Cosmic and Lovecraftian horror Mystery and detective horror

Sherlock Holmes The Awakened

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Sherlock Holmes meets the Cthulhu Mythos, and is afraid.

Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch
Stores: Steam, Epic, GOG
Price: Paid
Rated: Very Positive on Steam (81% of 1,156 English reviews); OpenCritic top critic average 75, with 59% of critics recommending it.
Length: about 9 hours
Players: 1
Controls: Keyboard and mouse or controller (full controller support on Steam).
Made by: Frogwares
Released: 2023

On GOG: one of the GOG horror games.

No. 20 of the tentacle horror games · No. 13 of the Victorian horror games · No. 12 of the swamp horror games

Get it on Steam GOG Epic Games Store PlayStation Store (PS4, PS5)Xbox Nintendo Switch

What frightens Sherlock Holmes, for the first time truly afraid, investigates disappearances linked to a cult of an Ancient God from London to a haunting Swiss psych ward and the Louisiana wetlands, faces eldritch horrors of the Cthulhu Mythos and fights encroaching insanity, with blood at the crime scenes.
Content: blood, violence, dead bodies, crime scenes, drug references.

Sherlock Holmes The Awakened is a Lovecraftian detective adventure by Frogwares, a rebuilt remake of their 2008 game. A young Holmes and Watson investigate a string of disappearances that lead to a cult worshipping an Ancient God, and the truth pushes Holmes toward madness.

About Sherlock Holmes The Awakened

Sherlock Holmes The Awakened is a detective adventure by Frogwares, released on April 11, 2023 for PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch. It reimagines the studio's 2008 game of the same name, rebuilt from the ground up in Unreal Engine with an expanded story, side quests and new insanity gameplay, and its plot was reworked to follow on from Frogwares' Sherlock Holmes Chapter One.

It is 1882, and Sherlock and John Watson are still only roommates. A series of mysterious disappearances in Europe and the United States seems linked to a dark cult that worships an Ancient God, and Holmes, a man of reason, finds himself against an otherworldly entity that defies all logic. For the first time in his life he is truly afraid. The store calls it the one story Watson will never publish.

You play in third person as Holmes, searching scenes for clues and turning them into deductions, from Baker Street in London to a haunting psych ward in Switzerland and the Louisiana wetlands. The screenshots show a bloodied, bound man slumped on wet rocks with a counter of clues still to find, a doll with nails in its head on a study desk, a lockpicking close-up, a ghostly figure wheeling a body down a corridor, and Holmes and Watson rowing through a night swamp. As the case goes on, insanity sequences pull Holmes into grey otherworlds of chains, cages and glowing glyphs.

It is a detective story first, with blood at its crime scenes and dread rather than fights: NME welcomed the removal of combat from the original, though it liked the puzzles in the otherworld sections less. PC Gamer called it atmospheric and polished but short, and objected that the extra side quest pack is sold separately. A main run takes about nine hours. It suits players who liked Frogwares' The Sinking City and anyone who wants a Lovecraft story told as a mystery.

How to play Sherlock Holmes The Awakened

Buy it for PC, PlayStation, Xbox or Switch from one of the stores linked on this page.
Investigate each scene as Holmes, looking closely at objects and bodies for clues.
Talk to witnesses and suspects and follow leads across London, Switzerland and Louisiana.
Combine clues in Holmes's mind to reach deductions and move the case on.
Get through the insanity sequences as the cult's influence grows.

Screenshots

A man in a top hat faces a man in a brown bowler hat on a foggy, gas-lit London street at night

A bloodied man with bound hands slumped against wet rocks, a knife at his hip, marked for examination with a 0/4 clue counter

A stitched doll named Heidi in a red dress, with nails in its head, standing on a dim study desk

Holmes and Watson in a rowboat on a foggy swamp at night, fireflies around them and a green glow among the trees

A man before three boulders carved with glowing glyphs in a foggy canyon, a bright doorway in a ruin behind them

Holmes watches a ghostly teal figure push a body on a stretcher down a foggy corridor

Holmes walking alone through a grey cavern of jagged rock hung with giant chains and iron cages

Tips

Examine every marked spot at a crime scene; a counter shows how many clues are still to find before you make a deduction.
Take on the side quests in the base game; they add to the story. The Whispered Dreams pack of extra side quests is sold separately.
Expect a story-led investigation, not action; take your time at each scene.

Questions

Is Sherlock Holmes The Awakened a horror game?

It is a detective adventure built on the Cthulhu Mythos, with a cult, eldritch horrors and insanity sequences, and blood at its crime scenes. It is tense rather than relentless.

How long is Sherlock Holmes The Awakened?

About 9 hours for the main story, according to HowLongToBeat's figures on its GOG page, and about 10 hours with the side cases.

Is it a remake?

Yes. It reimagines Frogwares' 2008 game, rebuilt in Unreal Engine with an expanded story and new insanity gameplay. Its plot was reworked to follow on from Sherlock Holmes Chapter One (2021).

What platforms is it on?

PC (Steam, GOG and the Epic Games Store, all linked on this page), PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch.

Is there combat?

Hardly any: the remake removed the original's combat, and you spend your time investigating and making deductions.

What languages is it in?

English has full voice acting; the text is also in 14 other languages, including French, German, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, Turkish and Ukrainian.