Sherlock Holmes The Awakened: A Dark & Haunting Mystery

The world’s greatest detective is back, and this time he’s facing his most sinister foes yet. The Awakened is a full remake and substantial rewrite of the 2006 game of the same name by Frogwares. Previously teased under the name Project Palianytsia, The Awakened is a dark, HP Lovecraft-inspired story infused with the narrative arc of a young Sherlock Holmes taking on his first major case alongside his newly acquainted sidekick, John Watson.

The Story of Sherlock Holmes The Awakened

What seems like a straightforward case of a missing person quickly spirals into a web of conspiracies by a nefarious cult that worships the eldritch god Cthulhu and are attempting to bring about an ancient prophecy. The game takes the detective duo across 4 locations – Victorian London, a Swiss psych ward, the New Orleans bayous, and the Scottish Highlands – as they try to separate reality from the supernatural while trying to put a stop to these shadowy madmen.

Rebuilt From Scratch – Or Unreal 4…

Frogwares is rebuilding the entire game from scratch using Unreal Engine 4, with new graphics and assets, animations, cutscene overhauls, additional investigation gameplay mechanics, and an amplified story behind how Watson and Holmes came to be so close. The list of changes goes on, making The Awakened essentially an entirely new game with only the underlying story in the cases staying more or less intact.

The idea of using the unsettling and horror-filled events in The Awakened to continue our young Sherlock arc has been floating around the studio for a while. Denys Chebotarov, the producer of Frogwares, stated, “we are giving ourselves a much more predictable and structured development cycle. And stability and predictability is exactly what we need right now while the rest of our days remain so uncertain.” This is because the studio has faced delays due to the ongoing War in Ukraine.

Delays Caused By The War

“The recent weeks have been really tough on the team mentally, with all the missile and suicide drone strikes hitting Kyiv,” said Sergiy Oganesyan, Head of Publishing at Frogwares. Despite the challenges, the team continued to work hard on The Awakened, which will be coming to PC, PS4, PS5, XB1, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch with a Kickstarter campaign to help secure the game’s final production funds and offer fans a few more bonuses and rewards for supporting the studio at a time when their country is at war.

Good News on the Horizon

However, there is good news for fans eagerly waiting for The Awakened as it is set to release on April 11th, 2023. The team at Frogwares has poured their heart and soul into creating a truly immersive and haunting experience that fans of the detective genre will love. With the team overcoming many challenges, the release of The Awakened is a triumph that fans will be eagerly waiting to get their hands on.

The Awakened is shaping up to be an excellent game, with its captivating story, immersive gameplay mechanics, and new additions that make it feel like an entirely new game. Despite the delay due to the War in Ukraine, Frogwares has overcome many challenges and has delivered a product that fans can look forward to experiencing. So mark your calendars for April 11th, 2023, and get ready to embark on a journey through the supernatural world of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson.