After spend nearly 20 minute with Haroona , I truly wish I could pass more time with her .
That ’s a will to Reflector Entertainment ’s first video secret plan endeavor , Unknown 9 : Awakening . The action - dangerous undertaking game intertwines lock gameplay with unique player scheme through Haroona ’s power , stealth , and environmental objects that can be exploited to crush enemy . It brings me back to the era of early 2010s plot likeTomb Raider(2013),Enslaved : Odyssey to the West , and evenPrince of Persia : Warrior Within — in all of the best ways .
Despite some resolvable technological issue , Reflector Entertainment has successfully crafted an intricate gem withUnknown 9 : Awakening . Its experimental armed combat makes Lot of elbow room for thespian agency , and its champion , Haroona , is the South Asian AAA action mechanism - adventure lead I have wanted to see for decade . Her debut makes me crave the boundless globe - trotting adventures and secret that await her in the future tense .
Stepping up
The story embark on off with Haroona , obscure 9’sheroine , stow aside in a vehicle driven by her mentor . Both are Quaestors and are able to push and pull object and people , similar to how the Force works in theStar Warsfranchise ( though Haroona unlocks more ability that set her apart from the Jedi very quickly ) . What start as a simple revenge story of Haroona sample to kill the header of the root , Vincent Lichter , quickly becomes an intact cabal theory . Haroona attain clues around the existence and finds secret societies test to break the cycles of determinism and destruction of a evil evil that was seal out long ago by a radical called the Unknown 9 .
As a Quaestor , Haroona has a variety of armed combat acquirement , king , and abilities usable throughout the course of her journeying to help in taking her revenge on Vincent . Haroona is a skilled champion who can use wakeful and heavy attacks close up , dodge enemy melee attacks , and reposition by enshroud in marvelous grass to get the jump on enemies . Where she shines the most is her enjoyment of her Quaestor ability , which can be used reckon on her Am gauge . Am is liveliness - force vigor that will replenish gradually over clock time and allows Haroona to push and pull enemy , lob projectiles that lure foes , and cover herself by turn invisible . Am can even be used to heal when fights become a piece chaotic ; that happens fairly promptly and establish the adventure a steady stream of satisfying challenges .
Unknown 9does a fantastic problem of preface its core gameplay loop in a snack - sized manner early on . It was easy for me to get a feel for what Haroona can do and the choices I had to perfect my play dash : sneaking past enemies by using magniloquent sess , destroying electric generator to zap enemies , or even break lamps that will leave fire in its home to then crusade enemy to keep an eye on them sunburn active .
The star of the show , though , is Stepping . As long as you have Stepping Tokens available , this skill allows Haroona to possess an enemy . A fourth dimension limit tick off down when moving into a new body , but time stops when possessing an foe . I can do whatever I require in that time window . There ’s some strategical deepness to that system . For instance , I can take control of an enemy , take the air toward another foeman , displace my gun , possess another opposition , and employ my scrimmage shockwave on the first body I possessed . After my Stepping Tokens are used up , the whole affair plays out , and I sit back and watch as my foes attack one another .
In those moment , I appreciate how intricate the core combat feel and how easily it becomes 2d nature . Even when I died during a foresightful fighting clash and had to startle it all over again , that just meant I had a new opportunity to experiment with my power . There is no one direction to “ win ” these armed combat encounters ; the decision - devising and scheming are up to you .
Hidden upgrades and puzzles
ThroughoutUnknown 9 , you will find anomalousness , which are collectible pocket spheres used to upgrade acquisition . You have three acquisition trees available : Umbric Abilities , Stealth , and Combat . Through these itinerary , you’re able to upgrade your core ability to replenish Am through Stepping , become invisible for longer , deflect bullet train , and more . Anomalies are the only way to unlock or upgrade these skill Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree , which I find refreshing compared to your intermediate action - RPG level - up approach . I could naturally hunt for them on hidden pathways while I search for other collectable like documents , blueprints , and dossiers that build out the world further . I always matte complimentary to experiment since I did n’t have to interest about hone a fighting to get acquirement points .
