Hey everyone! Welcome to a casual gamer’s review of Unknown 9: Awakening. No spoilers here—this is an honest gamer’s perspective. The online gaming community can be toxic, so take what you read about this game online with a grain of salt as a ton of people have been hating on this game without even playing it. Here’s my take on whether this game is worth your time and money.
The game focuses on Haroona, who can harness energy from a dimension called the Fold, where time and space behave differently. Set in an alternate world inspired by India, the game’s premise involves a cyclical destruction of the world, with the Unknown 9—a mysterious ancient group—trying to prevent it thousands of years ago. Haroona, with her mentor, aims to stop another catastrophe and thwart someone attempting to exploit the Fold for selfish reasons. Then some events occur involving Haroona and her mentor, turning the story into a revenge tale. This happens early in the game, setting the standard for the rest.
The game concept is unique with alternate dimension energy and Haroona’s powers. The game emphasizes a stealth approach in the first half, drawing unfair comparisons from online gaming community to Uncharted and Assassin’s Creed. It could be said that Call of Duty is a copy of the original Doom (from decades ago) since it’s a first-person shooter, but one says that. Every game borrows elements from predecessors, so these criticisms lack merit.
Haroona’s powers are fun and upgradeable, offering special dodge abilities, enemy manipulation, and mind control. However, it becomes repetitive midway, with the same enemy encounters making the powers feel mundane.
New enemies appear occasionally but aren’t unique. They often become stronger versions of previous enemies or mini-bosses, causing the novelty to wear off halfway through the game. It took me about nine hours to complete the game, including finding hidden trinkets and solving linear puzzles. The game isn’t open-world; you follow a set path. Difficulty settings are fixed once chosen, which is unusual for modern games. Both combat and general mechanics become repetitive and often buggy.
Playing on PlayStation 5, I experienced bugs like those reported on other consoles. Enemies wouldn’t die, companions got stuck in the ground, and at times, I couldn’t jump across paths. The camera angle also became problematic when hiding from enemies, making it difficult to see their movements.
Speaking of enemies, they often don’t react at all, sometimes standing still or moving in repetitive circles. They are frustratingly stupid, to be blunt.
Another odd design choice is that the game emphasizes stealth, yet halfway through, Haroona and her companions start jumping into groups of enemies without explanation. This inconsistency makes the writing feel bizarre and frustrating.
The last boss fight dragged on unnecessarily, with unchanging combat mechanics, making it dull and boring. Finishing the game felt like a chore.
Graphics typically can’t save a game but I was hoping for this to the saving item. While the visuals in preview videos and cinematics looked impressive, they don’t make up for the lack of fun in gameplay.
The game is supposed to look beautiful, but it’s pixelated graphics feel stuck between generations in between PS3 and PS4. Facial animations are particularly poor, with bizarre glitches like beard sideburns popping in and out. Ally NPCs can be frustrating, often lagging or urging you to hurry even when you’re ahead.
Bugs are rampant, making the experience frustrating. Summing it up:
Should you pay for this game? Absolutely not.
Should you play it for free? No, it’s not worth your time. There are many better games out there, even older ones you might have missed.
Overall, this game is a disappointing mess, not worth your attention. I had high hopes as the plot and game mechanics seemed unique but I was left highly disappointed.
