Riddle of the Sphinx™ The Awakening (Enhanced Edition)

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Riddle of the Sphinx The Awakening is an Egyptian adventure into the Giza Sphinx & Great Pyramid - the last of the seven ancient wonders. Explore secret chambers, discover hidden tombs, unearth sacred relics, & unravel an ancient Riddle, entombed for centuries by the ancient Egyptians!

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

84%

Audience ScoreBased on 146 reviews

graphics40 positive mentions

stability6 negative mentions

The game features beautiful graphics and an immersive atmosphere that captures the essence of ancient Egypt.
Puzzles are well-designed, logical, and provide a good challenge, making the gameplay engaging and rewarding.
The remaster includes quality-of-life improvements, such as an in-game camera for note-taking and a hint system, enhancing the overall experience.

Navigation is poorly designed, often leading to confusion and frustration as players can easily miss important areas or puzzles.
The game suffers from bugs and performance issues, including freezing and inconsistent controls, which detract from the gameplay experience.
The price point is considered high for the amount of content and replay value, especially given the presence of additional paid DLC for hints.

graphics
62 mentions
65 % positive mentions
31 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received widespread acclaim for their beauty and clarity, with many reviewers highlighting the stunning HD visuals and atmospheric art style that enhance the overall experience. The remastered graphics not only breathe new life into the game but also maintain the essence of the original, making it visually captivating and immersive, especially in its depiction of Egyptian landscapes. Overall, the combination of impressive graphics and a fitting soundtrack significantly contributes to the game's engaging atmosphere.
- “The graphics, atmosphere, and soundtrack were great as I really thought I was in Egypt trying to solve the riddle.”
- “Visually stunning HD graphics and updated puzzles to keep old fans on their toes.”
- “Fantastic visuals, rich music, complex puzzles, and uniquely, a basis (somewhat) on reality (the 3D rendering of the pyramid is accurate); this game is at least as good as Myst, and in my opinion, far superior to it.”
- “The game was pretty, but for a remaster of an already existing game (meaning the devs didn't need to develop the plot or the puzzles, or develop the artwork), this seems pretty expensive for what it is.”
- “Graphics are well-improved; everything looks crisp without fundamentally changing anything.”
- “I'm big into the style of keeping the visuals the same while updating the UI.”
music
38 mentions
53 % positive mentions
39 % neutral mentions
8 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its atmospheric quality and beautiful soundtrack, with some reviewers suggesting it could stand alone as a world music album. While many appreciate the immersive and appropriate sound design, a few express a desire for more enchanting music throughout the gameplay rather than just during special scenes. Overall, the combination of rich music and stunning visuals contributes significantly to the game's engaging experience, despite some minor sound activation issues.
- “The music is atmospheric and the graphics are amazing.”
- “Had it been released as a world music album, not tied to a video game, it could have well won a Grammy.”
- “Beautiful scenery, immersive music, and brain-racking puzzles come together to create a masterpiece that will keep you sucked in until you figure it all out!”
- “The music score is appropriate, but I was wishing there was a bit more enchanting music as a general score and not just for special scenes since I spent so many hours in a dark tomb and tromping on sand.”
- “I've noticed between the soundtrack, environment, and other various sounds, this was mixed slightly okay to poorish.”
- “On the other hand, there are some bugs in the game; sometimes the sounds are not activated (e.g., snake with the flute, music at the sacred pool, etc.).”
story
36 mentions
33 % positive mentions
58 % neutral mentions
8 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally well-received, featuring an engaging narrative set in an Egyptian theme that immerses players in its lore and puzzles. However, some reviewers noted that the exposition can be overly lengthy and complicated, with excessive text that detracts from the experience. Overall, while the story is enjoyable and enhances the gameplay, it could benefit from tighter editing to improve pacing and clarity.
- “It took me about 19 hours to play, but I was so immersed in the game. I looked, read, and listened to all the information to give me clues to solving the puzzles and to progress the storyline.”
- “It's a great game, well-enhanced, fun to play, with a great story, great environments, and rich sound design/music.”
- “The story is fairly basic, but it features a nice build-up and it worked well to keep me curious to finish the game.”
- “The story and exposition are way more complicated than it needs to be; there are huge chunks of text/monologue in the beginning and at the end of the game, which I wish were edited better.”
- “After 7-8 hours of powering through Egyptian god lore, it's just super out of place and unwanted to have a big block of text explaining that 'the house of Jesus is welcoming you!' This is not advertised as a religious game, and nobody likes a missionary in disguise.”
