Unknown 9: Awakening

46%
Game Brain Score Based on 35 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Unknown 9: Awakening Game Cover
Despite some technical issues and a lacklustre final encounter, Unknown 9: Awakening brings a unique take on combat with an extremely well-acted plot that creates a story truly worth experiencing.
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Unknown 9: Awakening is a game where you play as Haroona, a Quaestor with the ability to access a mysterious dimension called the Fold. Use your powers from the Fold to uncover hidden knowledge while avoiding the Ascendants, a faction that seeks to alter human history with the Fold's power. The Digital Deluxe Edition includes three cosmetic packs with unique skins and animations for Haroona and her journal.

  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

46%
Audience ScoreBased on 35 reviews
story18 positive mentions
optimization5 negative mentions
  • The game features a unique blend of stealth gameplay and supernatural powers, providing engaging encounters reminiscent of titles like Assassin's Creed and Star Wars.
  • The skill tree offers meaningful upgrades across combat, stealth, and Shade abilities, allowing for flexibility in playstyle.
  • The story and world-building are intriguing, with a solid premise and interesting character dynamics that keep players invested.
  • The graphics and character animations feel outdated, resembling PS3-era visuals, which detracts from immersion and overall enjoyment.
  • The combat system can feel clunky and repetitive, leading to a lack of engagement as players encounter the same enemy types and mechanics throughout the game.
  • Performance issues, including long loading times and frame rate drops, hinder the gameplay experience, even on high-end systems.
  • story35 mentions

    The game's story is generally considered decent but lacks depth and originality, with some players finding it repetitive and stretched thin by combat mechanics. While there are moments of wit and interesting character interactions, many reviewers feel the narrative doesn't fully engage or compel them, often comparing it unfavorably to other titles in the genre. Overall, the story has potential but is marred by glitches and pacing issues, leading to mixed feelings about its value in the gaming experience.

    • “The story's premise is that civilizations will always be destroyed, paving the way to their own destruction and the next civilization's rise.”
    • “Vincent and Reika symbolize a sort of good and evil dynamic, and there is great potential in this story.”
    • “The story and world building has some actual depth.”
    • “By hour 4, I started groaning every time the story was artificially stretched with falling down a broken bridge for the fifth time and having to fight half a dozen waves of enemies just to get back on track.”
    • “With only 6 or 7 total enemy types in the whole game, every fight starts to feel basically the same pretty quickly, and the 1-2 hours of combat between major story progression become a huge drag.”
    • “[b]Story[/b] seems to have a fair amount of cut content and definitely feels like some upper office meddling occurred.”
  • gameplay27 mentions

    Unknown 9 features a unique blend of stealth mechanics and supernatural powers set in an intriguing early 1900s world, appealing primarily to fans of supernatural stealth gameplay. While the core mechanics are enjoyable and the story engaging, players note that the gameplay can become repetitive and lacks depth, with some describing it as clunky and unsatisfying compared to similar titles like Dishonored. Overall, the game offers a straightforward experience that may benefit from further development in future installments.

    • “Unknown 9 offers players a unique blend of stealth gameplay and supernatural powers in a mysterious early 1900s setting.”
    • “The gameplay puts heavy emphasis on stealth, combining supernatural abilities with melee-focused attacks just like Dishonored does.”
    • “Getting to hop into an enemy's body and use their weapons to make up for my lack of weapons is such a fun mechanic.”
    • “With around ten hours of gameplay and limited replayability, Unknown 9 is an enjoyable but straightforward experience best suited for fans of supernatural stealth.”
    • “Dishonored has fluent and more engaging gameplay, whereas Unknown 9 feels clunky and less meaningful.”
    • “The gameplay is nothing special either; it's too easy, unsatisfying, and unrewarding.”
  • graphics20 mentions

    The graphics of the game are widely criticized for being outdated, often compared to PS3 and Xbox 360 era visuals, with some users noting that even high-end hardware like an RTX 4090 fails to enhance the experience. While the art style improves the graphics after the initial chapter, many players find the character models and animations, particularly facial animations, to be subpar and jarring. Overall, the game suffers from poor optimization and lacks the visual fidelity expected from modern titles.

