Originally released in 2001, Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened places Holmes and Watson in the unfamiliar territory of a Lovecraftian horror mystery. Thanks to Awakened's unique setting and storyline, it quickly became a beloved entry for both Sherlock Holmes fans and players thirsty for games based on the Cthulhu mythos. However, its dated graphics and gameplay could make it rough to get into for modern audiences -- making it an ideal candidate for a remake.
While it still has its flaws, Awakened shines in its updated graphics, atmosphere, and controls -- pretty much all the places one should expect a remake to improve. With the heightened profile it's gained through its success, Awakened ultimately shows how remakes can not only improve on classic games but also raise the visibility of lesser-known titles that deserve a wider audience.
The Differences Between Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened and Its Remake
Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened preserves much of what made players love the original while giving it a fresh coat of paint and more modernized game mechanics. Visually, while Awakened isn't a modern marvel in comparison to bigger next-gen titles, it's still a major improvement over the original, and its updated lighting effects automatically give it that cinematic feel that a Sherlock Holmes game deserves. The result is a distinctly survival-horror look without much of the actual fear that genre entails, as in Resident Evil and Fatal Frame.
In terms of gameplay, the original also took place entirely from the first-person perspective, while the remake is mostly in an over-the-shoulder third-person view. This doesn't impede on clue-finding however, as the player can still switch to first person and zoom into clues whenever needed. Still, just like the original, 2023's Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened doesn't hold the player's hand, and that's one aspect of the gameplay that more modern players may not be used to.
In Awakened 2023's storyline, there are much greater supernatural leanings more in-line with the Lovecraftian influence this time around. Sherlock struggles with his own sanity throughout much of the game, and he ends up in various otherworldly caverns and tackling supernatural puzzles as a result of his "delusions." There are some other changes to the storyline that make it fit as a sequel to Sherlock Holmes Chapter One, but it still retains the dark, mysterious atmosphere that made the original a classic.
Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened Highlights a Recent Trend in Gaming
The success of Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened highlights what is ultimately a larger trend in gaming. Whereas big-name remakes like Dead Space, Spyro, and Final Fantasy VII have gotten huge publicity, the remake trend isn't necessarily confined to the most popular AAA titles anymore. While the big blockbuster franchises can always expect a steady stream of remakes, The Awakened is the latest example of how the remake trend has been trickling down to smaller and smaller titles as of late.
At the end of April alone, Live A Live's celebrated remake is coming to PlayStation and PC and Advance Wars Re-Boot Camp is coming to Switch, further emphasizing how remake fever is in full swing. Both of these titles, like Sherlock Holmes, are relatively lesser-known titles that retained cult followings over time. Unlike titles that are already iconic like FFVII, games like Live A Live benefit even more from a remake because they reach an entirely new audience that would have never gained the public's attention before.
When a remake is done right, it not only makes the game more accessible to modern audiences, but it also preserves the soul of the original and highlights the things that made it great while updating the aspects of gameplay that haven't aged well. Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened is another remake of a lesser-known title done right, and it showcases how this trend can raise the collective awareness of these classic games for modern audiences.