The Curious Case Of Solving Cases But In Games
If there is another genre I enjoy besides RPG, simulator, and horror, it is mystery. I love investigating areas, searching for evidence, and putting clues together to solve a case. I feel like Batman or Sherlock Holmes. I mean, come on. They both are fantastic and intellectual characters. Also, they have intriguing personalities and character development. I cannot be the only person who enjoys watching shows/movies or playing games about either detective, right? On top of this, they each have incredible partners, Robin and John Watson, respectively. They each help their corresponding detective with more investigation or putting the puzzles together.
Anyway, I watched various detective shows, and even though it was the same routine of investigating and solving a case, I enjoyed it. I was running out of shows to watch, so at a point, I thought, “There should be mystery or detective games, right?” So with my curiosity, I searched the Xbox store. I was pleased with what I found. Honestly, it was one of the happiest days of my life. I bought and played some games, Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments, Sherlock Holmes: The Devil’s Daughter, and Agatha Christies: The ABC Murders. From then on, I encountered more mystery games and played the ones I could afford or found intriguing. I fancied certain mystery/detective games more than others for different reasons, such as the length or cases in the game. Honestly, if it was a Sherlock Holmes game, I would play it because he is one of the best fictional detectives, from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s books to the live adaptations to the game adaptations. Overall, I still appreciated each game I played since I believe it is challenging to encounter detective games.
Knowing this little part of me, I gladly say I played Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened (2023) and loved it!
A Little More About Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened
Some of the relevant details about the game I found important will probably be important to you, such as a fun fact and the DLC.
I remember seeing the game’s trailer, and I felt as if the game was familiar. It kept bothering me since I started believing Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened was released long ago, so I searched the title on Google. From searching, I discovered that Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened was indeed released long ago. According to Steam, that game was released in 2008. After further research, I uncovered that Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened (2023), released on April 11, is a reimagining of the older game.
Unfortunately, I never had the opportunity to play the original game, but I recall knowing of it before its remake. The good side of the coin is everything was new to me, and I experienced the game with fresh eyes.
Moving along, the price of Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened (2023). According to the PlayStation store, which is probably the same for the Nintendo, Xbox, and PC (Steam) stores, the standard edition costs $39.99, while the deluxe edition that brings the DLC The Whispered Dreams Side Quest Pack + The Detective’s Wardrobe costs $49.99. If you buy the standard edition but later decide you want the DLC, that will be an extra 12.99 plus tax.
To spill out my thoughts, the prices are reasonable due to the game’s length and how you need to buy the DLC to play side quests. I do not know how to feel or what to write about buying the DLC to play side quests/cases since I think it is worth it when you do not want to continue playing the main case, but at the same time, I wish the six side quests were already in the standard version.
Overall, the DLC adds intriguing side cases to the main one that can entertain you since the game starts getting intense, and you would probably not want to stress yourself. Personally, the side quests helped me derive from the horror and tension each chapter brought. The side cases felt like seeing a rainbow after a storm, except in the game, it is more of seeing a rainbow before a storm.
On With The Game
Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened (2023) is the sequel to Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One (2021).
Catch Up With Story Time:
Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One takes place in 1880. Sherlock Holmes was a 21-year-old man who returned to Cordona, an island where he grew up until tragedy hit that moved him to London. The tragedy was the death of Sherlock’s mother, Violet Holmes. Sherlock returned to solve his mother’s death since he felt memories were missing from his mother’s death day. Sherlock did not return to Cordona alone. His friend Jon was with him. At first, I thought Jon was John Watson, the veteran-turned-doctor and writer companion of Holmes. I was wrong, but after completing the game and realizing Jon was Sherlock’s imaginary friend, John Watson appeared in the last cutscene meeting Sherlock. From there, their adventure of solving cases began.
In Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened (2023), we finally see the iconic duo living in the same flat at 221B Baker Street. Two years have passed since the events from the first game, meaning the year is 1882, and we are playing with a 23-year-old Sherlock. This Sherlock is younger than the Sherlock from the original Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened. Honestly, that is awesome since it is rare to find an adaptation with a young Sherlock. If I am not mistaken, the T.V. series Sherlock had a young portrayal of the detective, but not as young as the Sherlock we have.
Diving into the game, you can see in the starting cutscene the duo has worked on other cases during those two years since the flat looks like a mess, indicating the partners are functioning well. Sherlock has papers pinned to a wall since he is trying to resolve some sort of case, while John walks into the flat and sees Sherlock being Sherlock. Also, John sees how unorganized the flat is due to Sherlock’s behavior. The intro scene made me smile and laugh because it represented Sherlock’s and John’s personalities well, Sherlock being the intuitive, active investigator and John being a bit bothered/unbothered by what his flatmate is doing. Also, the cutscene gets a good idea of how Sherlock and John live daily.
Anyway, from the intro, the story starts unfolding after investigating the flat and discovering John threw away a newspaper Sherlock required for his case. Fortunately, Sherlock found the newspaper inside the outside trashcan, but it was soiled. Also, Sherlock discovered a hidden object on top of the newspaper he tried to recover. The object was a poisoned cactus spine. Sherlock believed someone was after him since he is working on a case of missing people.
From there, you will need to figure out who tried to poison you, and after concluding the case, you are thrown into another one, the case John tried to mention earlier. Now, that case is where the train starts moving. The case John mentioned is about his patient’s missing worker. As I said earlier, Sherlock was working on a case of missing people, so it is believed the missing worker is tied to the mystery the detective is trying to solve.
Pack Your Bags And Let’s Go:
After investigating the scene, you start traveling to different places, of course as Sherlock and John, to find out what happened to the missing people and why they vanished. You go from London to the port of London to Switzerland to Louisiana to other places that will get you closer to uncovering the truth of the missing people.
You will know when you arrived at a different location not only by the dialogue, but also by a chapter title sequence, plus you will receive a trophy saying you completed the chapter. The chapter’s title could give you a good idea of the next location and what is coming next, even what to expect.
There are a total of eight chapters, in which each takes place in contrasting areas. For example, you are in London for chapter one, and then, you will be at London’s port for chapter two. Knowing how Frogwares divided the story makes me appreciate how the game is broken down into chapters and by location, which is different from Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One. The first game did not have chapters, but it did have main cases that indicated you moved further into the storyline. Sometimes, I was confused by it since I did not know if I had wrapped up everything I was doing. Thankfully, the sequel tells you when you are finished.
As for traveling, I like how you visit different locations in this Sherlock Holmes game. There is a map for each place you visit, and it is fairly big. Sometimes, I got lost from losing my sense of direction, trying to figure out the next move of the main case or how to solve the side quests. Fortunately, the map comes in handy, especially when you explored the whole area. During your exploration, you unlock areas where you can “Fast Travel.” To “Fast Travel,” hover over the location you want to go to and hold the button. It is quick and better for you when you do not want to watch Sherlock and John run or walk from one place to another.
I say, explore the whole area you can access before proceeding with investigating whatever case you are on. That way, you will know or remember what is located where. Also, as mentioned earlier, the “Fast Travel” areas are helpful since they can be close to the other destinations you need to be at for whatever reason.
Adding on, the map is reliable, until you get to a certain chapter. In that chapter, you have to rely on your instincts to find a place. Do not worry too much about it since you will have hints on how to find the location. Other than that, the developers and/or artists did a great job making the maps for the areas. You can see how detailed and accurate it is to the corresponding place.
Moving forward, I believe the maps and the places for “Fast Travel” are more convenient in this game than in Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One. In the first game, you have a map of the whole island, Cordona. You are not given other maps since you play on the island, which is divided into five sections. The map was not drawn like the maps in Sherlock Holmes; the Awakened (2023). Instead, it was one filled with various street names, and you would have needed to look hard for locations by using the street names. At times, I did like searching, but it was eye-straining.
