Unknown 9: Awakening is the debut recreation from studio Reflector Leisure however not the primary entry into the Unknown universe; to date there are novels, comics, and even a dramatised podcast. Fortunately, Awakening is a standalone expertise and so that you don’t must delve into any of the opposite cross-media releases to know something.
The opening scenes are a little bit heavy on lore, telling you all in regards to the Unknown 9. They’re mentioned to be immortal beings who watch over humanity and all through historical past have offered knowledge and energy to a choose few. Some regard the 9 as little greater than folklore and superstition however a few rival teams intention to hunt out the reality. The Leap 12 months Society needs to achieve entry to this data with a purpose to profit all of humanity, whereas the Ascendants wish to use it to advance society solely in ways in which they see match. Whereas it could seem to be solely a refined distinction, it results in massive variations within the methods they function.
The principle protagonist, Haroona, is an outsider to each of those teams. She’s what’s generally known as a Quaestor and has a powerful connection to the Fold, a mystical realm which incorporates highly effective vitality in addition to long-lost information. While we received’t spoil the hows and whys of the narrative, she’s mainly on a mission of revenge and so it doesn’t take her lengthy to get entangled with the assorted factions.
The story is effectively written even when it does typically get a little bit slowed down in its personal lore. It helps that the performances by the principle voice actors are all wonderful. Specific reward has to go to the gifted Anya Chalotra (of The Witcher fame) for her portrayal of Haroona. She does a fantastic job of displaying the character’s susceptible facet while nonetheless being charismatic and fiery on the similar time.
You’ll get to trek throughout the globe with ranges happening in a wide range of environments akin to bustling metropolis streets, scorching and sandy deserts, in addition to lush forests. It’s a disgrace that there isn’t a devoted picture mode as a few of the vistas are fairly beautiful. Hopefully that is one thing that the devs will add in a future patch.
Whereas the story is filled with fascinating concepts and the world appears to be like stunning, Awakening received’t be successful any prizes for its degree designs. Most are pretty linear and a tad predictable, and at instances it appears like a throwback to the PS3-era of gaming. In video games like Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune or The Final of Us, each time the extent opened up and also you noticed some crates or low-level partitions, you knew you have been about to get into one other battle, and it’s precisely the identical right here.
Regardless of this, the fight is definitely fairly entertaining. Haroona has some fairly nifty skills and you may both tackle enemies straight or sneak round and take them out from the shadows. Her magical skills are a bit Star Wars-esque, the place you may pull or push enemies away from you and into explosive objects or off cliffs.
Our favorite means is the place she will be able to ‘step’ into an enemy and possess them for a brief period of time. This lets you arrange chaotic chain reactions the place you may drive a number of enemies to converge in the identical space after which set off an explosive fuel canister, permitting you to wipe out a bunch of grunts in a single go.
As you progress enemies will acquire entry to expertise which disrupts your skills, making it harder to cover your self or possess them. Enemies may be lured away from their devices however typically it’s faster to simply take them head on. Hand-to-hand fight is pretty easy however a little bit bit clunky. There are solely a restricted variety of enemy varieties and assault patterns so fight can get considerably repetitive. It additionally doesn’t assist that in tight areas the digital camera just isn’t at all times significantly useful. This will result in some irritating moments the place you’ll wrestle to align your self with whoever you’re making an attempt to assault.
A lot of your time shall be spent hiding in lengthy grass and coming out sometimes to defeat dangerous guys however whenever you’re not doing that, you’ll be fixing primary puzzles or exploring the environments searching for hidden collectibles.
There are many collectibles dotted round with plenty of the paperwork you discover offering further perception into what is occurring behind the scenes, in addition to including extra particulars about what’s driving sure characters. A phenomenal journal helps to maintain monitor of your discoveries in addition to present a operating replace on Haroona’s ideas of what’s occurring.
One of many collectibles you’ll discover are referred to as anomalies. These shimmering little whirlpools of vitality are the one manner so that you can be taught new abilities, with every one discovered granting you one ability level. There are three ability tree branches: magic, stealth, and melee. It’s not a very massive ability tree besides, it’s inconceivable to unlock each single ability so that you’ll must resolve which skills greatest fit your playstyle.
Other than collectibles there’s nothing in the best way of facet quests or any type of New Sport+ to get your enamel caught into, which makes this extra of a one and executed form of recreation. Whereas which will put these searching for an extended expertise off, it’s truly fairly refreshing to not must do a bunch of repetitive busy work for the sake of completion.
Unknown 9: Awakening is a kind of video games the place the entire is larger than the sum of its components. With its linear degree design it’s a little bit of an old-school expertise in comparison with many new releases, however that doesn’t cease it from being good enjoyable. There aren’t lots of new or modern concepts right here however its fascinating lore and interesting stealth mechanics make it a totally entertaining expertise.
Conclusion
Unknown 9: Awakening is an effective debut from a first-time growth staff. This narrative-driven action-adventure has some tough edges however the stunning areas, intriguing narrative, and well-written characters make it laborious to place down. The gameplay doesn’t evolve a lot however the entertaining stealth mechanics add lots of selection to the skirmishes you end up in. General, this can be a compelling new IP with plenty of potential for future adventures.