Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened

 PlayStation 5
User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 24 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 24
  3. Negative: 3 out of 24

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  1. DenysFalcon
    Apr 16, 2023
    9
    A very interesting remake, filled with even more Lovecraftian horror. There are some flaws, though it's hard for me to be picky when the developers made this game during a literal war. Still, it is absolutely worth playing
  2. ulises1
    Apr 17, 2023
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Es buen juego, pero no llega al nivel de The sinking city o Sherlock Holmes Chapter one, la historia está bien pero tampoco es memorable. Es un juego corto y tiene pocas secundarias. La dificultad está poco medida, hay partes muy sencillas y una en concreto bastante dificil. Gráficamente y técnicamente mejor que The Chapter one. Ya esperando un The sinking city 2.… Expand
  3. Zer0TheHer0
    Apr 12, 2023
    0
    Played the original years ago and it was a great game. This remake is ruined by a terrible off-centered camera and a bad Holmes design.

    Avoid it, play the original.
  4. Ayumi_Saro
    Apr 13, 2023
    10
    Ця гра відверто не на 10, моя оцінка свідомо не співпадає з реальністю. Реально я б оцінив її на 7-8 балів. Проте мені дуже хочеться звернути увагу й на умови, в яких новий (або ж не зовсім) Шерлок Голмс розроблявся. Розробка почалася вже під час повномасштабного вторгнення в Україну. З моменту початку творці гри перенесли все: від емоційних проблем, пов'язаних з ситуацією навколо, доЦя гра відверто не на 10, моя оцінка свідомо не співпадає з реальністю. Реально я б оцінив її на 7-8 балів. Проте мені дуже хочеться звернути увагу й на умови, в яких новий (або ж не зовсім) Шерлок Голмс розроблявся. Розробка почалася вже під час повномасштабного вторгнення в Україну. З моменту початку творці гри перенесли все: від емоційних проблем, пов'язаних з ситуацією навколо, до фізичних, коли банально доводилося підлаштовуватися під графіки відключень світла. І навіть з урахуванням всіх негативних чинників в них вийшла дійсно непогана гра, в якій приємно проводити час, яку не соромно порадити не тільки українцю, а й фанату відеоігор з будь-якої іншої країни.
    Я, як українець, просто не маю права ігнорувати проблеми своїх співгромадян в такій важкій ситуації. Та й вважаю несправедливою оцінку, яку гра має зараз.
    В цілому, це чудовий продукт, очікування щодо якого не варто завищувати, але й поганим його не назвеш, просто тому що це неправда. Хочеться побажати розробникам успіхів з їхнім наступним проєктом, робота над яким або вже почалася, або почнеться найближчим часом. Сподіваюся він змусить мене поставити 10 балів, не пояснюючи свою позицію, а просто тому що стане витонченим. Я знаю, ви можете це зробити, Фроґи. Дякую вам!    … Expand
  5. SoraOfOhio
    Apr 20, 2023
    8
    A solid, straightforward mystery game that reimagines a mashup of Arthur Conan Doyle and HP Lovecraft. You investigate crime scenes, interview people in the area, gather evidence, make deductions by linking evidence in a graphical version of Sherlock's mind, recreate the events as they unfolded, and follow clues to the next location in a fairly linear adventure.
    The gameplay loop doesn't    A solid, straightforward mystery game that reimagines a mashup of Arthur Conan Doyle and HP Lovecraft. You investigate crime scenes, interview people in the area, gather evidence, make deductions by linking evidence in a graphical version of Sherlock's mind, recreate the events as they unfolded, and follow clues to the next location in a fairly linear adventure.
    The gameplay loop doesn't innovate much from the era of PC adventure games, but it does deliver some genuinely challenging puzzles and a variety of methods for solving cases. Sometimes the answer is a matter of cross-referencing archives, asking someone about a piece of evidence you have, or using an item with something in the environment. For that matter, the game even has a "junior detective" difficulty that adds little tooltips in your evidence log to nudge you in the right direction without telling you what to do outright. As someone who enjoys solving mysteries but despairs at those moments where there's seemingly nothing I can do, I found these small things helpful enough to not need a walkthrough. The inclusion of Lovecraftian horror is a bit on the light side, with most of the unsettling, gory details coming to a head toward the end of the second act.
    It has been a long time since I played the original game but I do believe the story matches most of the beats pretty well despite some retooling to make it a continuation of Chapter One's Sherlock. The story is complimented by engaging performances from the actors. Lip syncing is on the loose side but it wasn't all that noticeable.
    Visually, the graphics are of course much better than the 2007 game, with a younger version of Sherlock, more detailed models and environments, and more dynamic lighting and particle effects thanks to Unreal Engine 4. The upgrade makes for some beautiful environments that unfortunately can't be explored due to the more linear nature of the game.
    My biggest complaints are easily a lack of side content and a sluggish final act. Firstly: the lack of side cases isn't a glaring omission but it is puzzling given the game's third act, in which Mycroft can give you a small optional case that isn't related to the story's main plot. It's quick, straightforward, and very easy, but its inclusion feels almost like a prompt to go ahead and buy the DLC that includes a handful of other side cases. It's also a shame given that the environments sometimes feel far bigger than they need to be, considering how little you actually do in them.
    As for the final act, I will keep details vague. It brings the increasing pace of the story's climax to a screeching halt as what should be a dramatic face-off with the antagonist is instead muddled with a puzzle that isn't timed at all and tedious quicktime button prompts that heretofore were never used in the game. To make matters worse, an incorrect dialog choice will force you to repeat the previous section of the puzzle, dragging the affair out even longer.
    All this being said, the team at Frogwares deserve praise for delivering a crowdfunded effort in less than a year all while Ukraine was facing invasion and warfare. There is a small nod to this in the optional costumes, as you can choose a traditional Ukrainian style costume for Sherlock and John among the other options. Could it have had more polish? Sure. But it's a solid game made by a dedicated team and it has more merits than flaws.    … Expand
  6. Jt0429
    May 23, 2023
    6
    Good-
    Solid central premise; Blends Holmes with Lovecraft quite effectively; Successfully solving investigations can often be quite fun.
    Bad- Many of the investigation mechanics feel either poorly designed or poorly implemented; Gameplay loop hinders the pacing; Lacks technical and visual polish. Thoughts- It’s just a shame that so much of what Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened is    Good-
    Solid central premise; Blends Holmes with Lovecraft quite effectively; Successfully solving investigations can often be quite fun.