Going on to the “Fast Travel” locations, some were inconvenient, meaning Sherlock and Jon, the imaginary friend, had to run for a while until they reached their destination. The good thing is it was better than walking from one end of the map to the other end.
Overall, the areas in Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened (2023) give players enough to investigate and roam around, adding the feeling you are traveling with them. On top of this, the maps and “Fast Travel” points are the best in this game since it helps when you get lost. Also, it is fascinating that each chapter takes place in separate places.
Let’s Investigate With A Magnifying Glass:
As said earlier, there are eight chapters in Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened (2023). Each chapter has different cases contributing to the main case unless it was a side quest.
Believe me, each investigation was lengthy, but when compared to the previous Sherlock Holmes game, the overall game was short. The first game had more side quests and a huge area to explore, while this game had various areas to explore and no side quests unless you bought the DLC. I was disappointed to figure out the length of the game and the lack of side cases. I always look forward to longer Sherlock Holmes games since it means there is a lot to interact with, investigate, and do side quests, but I understand why this game had less to play with. The first part is the storyline has different locations, unlike the first game that had only Cordona as the setting. The island of Cordona left room for various side quests. The second part is Frogwares’s home, Ukraine, was attacked on February 24, 2022. As said on their note before the title screen appears, they began developing the game in April 2022. This could mean they had to deal with lots of things, such as stressful situations. I am glad and thankful they could develop and release Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened within a year.
Moving along, since the game provided investigation opportunities, you were given the biggest tool, Sherlock’s “Casebook.” Once opened, you could access the map, the evidence for whichever case you were on, Holmes and Watson’s wardrobe (to be honest, mostly Holmes’ items. Poor John.), and Holmes’ “Mind Palace.”
Sherlock’s “Mind Palace” is where he pieces the clues together and discovers the truth or fragments of the truth of the investigation he and Watson are on.
I enjoyed the “Mind Palace” in this game more than in Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One because of the organization. In the first game, you had to put the evidence together by matching them with another relevant clue(s). Once you connected them correctly, it will give you the deductions or more evidence. Eventually, you will use the deductions near the end of the case to tie everything together and unveil the conclusions. From there, you could pick whichever ending you want for the case. The several endings for the cases made them ambiguous, and I did not like that. I like there to be an accurate ending to whichever case Sherlock solves. I mean, I did like the option of us choosing a conclusion for a case since it involved part of the player’s feelings and logical stance, but the real ending is always the best.
Now, for Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened (2023), there is organization. You will connect the pieces of evidence with a question. Then, you receive the answer once the clues correctly match the question. After making all deductions, the game continues to whatever is next. I prefer questions over playing a mix-and-match game with clues since I would want a focus point. For example (this is not in the game), let’s say the question asked, “Where did John go next?” You would need to go through the pieces of evidence and find the clues that hint at John’s disappearance and where he could be located. I find this easier, so thank you, developers.
You might be wondering, “What if there are a lot of clues? How can we go through them to answer the question?” I mentioned earlier there is an organization in the “Mind Palace,” and that means even the evidence is neatly organized. The evidence is divided into sections: “Items,” which is a blue color “Documents and testimonies,” which is an aqua green color, and “Observations,” which is a beige color. From the color, you can see which types of evidence you need to look for to answer the questions. I have near seen such a great correlation in any other game, and I love it. The organization in this game help me out with the “Mind Palace” and the clues.
Honestly, if another Sherlock Holmes game is created, I hope the developers can keep the same organization of the “Mind Palace” and clues from Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened (2023). Similar to how they kept the organization of the “Casebook” from Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One.
Moving forward, finding the evidence is rather easy. You would need to look through the area and look for a white circle, which means you need to investigate whatever is highlighted by that circle. If given the chance, you can investigate the area in depth and you will collect clues. Once you collected every clue possible, you move on to the different phases, such as the “Mind Palace.” If you cannot move on, you are missing clues. Check everything, and talk to everyone! I would sometimes miss clues, and I was playing in “Young Detective” mode.
