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I loved this game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: February 11, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I really enjoyed this game. I am a frequent PC game player and I can say that this is at the top of my list.

The puzzles were not obscure and nonsensical like many games. I used what I learned from the game and didn't have to rely heavily on "cheat sights" like I have with other games to solve the puzzles.

One glitch is that you have to move just right to go some places.

I really enjoyed the eerie atmosphere and the gore. The graphics are great and the story is easy to follow. Great locations. Quick moving. I recommend this highly if you love a good spooky mystery.

Favorite Mystery Adventure Game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: August 13, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I love this game! I loved the face-off combination of Sherlock Holmes and the supernatural forces of Cthulu, it's very original. Also, I personally enjoyed the dark subject matter, the gore, and the scenery...it emphasized the pure evil of the enemy and made the story that much spookier. The voice acting was great, the adventure was fun to unravel, and I think the graphics were awesome; the use of an all 3D landscape makes it even more engaging.

There are a few cons, but not enough to turn me off to playing the game again in the future. The background music isn't too great...it's just a bit of ambiance between chapters and during dialog scenes, and nothing much other than that. Also, if you don't really pay attention to all the clues, it's hard to figure out exactly what to do next, especially when you are asked a question by one of the characters and you need to type an answer. I had to use walkthrough websites just to figure out the answers, and it doesn't allow you to opt out and answer later. If you don't answer it at the moment, you're SOL. Another problem is that the controls are a bit hard to figure out -- the best idea would be to customize them as you see fit and really try to get a feel for everything before heading out on the adventure. Lastly, if you don't play it on a computer with 1 gig of ram, it is SLOOOOOOWWW. But most if not all computers come standard with 1 gig of ram now, so it's all good.

Anyway, I highly recommend this game, especially if you're into period games (as this is set in the late 19th c.) and are morbidly curious about the occult. Most gaming website have given it an 8 out of 10 and I would give this a 9. It's a great game for adults and definitely worth the money.

Great Game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 1
Date: April 06, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Once I figured out how to play the game I was able to get into it. I really enjoyed the graphics. It was suppose to be guesome but that didn't bother me because its just a game. You just follow the clues to solve the mystery.

Nice surprise - Jumped a Few Times Too!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 1
Date: May 20, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I bought this game being very skeptical; however the graphics, storyline, & dark atmosphere kept the attention span. Know that I like to watch people play point and clicks just as though I'm watching a movie unfold. Note to anyone who's frustrated with back-tracking, you'll be doing a lot as well as go over material that's not very obvious to find; which is why I knocked off a star from my rating. I'm `very' experienced with point and clicks and truly enjoy the dark image that they `can' provide if well written and the right mood is set. When both my wife and I nearly jumped out of our skins with a few scenes, I was hooked! Here's how I conducted my start rating:
1) Pretty good scripting & dialog, the voice acting was well done
2) Graphics performed well and for sure conveyed a `lights out' feel to the game - well done!
3) Overall performance of the game to include installation was solid
4) Storyline was good and keeps the viewers attention (not too confusing)
5) Clues, hints, and adaptability to continue game play was harsh (for sure requires a walkthrough; nixed this star due to many clues being too obscure.

Note that my wife and I love to get a good scare out of our games and we look forward to the next installment of this point-n-click. Before buying, I'm sure we'll be researching walkthroughs for those next to impossible clues that we'll inevitably overlook.

Sherlock Holmes Puzzler with Great Atmosphere

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: July 13, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I enjoyed Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened and recommend it to adventure/puzzle game fans, particularly if you enjoy the Sherlock Holmes world, and moreso if you enjoy the Call of Cthulhu mythos of HP Lovecraft.

The atmosphere of the game blends these two themes very well, though ultimately it is a Holmesian quest and not a race against madness that takes you across London, Switzerland, New Orleans, and up the Scottish coast for the finale.

The puzzles range from easy to very difficult, sometimes the latter because of the arcane nature of Holmes and Watson uncovering all the clues at your feet with the magnifying glass so that they can continue, even if you've already figured things out. In this case, I had to refer to a walkthrough online to get unstuck. Otherwise, the most challenging puzzles did a good job of keep me engaged and trying everything I could think of to solve the next move.

The game world is 1st person 3-D with inventory management, in which you pick up items to use later, often combining them to new items in MacGyver-esque innovation.

The voice acting is not Shakespearean but I did like the feel of the Holmes and Watson personas and you meet a diversity of other characters along the way.

I'll be picking up the next adventure, Sherlock Holmes: Nemesis because the feel of the game and a majority of puzzles were well done.

