As a seasoned gamer with over three decades under my belt, I have seen the rise and fall of countless titles, each with their unique quirks and idiosyncrasies. Yet, none have left me as perplexed and slightly disappointed as Unknown 9: Awakening.
After completing Unknown 9: Awakening, I found myself with more queries than solutions. The thrilling climax was undeniably effective in sparking curiosity for a potential sequel, yet it left me puzzled about how we arrived at this point in the storyline. The narrative could have been more engaging and the exploration aspects lacked depth, while the combat wasn’t truly satisfying until the end. By that stage, I couldn’t help but feel sympathetic towards everyone involved with the game – it seemed like an early draft of something far greater.
A Quaestor’s Quest
The character you play as in Unknown 9: Awakening is Haroona, a trainee secret keeper and adventurer with mythical powers, portrayed by Anya Chalotra. However, I found myself unsure if I was watching different versions of her during the early stages. The story seems to be an initial setup that offers confusing exposition, only to abruptly end once it becomes engaging. Unfortunately, the supporting characters also seem to have limited development, hinting at future stories in the Unknown 9 universe. While a series doesn’t necessarily need to reveal everything at once, when most of the plot feels like a summary of a larger story, including the emotional climaxes, it can leave you feeling unsatisfied.
Unfortunately, the gameplay isn’t significantly improved either. You’ll either swiftly traverse through aesthetically pleasing yet shallow levels or engage in skirmishes with groups of enemies using a blend of stealth and action. Haroona possesses the ability to manipulate the Fold, a sort of spiritual realm, which grants her invisibility, temporary control over foes, and the power to move them towards her. Most situations will require you to either pick off enemy groups sequentially or thin out their numbers before a full-blown battle ensues. The combat is serviceable and becomes enjoyable once the game introduces more diverse enemy types and scenarios, but by that point, the end credits are approaching. The progression system is partly to blame, as it requires you to invest ability points into three trees of abilities affecting stealth, possession, and hand-to-combat. These abilities provide crucial enhancements to your basic arsenal, but Haroona doesn’t feel fully developed until the final stages, which detracts from some of the early sections. Ability points are primarily discovered by exploring off the main path. In theory, this is a rewarding method for more observant players, but since you need those points, exploration soon becomes a repetitive process of activating your Quaestor Sense and overlooking the stunning landscapes to find them all.
Awakening are stunning, the gameplay feels repetitive and lacks excitement as you navigate predefined routes filled with enemies. Rather than fostering curiosity and exploration, the game often bombards you with explanations and witty banter during non-combat moments. Unfortunately, the experience is further marred by performance issues on the PlayStation 5, where it occasionally struggles to keep a smooth frame rate.
Ultimately, Unknown 9: Awakening fails to rise to the occasion
Playing through Unknown 9: Awakening left me with a cocktail of emotions when I finally rolled credits after 13 hours. I usually pride myself in my ability to see eye to eye with a game’s vision and try to find even footing even if I didn’t have a good time with it, but this is different. The experience of playing Reflector Entertainment’s debut title is akin to watching a bunch of trailers for those Phase 1 Marvel movies alongside the opening act of the first Avengers flick. It felt like proof of concept for a multimedia franchise that doesn’t want to give away too much but hasn’t figured yet out what it’s even about. All of this is skinned onto the early 2010s cinematic video game experience which aside from a few fun, if janky combat encounters doesn’t know how to set itself apart. It’s heartbreaking because there is a much better experience in between the in-between that didn’t work.
The game titled “Unknown 9: Awakening” will launch on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on October 18, 2024. For this review, a pre-release version of the game on PlayStation 5 was kindly provided by the publisher.
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2024-10-17 17:27