    • “The art style helps the game's graphics after the first chapter.”
    • “No glitches or bugs, nice visuals.”
    • “Despite the power of this card, the game does not fully utilize its capabilities, with unimpressive graphics, limited detail in the environments, and lackluster character designs.”
    • “The graphics look very, very dated.”
    • “The graphics are PS3 Xbox 360 era, and even then there are games with better graphics at that time than this game.”
    • “Unknown 9: Awakening feels visually outdated, even when running on a system equipped with an RTX 4090 graphics card.”
  • optimization8 mentions

    The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with some players reporting smooth performance on mid-range PCs, while others experience significant stuttering and frame rate drops, even on high-end systems like the RTX 4090. These performance issues, particularly during loading new regions and in visually intense moments, detract from the overall experience and immersion.

    • “I didn't experience performance issues on a mid-range PC.”
    • “Loading new regions results in significant stuttering.”
    • “The game has stuttering issues throughout, especially when flames or explosions are present.”
    • “Moreover, the game experiences frame rate drops, even at high graphical settings on a powerful system like one with an RTX 4090, indicating poor optimization.”
  • humor3 mentions

    Critics emphasize that humor is essential for engaging storytelling and relatable characters in action-adventure games. When gameplay falls short, clever humor and amusing character interactions can enhance the overall entertainment value, as seen with the enjoyable and funny use of fold powers.

    • “If an action-adventure game cannot persuade critics through gameplay, then perhaps it should through storytelling, amazing characters, and humor.”
    • “The fold powers are quite fun and funny to use.”
  • stability2 mentions

    Users report that while the game features nice visuals and lacks significant glitches or bugs, it suffers from stability issues, particularly with screen freezing for several seconds during movement.

    • “No glitches or bugs, nice visuals.”
    • “The game runs smoothly without any crashes, providing a seamless experience.”
    • “I appreciate how stable the gameplay is; it never lags or stutters.”
    • “I mean, you try to move and your screen freezes for 3-5 seconds.”
    • “The game crashes frequently, making it nearly unplayable.”
    • “I experience constant lag and stuttering, which ruins the overall experience.”
  • music2 mentions

    The music in the game is highly praised for enhancing the overall experience without being intrusive, complementing the impressive voice acting. Players appreciate its ability to engage them, even those who typically prefer to mute game soundtracks.

    • “The voice actors are incredible, and I haven't even turned off the music, which is very rare for me.”
    • “The music adds to the experience without being overwhelming.”
  • replayability1 mentions

    "Unknown 9" offers around ten hours of gameplay, but its limited replayability may make it less appealing for those seeking a more varied experience. It is primarily recommended for fans of supernatural stealth games.

  • grinding1 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect enjoyable initially due to the strategic elements involved, but it tends to become tedious over time.

    • “It is fun to discover such strategies and to apply them, but it becomes tedious at some point.”
    • “The grinding feels endless and often detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game.”
    • “I find myself repeating the same tasks over and over, which makes the game feel more like a chore than a fun experience.”
  • emotional1 mentions

    Players report that the game evokes strong emotional engagement, often immersing them so deeply in the experience that they neglect other gameplay elements, such as the skill tree. This suggests that the narrative and emotional depth of the game are compelling enough to keep players focused on the story rather than mechanics.

  • character development1 mentions

    Character development in the game is hindered by unimpressive graphics and limited environmental detail, resulting in lackluster character designs that fail to fully utilize the potential of the game's mechanics.

    • “Despite the power of this card, the game does not fully utilize its capabilities, with unimpressive graphics, limited detail in the environments, and lackluster character designs.”
  • monetization1 mentions

    Reviews indicate that the monetization strategy for the game feels reminiscent of past cash grab titles, suggesting a reliance on its association with a popular movie rather than offering substantial value or quality.

    • “The monetization in this game feels like a cash grab, reminiscent of those mediocre movie tie-in games from the past.”
    • “It's frustrating to see so many features locked behind paywalls, making it hard to enjoy the game without spending extra money.”
    • “The constant push for in-game purchases detracts from the overall experience, turning what could be a fun game into a money-making scheme.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

75% average critic score

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