    Bad-
    Many of the investigation mechanics feel either poorly designed or poorly implemented; Gameplay loop hinders the pacing; Lacks technical and visual polish.

    Thoughts-
    It’s just a shame that so much of what Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened is trying to do on the gameplay front doesn’t land. Though investigations can be satisfying when they finally come together, almost everything leading up to those moments of culmination and eureka is frequently dragged down by design that is either frustratingly opaque, repetitive, or unpolished. When the game does move at a steady pace and lets you enjoy the story and how effectively it blends Holmes with Cthulhu, it’s well worth experiencing. The problem is that it keeps stumbling over itself, all too often preventing itself from moving at the pace it needs to. If you can put up with those frustrations, Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened otherwise has enough going for it that makes it worth experiencing.    … Expand
  7. bejot
    Jul 7, 2023
    8
    Little bit to short, and worst than the chapter one, but still pretty good. I can’t wait for next :)
  8. Hazz92
    Aug 14, 2023
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A very solid game and definitely worth picking up if you have the sudden urge to live out your detective fantasy. The Cthulu mythos was nicely integrated aswell; I was worried it would be over the top and ham fisted but it was done well. Only thing that cost it the two points for me was it felt a bit shorter than it could've been. Wasn't a short game, by the way, I'm not saying that; just saying it finished up when I felt like it had a good steam going.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

69
#69 Most Discussed PlayStation 5 Game of 2023

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 25 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 25
  3. Negative: 0 out of 25
  1. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Jan 23, 2024
    80
    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]
  2. PLAY
    Sep 16, 2023
    70
    Characters you love to be around, a truly thrilling story, and some decent puzzles make for a fun, if perhaps sometimes too frictionless, ride. [Issue#27, p.84]
  3. Worth Playing
    May 9, 2023
    70
    Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened is a competent linear adventure game that seamlessly connects the rebooted story of a young Sherlock Holmes with the twisted world of Lovecraft. While it's a focused effort overall, the presentation is clunky, and the Lovecraftian elements don't get the spotlight they deserve. The enjoyable mystery adventure romp will satisfy fans of the franchise, but everyone else might be better off waiting for a sale before jumping into this case.
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