- “The game was pretty, but for a remaster of an already existing game (meaning the devs didn't need to develop the plot or the puzzles, or develop the artwork), this seems pretty expensive for what it is.”
gameplay
18 mentions
17 % positive mentions
67 % neutral mentions
17 % negative mentions
The gameplay is primarily focused on nonlinear puzzle-solving, with players needing to collect items and clues from various locations, which is generally well-received. However, issues such as mechanical failures that hinder progress and a lack of replay value after completing the game detract from the overall experience. While the puzzles are praised and the ability to save anytime is a plus, significant improvements in writing, direction, and quality control are suggested to enhance the game.
- “I did enjoy the little gameplay there was, so I would recommend it if you can get the game on sale.”
- “Particularly excellent, in my opinion, are 'queen's lament,' 'umbilicus,' and 'in awe.' As for the actual gameplay, I give it a 4 out of 5 in all honesty.”
- “Puzzles are mostly very good; they require collecting items and clues from various different places, and the gameplay is completely nonlinear.”
- “There needs to be a return option for 'this game mechanically doesn't work which means I can't complete it because it's a puzzle game and can't know that for sure until the nth hour.' A change in writing, direction, quality control, and changing to free roam navigation might save this game by at least 80%.”
- “I finished the game in 9 hours, that's a cost of $2 per hour in gameplay and there isn't much replay value once you've solved the riddle.”
- “The biggest problem with this game is not the gameplay, or anything to go with the game itself.”
atmosphere
14 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised, characterized by stunning graphics, immersive music, and a captivating setting that enhances the puzzle-solving experience. Players feel transported to an Egyptian landscape, where the ambiance effectively complements the lore and exploration elements. Overall, it is recommended for those seeking a rich atmospheric experience.
- “The music is atmospheric and the graphics are amazing.”
- “The graphics, atmosphere, and soundtrack were great as I really thought I was in Egypt trying to solve the riddle.”
- “It gives a perfect atmosphere to read all the notebooks and letters containing the lore of this story.”
optimization
12 mentions
33 % positive mentions
33 % neutral mentions
33 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing frequent screen freezes and performance issues, despite the game not requiring high computing power. However, recent updates have addressed some bugs, leading to smoother performance on most systems, though some users still report a rough experience overall.
- “The creators fixed some of the bugs in the early re-release of the game, and it now appears to run smoothly on most systems.”
- “It was perfectly optimized for both of us.”
- “Performance-wise it is a bit rough around the edges.”
- “Its major optimization issue: the screen freezing up often. This gets incredibly annoying, especially since the game doesn't need high computing requirements, so I'd expect it to run a bit smoother.”
- “Some reviews are claiming a buggy experience or poor optimization.”
- “Performance-wise, it is a bit rough around the edges.”
stability
6 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game's stability has been widely criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs, lag, and poor optimization that significantly hinder gameplay. Many players have experienced frustrating navigation issues and poorly designed controls that can lead to unintended deaths, indicating a lack of quality assurance. Additionally, the support site being down has compounded these issues, leaving players without assistance.
- “The navigation is at the core of multiple puzzles not seeming to have solutions, and poorly designed controls can get you killed even if you have figured out the correct solution to the game's final puzzle. It's broken in slightly different ways than I thought on my last review, but still absurd, buggy, laggy, with poor quality assurance.”
- “Some reviews are claiming a buggy experience or poor optimization.”
- “It's buggy as all get out.”
grinding
6 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Players frequently find the grinding aspects of the game to be tedious, with specific puzzles like the sand pouring and the sobek eye color challenge cited as particularly frustrating. While some older puzzles have been improved, many still suffer from repetitive and monotonous elements that detract from the overall experience.
- “Sometimes they are very tedious (like pouring the sand into the pot, driving the robot, the Sobek eye color puzzle).”
- “The puzzle at the very beginning, trying to open the chest in Gil's tent, gets things off to a tedious start, and the second to last puzzle, trying to get into the golden pyramid, also could have been better executed.”
- “Some old puzzles have their tedious elements removed (star pot puzzle), while others are just as mind-numbingly tedious (I'm looking at you, sand elevator).”
replayability
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
The game offers limited replayability, as players report that once the main riddle is solved, there is little incentive to revisit it, resulting in a relatively short gameplay experience of around 9 hours.
- “I finished the game in 9 hours; that's a cost of $2 per hour in gameplay, and there isn't much replay value once you've solved the riddle.”