Unknown 9: Awakening GBAtemp review
Computer
Product Information:
- Release Date (NA): October 17, 2024
- Release Date (EU): October 17, 2024
- Publisher: Bandai Namco Entertainment
- Developer: Reflector Entertainment
- Genres: Action-adventure
- Also For: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
Game Features:
Set in the early 1900s, Unknown 9: Awakening puts players in the shoes of Haroona, a Quaestor or someone who has magical abilities and can dive into the mysterious dimension known as the Fold. As Haroona, players are on a quest for vengeance. The aim is to find Vincent Lichter, a former ally who is behind the death of Haroona’s mentor. Our protagonist quest takes players across diverse locations from India to Anatolia as she learns to control her Questor powers and connection to the Fold.
A Questor’s journey
While heavily drawing inspirations from other action-adventure games like Uncharted, Unknown 9: Awakening sets itself apart with its original narrative and setting. Across the roughly 8 hour gameplay, players will get to explore and fight in locations ranging from tropical jungles to an airborne Zeppelin. By weaving a plot that involves secret societies, cryptic Questor powers and a mysterious dimension, Unknown 9: Awakening builds up an intriguing plot.
However, the overarching narrative doesn’t quite reach the heights it sets for itself. It gets lost in its own jargon, with the lore and purpose of some key players such as Questors and the Sahin not given satisfactory exposition. The narrative pacing also feels uneven at times, with some story beats and cutscenes coming off as rushed and developing abruptly. This leaves some interesting leads unexplored.
In addition, the presentation itself feels rushed at times. Movement can feel a bit stiff and some animations lack fluidity, especially in regards to facial expressions and close-up interactions. The game could use some polish, despite it touting the performances from actors such as Anya Chalotra, who starred as Yennefer of Vengerberg in Netflix’s The Witcher series.
Classic action-adventure gameplay with a magical touch
Gameplay in Unknown 9: Awakening is essentially that of an AA action-adventure game. It’s mostly linear with some level of exploration to find collectibles, with Haroona being able to climb on vines, hide in tall grass and move through narrow passageways in walls. There’s also a skill tree that allows you to upgrade three branches: Combat, Stealth and Umbric Abilities.
It’s the latter branch that freshens up the gameplay; because Haroona is not equipped with guns but magical abilities. As you progress in the game, Haroona’s Questor powers evolve, enabling her to use various Umberic Abilities. I found the Stepping mechanic to be quite original as it allows you to briefly control an enemy to open up blocked paths or even fight other enemies in your stead. Other mechanics also come in handy such pushing enemies off a cliff from a distance or causing distractions to sneak past unawares.
The game also enables you to take on a stealth approach if you don't want to tackle enemies head on. It can be fun to devise strategies to get past enemies, distracting them, throwing them against flammable items and shrouding yourself before a stealth take down.
This freedom of playstyle is welcome; that is, when the game allows it. This is because quite often Haroona is put in situations where combat is inevitable, and not just in boss fights. If you've focused on levelling up your Stealth stats in the skill tree, then your upgrades might not pay off. With its old school approach, Unknown 9: Awakening does not let you skip combat in those instances as the way forward is literally blocked before you beat the enemies.
Moreover, even if the enemy AI shows a semblance of intelligence, the façade wears off soon enough. While they're triggered by distractions such as explosives that go off, they won’t not hear Haroona coming behind them or disregard bodies of their comrades lying around. Haroona is also often in the company of an ally but the latter does nothing in combat but does not hesitate to brag about their assistance in cutscenes. In such ways, there could have been a more balanced and polished gameplay.
Unknown 9: Awakening - a magical tale that has yet to fully unfold
With familiar actors and a world-spanning adventure, Unknown 9: Awakening was an ambitious outing for Reflector Entertainment. There's a kernel of originality in its setting and magic-enabled gameplay, but the rest feels mostly derivative of what came before it. The game all too often falls short of its ambitions, ending up as a rough, templated “Modern Western RPG: The GameTM”. Its unpolished animation and unintelligent AI are glaring issues that persist throughout the experience. Furthermore, some unbalanced narrative beats and gameplay elements prevent it from reaching its full potential.
Unknown 9: Awakening - Cinematic Launch Trailer
Verdict
- Original narrative and setting
- Some interesting Questor abilities
- Uneven narrative pacing and exposition
- Poor enemy AI
- Unpolished animations