Oh, yes, the modes, a.k.a. the “Difficulty” setting where you can change the modes from “Young Detective” to “Master of Deduction” to “Mycroft.”
If you do not know Sherlock Holmes too well, Mycroft is his older brother, and he appeared in the previous game. Mycroft and Sherlock are like competition to each other when it comes to solving cases and how they each work. Mycroft works for the Queen, while Sherlock works on his own, plus with John, for the people who need him.
Just letting you know, “Master of Deduction” is the hardest mode in the game, hence its name. Also, that is why I played in “Young Detective” mode. “Mycroft” mode lets you pick how you want to play the game, such as playing the mix of both the easiest and hard modes. I am not as great as the legendary fictional detective, but maybe one day I will play the game as the “Master of Deduction.”
Back to the clues, I will say to never worry about missing clues since you will eventually find out what you missed. You can check what you missed by pressing L1 on the PS5 controller. This highlights each object that is worth examining. This button saved me a bunch of times, especially starting from Chapter VI. I am grateful for this feature.
Watson!:
An unexpected event happened…I played as John Watson!
I was happy since John has always been more of a sidekick, and he would stay at Sherlock’s side doing little to nothing. No! He is more than a sidekick in the game. John is Sherlock’s best friend, and he would do anything for Sherlock’s investigation, even if it means death. Poor John.
I liked how there was more screen time for John, as well as the moments we got to play with him. Thank you, developers, but if you could dedicate a bit more moments to John, I think that will be a way for thanking him for putting up with Sherlock.
A Reward? For Me?:
You have a reward system in the game.
The way you gain the points is by how you investigate and obtain evidence. I did not see a set amount of points, but I know I would gain at least one point for everything I did during an investigation. Eventually, those points would accumulate and reach certain amounts that unlocked objects. You can unlock outfits, concept artworks, and/or collectibles. The highest amount you can reach is 1500 bonus points.
Sadly enough, I did not reach it, but the guide “Bonus” under “How To Play” states that players can replay the game to collect all of the rewards. The only warning they have is if you start a new game, you lose all of the progress.
At first, I did not like the idea of replaying the game several times for the rewards, but then I remembered the difficulty modes. I could play it in the “Master of Deduction” mode to obtain more bonus points and unlock all collectibles and other goodies.
I bet replaying the game will be fun like the first time. After all, the reward system is something to look forward to.
As It Continued + The Ending:
As you progress through the game, it starts feeling fast-paced, and let me tell you this, it turns for the worst and horror. When I mean “for the worst,” I do not say the game becomes bad. What I mean is the storyline gets serious and creepy, and the themes are not for the faint of heart. If you do not like horror games or horror features in a game, this will not be for you. The elements of horror are strong throughout the game. I felt shivers during certain scenes, especially in Chapter VI. I felt as if I was in the game. To me, it was awesome since I enjoy horror. I even played some of the terrifying scenes at night with my headphones on. I was having a blast.
Besides the horror elements, there was character development in such little time, and I got attached to the characters. For one, there was humor. Then, there were meaningful conversations between Sherlock and John, especially as you kept uncovering dark secrets. At one point, you start noticing the mystery is taking a toll on Sherlock, which is concerning not only to the players but as well to John. There were times when I questioned if Sherlock was going to make it.
Anyway, the game does have its intense moments, especially towards the end.
Oh, yea! The ending…
Let me just say, I felt shocked, sad, confused, and worried for Sherlock and John, I am starting to think Frogwares loves giving us bittersweet endings because Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One endings (there were four) broke my heart. This led me to wonder how the third game will start or even if there will be a third game.
In The Midst Of It All:
Significant keys of a game deserve its own section, especially since they play a major role. Those significant keys are graphics, music, and voice acting.
