There’s nothing worse than a game that promises the moon and fails to deliver. Unknown 9: Awakening aimed to dazzle with supernatural powers, secret societies, and a mysterious parallel dimension, but what we got feels like a mishmash of great ideas struggling to find a connection. Despite flashes of brilliance, its uninspired execution pulls it down into mediocrity. Let’s dive in.
It fails to deliver
At first glance, Unknown 9: Awakening sets up an intriguing story. We follow Haroona, a young girl with the ability to manipulate reality through “The Fold,” a mysterious dimension where she can use abilities like “Stepping” literally taking control of enemies or turning invisible. This concept is cool in theory but the actual story fails to live up to its potential.
The narrative spends too much time playing it safe, which is surprising given the rich lore built around Unknown 9 as a transmedia project. There’s a web of secret societies, ancient knowledge, and metaphysical powers waiting to be explored, yet in the game, it all feels so underwhelming. Haroona’s journey, which is supposed to pull you into a world of intrigue and tension, instead stumbles through a plot that’s generic at best and forgettable at worst.
The voice acting, featuring The Witcher’s Anya Chalotra, does help bring some emotional weight to the lead character. But sadly, even Chalotra’s performance can’t elevate a story that feels like something that you’ve seen before from the moment you start playing. It’s one of those games that’s different in all of its trailers and screenshots but once you start playing, it feels like something you’ve done countless of times before.
Combat has some cool concepts
Let’s talk gameplay. The selling point here is Haroona’s supernatural abilities, especially the “Stepping” mechanic, where you can take over enemies’ minds to turn them against each other. Sounds awesome, right? Well, not exactly. I was hoping on the same kind of magic I felt when I took control over enemies in the GameCube classic ‘Geist’, sadly no magical feeling in Unknown 9… What should have been a smooth, tactical stealth mechanic feels more like a half-baked idea in practice. The system is finicky and often doesn’t work as intuitively as you’d hope, making it easier to just punch and kick your way through enemies instead of using the more creative powers available to you, which clearly isn’t the way it should be.
The combat blends melee action with Haroona’s “Umbric” abilities, like blocking bullets or manipulating the environment. While these ideas are fun on paper, the execution feels… clunky. There’s a lack of fluidity, which drags down the fun. You spend more time fumbling with controls and recharging abilities than feeling like an all-powerful paranormal being
Also, the enemy AI isn’t doing the game any favors. Most encounters boil down to repetitive fights against brain-dead goons who either rush at you or stand in place waiting for a good punch to the face. Even with the enemy variety, like Bruisers and Gunners, they never pose a real challenge because their behavior is too predictable
This is where Unknown 9 trips over itself. The game tries to blend stealth and action, but doesn’t fully commit to either style. Haroona’s powers should make stealth feel rewarding, but the awkward controls and inconsistent enemy reactions make it frustrating instead.
Beautiful yet outdated
Now, I won’t take too much away from the game’s visuals. The Indian-inspired city of Chamiri is genuinely stunning at times, with vibrant colors, detailed textures, and lighting that reminds me of the best moments in Assassin’s Creed. It’s a setting ripe with potential, but while the environments are impressive, the rest of the game feels dated.
Character models are stiff, animations lack fluidity, and the overall art direction feels like it’s stuck in the past, which really takes away from the immersion. For a game releasing in 2024, it just doesn’t stand up to what we’ve come to expect from modern action-adventure titles. It’s like looking at a remaster of a mid-2000s game, not something built for the current generation.
Despite teasing a world filled with secrets and hidden paths, Unknown 9: Awakening falls into a trap of linearity. Sure, you can collect a few hidden items scattered off the beaten path, but the exploration never feels truly rewarding. The platforming is basic, the puzzles are laughably simple, and the game funnels you down narrow corridors rather than letting you truly explore the world it’s created. It’s not that a linear experience can’t be fun but here it feels limiting.
Conclusion:
At the end of the day, Unknown 9: Awakening is a game filled with promise but weighed down by its own shortcomings. The story doesn’t dig deep enough into the fascinating lore it sets up, the combat never finds its rhythm, and the visuals, while occasionally beautiful, often feel like relics of a bygone era. It’s not a bad game by any means, but it’s far from great.
If you’re a fan of supernatural mysteries or have a soft spot for action-adventures, you might find some enjoyment here. But for most, this is the kind of game you pick up on sale, blast through in a weekend, and then forget by Monday morning. Let’s hope Reflector Entertainment’s next effort into this universe lives up to its lofty ambitions, but for now, Unknown 9 feels like an idea that still needs a lot of extra work.