Beauty and the Beast

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 14 / 14
Date: October 30, 2007
Author: Amazon User

The beauty: This game has wonderful atmosphere; the water effects are stunning; the actors are good; the story is interesting

The beast: it is so linear it hurts; you can't go ahead and pick up something you know you are going to need; once I typed an answer using the spelling in the clues and it wasn't accepted

I don't mind spending a lot of time solving puzzles; but I do mind spending a lot of time trying to figure out how to tell the game what I want to do. Not that this is new. It was the same in the old text adventures where you were in a maze of twisty passages all alike. Deja vu.

Sherlock Holmes and the Old Ones

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 13 / 16
Date: October 08, 2007
Author: Amazon User

A typical adventure game where as Sherlock Holmes you must pick up various items to solve puzzles, and find clues by looking around the map and clicking on areas where an icon lights up. Like the Longest Journey or Dreamfall, the storyline is more important than gameplay in Sherlock Holmes the Awakened.

For most the game you play as Sherlock Holmes in the late 1890's. The game takes place after Holmes' "death" at the Reichbad Falls, and his later re-apperance. Your task as Holmes seems simple at first. Watson wants you to chat with a patient of his. The patient reveals that his Maori servant has run off and from there the chase is on!

The plot line is a bit complicated but begins to make sense as the game progresses. What is truly interesting is the Cthulhu element to the game! It is well done and suitably mysterious. People with no idea about Lovecraftian lore might in fact be totally baffled by some of the events in the game. For those who are well versed in the Old Ones, the story line is a particular treat with plenty of homages to Lovecraft.

Gameplay is smooth enough but has a few issues. Namley, there is no bobbing as you walk. Much like the old first person shooter games, motion sickness can occur. Most of the puzzles involving objects are easy enough, but at times you need to double back to areas and pick up items you weren't allowed to pick up before. It would have been nicer if the game spared you the doubling back because whenever one gets stuck in the game, they can't help but wonder..."Do I need to go back somewhere?" Usually the answer is "no", but not always. At one point during the game, Holmes has to chase after a thief. It is incredibly anti-climactic because as you chase him, little puzzles occur which slows you down and turns the chase into a slow speed pursuit. And alas a math puzzle shows up. Bravo if you can figure it out without consulting the mighty walkthrough online. The end of the game has a somewhat "rushed" feeling to it, as if the designers simply wanted to wrap things up and be done with it.

Graphics are fine but by no means superb. There are glitches near the end of the game which serve to make the climax a bit choppy. Additionally you need to read journals and books and the font size is quite small.

Sound is fine as well and the dialogue not completely terrible nor the voice acting that bad. Where it is bad, it is at least brief.

The game has a rating of M, and there is no real cause for it. There are some gory segments, but nothing so terrible as to rank a rating of M. Maybe I'm jus de-sensitized?

If you like Cthuhlu, and fear him as you should.... you'll enjoy the plotline of Sherlock Holmes the Awakened. If you like endless puzzles such as Myst, you'll find the game lacking. And if you just like a good mystery, well without Cthuhlu knowledge in your background, you might find yourself scratching your head from time to time.

I paid full price for the game, which I finished in less than a week. So, I overpaid. $25 I'd say would be a fair price, and thats only because I don't want to displease the Great Old Ones.

Great concept, average result...

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: January 10, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I will be the first to admit that I am a big fan of both Sherlock Holmes and the Cthulhu mythos, so I was extremely please that these two worlds were to intersect in what looked to be an outstanding game.

Unfortunately, the expectation did not meet result, and we have a decent game, but not a great one. Linear play is not my favorite format, so unless you are drawn to it, you will likely share my experience.

If you are looking to check something out in a different venue of Sherlock Holmes or Holmes-like, I give the following my highest reccomendations:

Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Granada Television Series (12 DVD)

The Crime Doctor

...check them out - you will be glad you did!

Halfway through it, you start to like it

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: December 13, 2007
Author: Amazon User

It takes a minute for your brain and eyes to adjust the movement in the game, but once they do it's pretty entertaining. The spirits of Watson and Holmes are perfectly captured and the puzzles are tough.

It was basically fun

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: June 15, 2008
Author: Amazon User

The voice acting was pretty decent. The settings were detailed and looked good. The gameplay was very linear which is either good or bad depending on how you like your games. The story was fine though the ultimate bad guy kind of came out of nowhere and it left me feeling a bit disconnected. It wasn't all that scary though. The only real problem I had was with the graphics. After I'd been playing for a while the textures would go wonky and I'd have to save and restart the game. On the plus side one of the bad guys does an interpretive dance and Watson shoots an unarmed man so... I'm glad I got it fairly cheap. I'd suggest it if you can do the same and you're looking for a few hours to kill.

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