Sherlock Holmes isn't just a natural fit for an adventure game; it's also one of the most consistent releases of its kind these days. Frogwares has been diligently publishing new Sherlock Holmes adventures every few years, most recently rebooting the story in Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One. The current release, Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened, is a remake of Frogwares' 2003 adventure of the same name, fully re-created and incorporated into the new "Young Sherlock" storyline. Unlike SH: Chapter One, this includes his infamous sidekick, Dr. Watson. This Sherlock/Lovecraft crossover is still worth a look, especially for fans, although the linear adventure is held back by its clunky presentation and a noticeable lack of innovation.

Frogwares is located in Ukraine, and as such, is enduring unimaginable hardship due to Russia's ongoing illegal occupation and attack. It's a sad disclaimer to make, but I want to bring that up reminder before I continue. SH: The Awakened has been created in under a year during times that significantly complicate the already complex task of creating a video game. Regardless of the score at the end of this review, that achievement alone symbolizes the unyielding nature of all Ukrainians — especially given the evident amount of love and polish that went into SH: The Awakened.

I've never played 2003's The Awakened, but I may not have recognized it anyway. SH: The Awakened is a remake from the ground up and uses the same engine as SH: Chapter One, and it modifies events and the story to fit the new narrative timeline. Watson did not have a prominent role in the reboot, so SH: The Awakened marks his first appearance in this new timeline, and it's definitely for the better. Both Sherlock and Watson are clearly no strangers at the start of their journey, but they know very little about the history or emotions of their respective partner.

It's a fitting setup for a supernatural crime case that intersects with H.P. Lovecraft's universe that soon sees our protagonist Sherlock lose his grip on reality. What begins as a rather harmless abduction case in the streets of Victorian London escalates into a globe-trotting hunt with the odd tentacle thrown in for good measure. I generally appreciate the linear nature of the remake to the unfocused SH: Chapter One story.

The writing isn't consistently great, though. There's a lot of potential for emotional storytelling and investigating the deeper motivations behind Watson and the famed detective, especially when faced with the supernatural. It never really hits the mark in presentation or writing. On the contrary, some strange and supernatural moments can feel quite ineffective due to uninspired voice work and/or writing.

Beyond that, SH: The Awakened entertains throughout its eight-hour runtime, even though I would've liked a more inspired implementation of the Lovecraft universe. There are plenty of references and events, but there should've been some sections that went all-in on the Lovecraft lore. Instead, several sections depict alternate worlds and weird creatures, but they are few and far between, only featuring minor environmental puzzles while we walked around and looked for an exit. The segments feel like moody filler rather than worthwhile additions. Other gameplay sections move away from crime-solving and opt for short action sequences, like a boat ride through an alligator-infested swamp. While they add some variety, they add very little to the experience beyond killing time between the detective work. I still prefer these sections to SH: Chapter One's combat system, though.

The overall detective work will feel very familiar to those who have played the previous entry, except it takes a few steps back in scope and execution, for better and worse. Instead of the a large, open world used in SH: Chapter One, SH: The Awakened features smaller environments that are rarely bigger than a handful of streets. Each usually also has a side case or some kind of collectible to find, but these are all optional and don't add much complexity or story. Most of them aren't even tied to achievements, so SH: The Awakened is a rather easy Platinum trophy on the PS5.

The main story felt continuously engaging, even though several key moments suffer from the clunky presentation. Players gather statements from witnesses, find clues in the environment, observe people's appearances, and make conclusions based on evidence in the mind palace. This is where the return to a linear adventure feels the most antiquated; SH: Chapter One created some tension by allowing players to accuse the wrong person for a crime. That meant players had a reason to make the correct logical conclusion on their own. SH: The Awakened still doesn't provide clear answers or guidance on how to solve a puzzle, but the absence of a fail state means you can effectively use trial and error to get through the entire case. This hinges on players having found everything there is to find, though, and that isn't always easy.

SH: The Awakened can be quite unintuitive at times. I got stuck multiple times throughout the game because I couldn't find a required piece of evidence. Some evidence only becomes available when you have the correct piece of evidence pinned in your inventory. I've easily added an extra hour to the game by wandering around until I had the correct evidence pinned at the correct location. The most frustrating thing is that you usually know where the story is heading and what the next revelation will be, so it's extra annoying that you're locked out and can't find the final piece of evidence.

SH: The Awakened looks almost identical to SH: Chapter One on the PS5, but it runs  much better. It's not perfect, but we encountered significantly fewer bugs and did not encounter any of the frame rate stutters that plagued SH: Chapter One upon release. The voice acting and presentation are very clunky, but the models and attention to detail, given the budget constraints, look rather excellent for an indie production — and especially considering the Ukrainian studio's circumstances.

The one somewhat-irritating issue that I encountered a few times was the third-person camera getting stuck and pushed around by objects in the environment in one of the later levels. Otherwise, there is little to complain about. If you enjoyed SH: Chapter One, this will strike a chord. At the same time, the $40 price tag feels a touch steep given the rather short and limited adventure.

Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened is a competent linear adventure game that seamlessly connects the rebooted story of a young Sherlock Holmes with the twisted world of Lovecraft. While it's a focused effort overall, the presentation is clunky, and the Lovecraftian elements don't get the spotlight they deserve. The enjoyable mystery adventure romp will satisfy fans of the franchise, but everyone else might be better off waiting for a sale before jumping into this case.

Score: 7.0/10