Unknown 9: Awakening review - A decent if forgettable journey to the spirit realm
After being teased four years ago with a gripping cinematic trailer, Unknown 9: Awakening is finally here. Developed by Bandai Namco-owned Reflector Entertainment, this debut project had many gamers excited for it over the years — but does it live up to expectations after all this hype? The answer to that question will sorely disappoint many.
This is especially bizarre since Awakening is the first step into a multimedia franchise about the Unknown 9 universe, leading to a poor first impression. That said, let's find out what Unknown 9: Awakening gets right and where it goes wrong in our full review of the game.
Unknown 9: Awakening lore is promising but drops the ball
The game begins with a backdrop explaining the premise of the in-universe lore, revolving around an ancient civilization called the Sahin, among whom a group called the Unknown 9 found a way to break the cycle of birth and death. However, millennia later, new factions are in a race against time to learn the secrets of this group and the powers they harness, which will decide the fate of humanity itself — an interesting premise for sure.
This is where our protagonist Haroona comes in. Raised on the streets of 19th-century Kolkata, India, she is a Quaestor (pronounced Questor) — a term for powerful Umbral magic-weilders. They can access an alternate spiritual realm called the Fold to harness energy known as Am. However, she soon finds herself at the center of a power struggle between the antagonistic Ascendants faction and the allied Leap Year Society.
The former is led by the game's main villain Vincent who aims to use Am to lead humanity the way he sees fit as he disagrees with the principles of the Unknown 9. Meanwhile, the Leap Year Society wishes to learn more about the Fold to help humanity and stop Vincent. Throughout the story, Haroona travels to different locations, ranging from bustling cities and quaint ruins to lush forests and mercenary camps.
She will also meet various NPCs, including her companions: Luther, a sharp gunslinger who also founded the Leap Year Society, and Buchra, a Leap Year scientist under him who also aids Haroona in defeating Vincent. Even though there is a varied and diverse cast of characters, none leave much of an impression on the player, including the antagonist who appears early on in the narrative.
Making matters worse, the Journal tab is periodically updated with new details and Haroona's thoughts but the wordy jargon and walls of paragraphs ensure most players will back out without glancing at them. This is especially a shame as Unknown 9 Awakening is the first step into the wider Unknown 9 multimedia franchise, with the IP already spawning several media projects including web series and comics.
Still, the story of Unknown 9: Awakening does a reasonable job of keeping things moving along.
Been there, done that
This brings us to the gameplay of Unknown 9: Awakening; while in a better spot than the weak narrative, it isn't without issues of its own. Firstly, this is a third-person linear action-adventure game featuring melee combat augmented by magic, stealth encounters, and pockets of exploration. Divided into chapters, Haroona will navigate these levels which alternate between exploration, cutscenes, and combat.
Due to its linearity, there is no map but the game does allow going off the beaten path to find upgrades for her magic powers and collectibles. Much of the DNA here is handpicked straight from other popular genre examples such as Hellblade and A Plague Tale. This can be a good thing if done right, and disastrous if it goes wrong. Before we dive into which group Unknown 9: Awakening belongs to, let's discuss what it gets right, and that is the powers.
Haroona can use her Am powers to aid herself in combat and exploration. These range from simple actions such as manipulating objects in the environment by Pushing or Pulling them or tossing ghostly "pebbles" to distract patrolling foes to more complex ones like turning invisible or mind-controlling foes for a short duration. The latter demonstrations are the highlight, allowing for neat pockets of experimentation as you can make one hurt or destroy alarms.
Points for creativity there, but sadly this is where the praise ends. If I had to describe the rest of the package in one strong word, it would be "generic." Those comparisons to games like A Plague Tale were not made lightly as the gameplay in Unknown 9: Awakening is an amalgamation of everything that has been done in other games before... and done better.
From shimmying across ledges and through rocky crevices to crouching through tall grass, spotting enemies using X-ray vision, and performing stealth takedowns, Unknown 9: Awakening is extremely formulaic in its execution - so much so that it had me rolling my eyes at moments. All in all, the gameplay loop gets very predictable very early on but is saved by the use of the mind-control powers.
The skill tree is also fairly predictable with basic upgrades such as prolonged cloaked effect, quieter movement, and so on. But the upgrades (called Anomalies) are reasonably handed out as they are tucked away in off-the-path locations, making this aspect of pacing manageable. Where Unknown 9: Awakening truly suffers though, is its combat.
When caught out of stealth or simply going in fists-bashing, Haroona can perform light and strong punches to defeat her foes, which are also a generic mix of baddies like melee users, firearm wielders, brutes, and so on. As the game progresses, she will unlock new abilities like a shield to block projectiles, and other upgrades in the skill tree, like parrying, extra dodges, heavy combos, and more.
An arrow mechanic also shows incoming damage from off-screen foes, like the God of War (2018). However, all this effort feels moot when you realize the combat is super janky and repetitive from start to finish. The combat lacks any impact, even during hectic boss fights as Haroona flails around clumsily. This is true of the stealth as well, with the poor AI being easy to fool. Moreover, the windy takedown animations feel at odds with the nature of the act.
While I found myself sticking to a stealthier playstyle, I did find the level design of Unknown 9: Awakening to be very inorganic. This is largely thanks to the countless explosive canisters littered around most levels, which seem unoriginal and could have been replaced with more varied means of causing environmental destruction.
Visuals, performance, and sound
Unknown 9: Awakening is an Unreal Engine 4 game and the development team's first project. This is obvious in some clumsy animation work and rough-looking visuals in certain scenes. That said, the technical side of things can get a tad wonky. Haroona can get stuck in certain parts of the linear environment geometry and I saw an enemy get trapped in a loop.
I also had a UI bug where the game's menus would not recognize any input (such as Confirm, Exit, etc), leading me to alt-F4. The game was reviewed on PC with the following specs:
- CPU: Intel Core i7-12650H
- RAM: 16 GB
- GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti (8 GB)
- SSD: 1 TB
Despite a mostly stable frame of 50-60 FPS in most parts at 1440p High, it can get oddly choppy in areas that do not make sense, like the confines of the airship, The Morning Star. Hopefully, these issues will be fixed when the game launches tomorrow, October 18, 2024.
The sound aspect of things is a mixed bag; while actress Anya Chalotra (of Witcher 3 Netflix fame) voices Haroona well enough in her first video game debut, some other NPCs sound less enthusiastic. Still, all things considered, Unknown 9: Awakening is an okay game.
In Conclusion
Despite all of its faults, there is some fun to be had with Unknown 9: Awakening's take on magic powers. However, fans who have been looking forward to this occult adventure will be disappointed to be greeted by a mediocre product.
Much fault lies in its weak writing, forgettable characters, and janky gameplay, even though the powers, premise, and collectible hunt lend it some merit. For all the hype and dreams that are being put behind this IP, I'm afraid the producers have bitten more than they could chew.
Those still interested may want to wait until a discount to pick up Unknown 9: Awakening on the platform of their choice.
Unknown 9: Awakening
Reviewed on: PC (Review code provided by Bandai Namco Entertainment)
Platform(s): PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
Developer(s): Reflector Entertainment
Publisher(s): Bandai Namco Entertainment
Release Date: October 17, 2024