Unknown 9: The Awakening Review: Stealth Magical Action

Unknown 9: Awakening was not blessed with the best start in life. Published by Bandai Namco and the first game developed by Montreal company Reflector Entertainment, it was initially presented as the opening part of a transmedia campaign This opaque term apparently means that their gaming universe will spawn comics, podcasts, novels “and more.”

But what about the game itself? Anticipation was unwittingly dampened by a ham-fisted and slightly off-putting splGamescom presentation that was little more than a tech demo and therefore unimpressive. Fortunately, the final game has turned out much better than we imagined, although the transmedia aspirations seem rather optimistic.

Unknown 9: Awakening is not a modern classic, it has many flaws, but it also has some unique and imaginative gameplay ideas, which give you some very unusual magical abilities. It also has the advantage that the protagonist Haroona is played by Anya Chalotra, who rose to fame with her brilliant portrayal of Yennefer de Vengerberg in the TV series The Witcher.

Haroona is the center of everything good about Unknown 9: Awakening. You first see her in 1910 India, in a flashback as Reika’s teenage apprentice, a mystic who is instructing her in the mysteries of the Plec, an invisible life force harnessed by an ancient lost civilization that few can tap into. access

There is a great deal of exposition about the Fold, couched in obscure terminology: Unknown 9: Awakening’s lore is extensive and, at least initially, somewhat confusing. But the overall result of all this is that Haroona develops magical powers that range from invisibility to possessing other enemies.

Unexpectedly, this makes the game feel like a fantasy version of Splinter Cell, with the military aspects and weapons removed in favor of fantasy. Unknown 9: Awakening is a stealth fighter, as while many opponents have weapons, Haroona never has any, as she relies on her own powers and those of the enemies she possesses.

He can also use an energy shield, push and pull enemies, takedowns, parry, dodge and launch ranged energy attacks, which can reduce enemies to a dazed state allowing him to step in and unleash a melee combo . Additionally, he can look into the Fold, allowing him to highlight enemies and objects that can be used to damage them, not unlike Splinter Cell’s tagging system.

As you can imagine, this isn’t thrown in all at once, but it’s still a complex set of interconnected skills, demanding a lot more from its player than many other action games.

Early on, you find yourself facing groups of enemies that you can thin out while hiding in the thick grass, in traditional stealth fashion. But as Haroona’s powers progress, cover becomes scarcer and “getting into” enemies (the game’s term for possession) becomes more crucial, along with her energy attacks.

Enemies’ abilities also scale nicely as the game progresses and Haroona’s powers. Start encountering fast-moving, semi-invisible ninjas who can pull Haroona towards them and tank with their own energy-based attacks. There are also some pretty challenging boss battles, though the above ones have too much of a tendency to be impossible to win, only requiring Haroona to get her health down enough for a cutscene to start.

Unknown 9: Awakening’s gameplay ebbs and flows decently well, with the odd burst of Tomb Raider-style (fairly easy) baffling and cross-cutting. The plot feels very derivative at times, but the setting and geographical locations sometimes echo not just Tomb Raider, but Uncharted and Indiana Jones, along with, oddly enough, Rebellion’s Strange Brigade.

Comparisons to the latter become especially apt given that Haroona and her main companion Luther soon acquire an airship to use as a base, conveniently hopping between distant locations. Unfortunately, the Strange Brigade comparisons also highlight one of Unknown 9: Awakening’s weaknesses: its writing is pretty bland and completely lacks the original’s quirky humor. Which is disappointing to say the least, if you’re hoping to expand into things like novels and comics.

It’s hard to imagine Unknown 9: Awakening spawning its own multimedia empire, but seen as just a video game, it’s fun, unusual, and well-polished. Any new IP should be welcomed with open arms, but the irony is that you immediately start thinking about how better a sequel would be, once the developer applies more experience to it. That’s the situation Unknown 9 is in, but that’s not a bad place to be.

Formats: PlayStation 5 (review), Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S and PC
Price: €44.99
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Developer: Reflector
Release date: October 17, 2024
Age rating: 16