As for other o.k. details , each foe has a Faze gauge . When maxed out , this allows Haroona to deal a speedy burst attack , dealing massive damage and leaving her invulnerable for a few seconds . Faze attacks feel weighty , specially when I utilize them on multiple enemies around me and then move toward each to inflict a burst attack . This especially comes in handy with the few boss combat the game throws out , since burst attack are the ideal way to dish out harm .
There are a hatful of terms the game throws at you in contiguous succession , but the handy Journal written from Haroona ’s tip of view explains everything in torturous item . I take account that the UI is not littered with object or constant text like other action - adventure games , too . This aid me well take in the scenery , like tumid canyons , bustle about street markets , or rushing waterfall .
At sealed points , Haroona can enter the Fold , a spiritual plane with prints of history and glances at substitute histories . There , Haroona has an out - of - body experience and solve environmental puzzles by redirecting light sources and channeling Am through unlike pad origin to open room access . These visually awe - inspiring segment reminded me ofTomb Raider’spuzzles , but they fall with some technical woes — Unknown 9’sAchilles ’ heel overall . Bugs like one where I ’d channel my Am correctly with no result can conduct to frustrating moments that had me readjust to net up problem .
Another technological issue I had was when a friendly NPC got bond crawling inside a paries . Again , loading the last checkpoint fixed this easily and really pushed me far with the NPC appearing mighty next to me , so I had no qualms . When Stepping into enemy , sometimes their mannequin does not switch properly to correspond with their blood of passel , but when you do utilise the attack where you want , the enemy will use it correctly . This one is more of a visual bug that had zero presence on the combat at all , but the magnanimous puzzler way and the NPC getting stuck on fourth dimension crawling inside a wall set me back a bit even though the fix were carry out easily on my end .
instrumentalist will have to plunk into the Fold for extended periods , and those segments make for some of the good religious , attribute - shifting , time - dissociative experiences you ’ll find in a game this year . These could have been abbreviated puzzle sections in any other game , but they ’re noble-minded escapades here that had me questioning what was happening , what would happen , and what could happen .
Haroona and friends
What really draw me toUnknown 9is its characters . ahead of time on , Haroona crosses paths with a private social club that she must work with to get her revenge . The Morning Star , an airship hub area , tolerate me to talk to each of these society members about their goals , their lifestyles , and where they are from . Each of these characters come from a totally different life . I found myself eager to speak to each and every one of them anytime I deliver to The Morning Star . I truly need to know more about Buchra ’s extensive cognition of books , Luther ’s snipe cowman shot joke , or Fortunato ’s passion for medicine .
These moments leave a material mental picture on Haroona . I can smell out her tone lurch depending on who she speaks to , which is a naturalistic touch that give her character depth . That ethnic attention to detail is on display throughout the adventure . Hearing background character speak Bengali ( that I could read as I know Hindi ) made me feel represented in a way few AAA titles have . And it accomplishes that while adding more Platonism to this bustling man .
As for Haroona herself , I have intercourse her character . Plain and simple . She palpate like a paladin I would have seen beside Lara Croft and Nathan Drake if this game had been liberate around the 2010s . Actress Anya Chalotra , known as Yennefer fromNetflix’sThe Witcher , is extraordinary in the function . There is a spate of depth in Haroona and her portrait ; you’re able to feel a circle seethe inside Haroona . It ’s not just her retaliation for Reika that defines her . you could sense her variety when she discovers a place or a group of people she belongs with . When Reika is demand away from her , Haroona very much tug masses out and only lease those near her that can assist her to hunt down Reika ’s killer . consequence where she name out colonialism endeared me to her . She is tender and true to herself as well she can be . The titular waking up is not just about her powers ; it ’s about opening her nitty-gritty to new mass to let them deep down .
Gaming enthusiasts tend to speak a caboodle about how they want all - unexampled game rather than playing the same tired franchise . Even with some technological hiccups holding it back in a few home , unidentified 9 : Awakeningdelivers a fresh Modern reality fill with memorable characters and an inventive combat system that pushed me to try out with my magnate . It may have gotten lose in 2024 ’s busy holiday season , but I trust more player return to it once the floodlight of young games slow down . It ’s the variety of out of sight gemstone that deserves to be happen upon .
Unknown 9 : Awakeningwas tested on PlayStation 5 with a code provided by the publisher .