What Is This Beauty?:
The graphics are just as beautiful as the ones from the first game. The characters and the settings look realistic, almost as if they look familiar.
The good thing is the graphics run smoothly on the PS5. When I played Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One, there would be lags. I found it weird since I played it on the PS5. Fortunately, I never saw Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened (2023) glitch, freeze, or lag while I played it.
One thing threw me a bit off. That was the lack of smoothness between cutscenes while talking to a person. For example, Sherlock would talk to a woman all fine, and then, the scene cuts awkwardly to the next thing she was about to say. The dialogue from both scenes would fit each other perfectly, but it had an awkward cut. It felt awkward seeing the scenes cut off weirdly. I do not recall such awkwardness in the first game. Maybe, the voice lines were not delivered correctly, too? I do not know, but whatever is the issue, it did not bother me too much.
Another thing I found is the lack of emotions. If a woman screamed, her face did not show it. If a woman cried, it looked like she was terrified, not sad. Even though the characters looked realistic, I wish their facial expressions expressed emotions realistically.
Besides the in-game graphics, the title screen was mesmerizing. I was fascinated by it since the art was an animated lighthouse and storm. It also included the ambient noises of a storm, the sound of a lighthouse, and waves crashing. I knew from there that this was going to be a fun game. I was not wrong.
Overall, the graphics deserve a chef’s kiss. It just needs a bit of refining. Maybe, it will happen in the next game.
Oh! The Voices! The Freaking Voices!:
When games have voice acting, I get interested. Why? Because it adds an incredible element to a game. You can hear, when delivered correctly, a character’s emotion and even feel their personality. It is even better when the voice fits a character’s outside and inside like a glove.
Thankfully, Frogwares hired amazing voice actors who give great performances each time I have heard them talk.
Alex Jordan voices Sherlock Holmes, while Andrew Wincott voices John Watson. Let me tell you this, I love their voices! They fit amazingly with the characters. I think Frogwares noticed that, too, since both Jordan and Wincott voiced Sherlock and John, respectively, since Sherlock Holmes: The Devil’s Daughters. That was the last game before the reboot of the dynamic duo in Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One.
Overall, Jordan and Wincott have maintained a fantastic job of voicing one of the most recognizable duos in fiction. It is as if each voice actor understands their character, how to be like them, how to articulate each word, how to express their emotions, and everything else that goes into Sherlock and John. Honestly, spectacular.
Maestro, Please!:
As you keep playing the game, searching areas, finding clues for investigation, and doing other fun stuff, you can hear the background music. I think it was great when Sherlock and/or Jon would walk around, and there would be music fitting the scene or the location. Also, the music would fit in with whatever was happening, such as a moment of intensity would have intensifying music.
A great example is in Chapter VI. As you are trying to find the next location for the storyline, the music intensifies, and it starts to sound creepy. This plays well with the situation Sherlock and John put themselves in, as well as the dark scenery. Lowkey, I got chills from that moment, and it is great because it told me Frogwares knew how to put the music and scenes to work as one.
Besides the music, the ambient noises were well-picked for each moment throughout the game. I felt as if I was with Holmes and Watson the whole time.
Overall, the music played well into the storyline. I would sometimes stop the characters from running just to hear whatever was playing. Also, I felt drawn in by the noises and music since both factors helped with setting the mood for whatever was happening or would come up next.
Overall
Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened (2023) is a phenomenal mystery game and sequel with an intriguing storyline, awesome features, and beautiful graphics. Even though the game is shorter than the previous one, I think this is currently my favorite Sherlock Holmes game because the side and main quests never felt like a dull moment. There was always something to look forward to and a motive to keep playing, unveiling the reason for the people vanishing.
Although I wished the game continued after Chapter VIII, I understand. Now, I hope there will be a third game in the series. Maybe it will answer the ending. I cannot wait to see the future of the younger Sherlock Holmes series. We might even see him grow.
