is a solid entry to the franchise by Ukrainian developer Frogwares, and I hope to see some DLC in the future to keep the adventure going.

Sherlock Holmes The Awakened combines horror and Holmes to create a wonderful adventure game, but don't expect it to hold your hand.

The graphics are much more modern and multiple tweaks and additions have been made to improve the gameplay.