Good day everyone,
I hope you are all well and having a great start to the weekend, welcome to CryptoGod-1's blog on all things gaming and literature. Following on from a post I did titled "Elementary my dear Watson" where I brought up the topic of the latest game which will be released in the Sherlock Holmes series by Frogwares, I have since decided to do a post on each of the individual games to give readers a better idea of one of my favourite gaming series ever created. Today I will be looking at the third game in the series, called Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened.
The first post in the game series was Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Mummy
The second post in the game series was Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Silver Earring
Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened
The third game in the series, Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened, was released in November 2006. It is the first game to feature first-person perspective in real-time 3D. The game follows an original plotline as Holmes and Dr. Watson investigate a series of strange disappearances related to the Cthulhu Mythos across both Europe and the USA. A remastered version was released in 2008 offering a third-person perspective in addition to the first-person perspective. For the first time in his life, Sherlock is really afraid. As a man of rationale and reason, he suddenly faces an otherworldly entity that defies all logic, and this discovery is as enlightening as it is shattering. The pursuit of the truth pushes Sherlock to the verge of madness, and it’s the only story that Watson never decides to publish.
The game begins on the 6th of September, 1894, a bored Sherlock is staring out his window awaiting a case to end this frustrating dry spell in which no case has presented itself worthy of his talents. That is all about to change, as word reaches Sherlock about a young Maori manservant who works for Captain Stenwick who has mysteriously disappeared. Holmes deducts that two men were involved in kidnapping the boy, which leads Holmes and Watson to the docks. There they discover that multiple similar kidnappings of foreigners have taken place. As the investigation continues to unfold, the duo end up in an bizarre abandoned subterranean temple, where they discover a body which has been bloodily tortured on a sacrificial altar in front of a strange statue of a horrific tentacled creature.. With opium and morphine at the location, Sherlock deduces it as a means of subduing the victims. The kidnapped children have been smuggled out of the country, and a crate labelled "Black Edelweiss Institute" leads Sherlock and Watson to Switzerland.
Once the pair arrive in Switzerland they discover the Black Edelweiss Institute is in fact a mental asylum ran by a man by the name of Dr Gygax. Somewhat anticipating that he will not sneak in without being captured, Holmes ushers Watson away to ensure he has a connection with the outside world. After gaining access to the Institute via a costume and false identity, Holmes is quickly captured. Escaping from his cell, the detective finds proof of Dr. Gygax's involvement in serious criminal activities. The doctor has been performing dangerous experiments on helpless victims in the asylum while also being part of a cult awaiting the arrival of the 'One'. A shocking discovery also reveals that Moriarty, the arch enemy of Sherlock Holmes, is also a patient of the institute. He is a shadow of his former self having survived the fall at Reichenback, and Sherlock makes use of him as a distraction while he escapes.
The pair make their way to New Orleans, a city Holmes discovered mentioned in a telegram to Dr. Gygax. The pair are taunted and harassed by the local sheriff who recognises them and appears to have some connection to the same cult as Dr. Gygax. A local man by the name of Mr. Arneson and a young boy by the name of Davy have both been missing for days, leading Sherlock and Watson to search for them. They manage to discover Davy, who is mute due to psychological trauma, and after some treatment from Watson the boy manages to write a series of numbers on a chalkboard. Holmes and Watson then manage to say Mr. Arneson, who was about to be sacrificed by a crazed cult member, and they retrieve an ancient book in the process.
Sherlock and Holmes head back to London, where they learn that the book is about a mythical sea god who could be awakened by the sacrificing of persons representing the different nations. Through solving the puzzle of Davy's numbers, they realise they are co-ordinates pointing to Ardnamurchan Lighthouse on the Scottish coastline. One last journey to the lighthouse leads to a final confrontation with the cultists and their leader, Lord Rochester. It is his fortune which finances the cult, and while they are close to summoning Cthulu, Holmes manages to stop them. A fierce storm appears leading Rochester to believe it is the coming of Cthulu, and in spite of Holmes trying to save the man, the Lord jumps to his death into the raging sea below. This brings a close to the adventure which lifts the curtain on how Sherlock and John, mere roommates at the time, became a world-famous crime-solving duo.
An example of the gameplay is shown in the image below of Sherlock and Watson.
This is also the game which Frogwares have decided to remake, remaster, and rewrite for their new release in the Sherlock Holmes series in 2023. As mentioned in "Elementary my dear Watson" it is to be a total new making of the story, bringing Holmes even closer to the depth and madness of this adventure.
Main Characters
Captain Stenwick: His manservant is missing and after contacting Holmes and Watson, this beings the adventure which will take the pair into a journey of madness and one of the most horrifying mysteries they have ever encountered.
Dr Gygax: The head of the Black Edelweiss Institute, a mental asylum in Switzerland. He is a member of the cult trying to bring back Cthulu, and has been performing dangerous experiments on helpless victims in the asylum.
Moriarty: The arch enemy of Sherlock Holmes, he has been captured and held in the Black Edelweiss Institute, displaying a shadow of his former self after recent events.
Mr. Arneson: An American man who was captured by the cult and due to be sacrificed only to be saved by Sherlock and Watson, giving the pair an ancient book in the process.
Davy: An American boy who was left mute by the ordeals he endured when kidnapped, he was saved by Sherlock and Holmes, and in the process gave them a series of numbers which led to the final encounter with the cult.
Lord Rochester: The leader of the cult and financier of their exploits, he is determined to bring about the mythical beast known as Cthulu.
System Requirements
To run this game on your PC it will require a minimum of the following as per Steam:
As a little piece of trivia, Sherlock was not actually inclined to wear the deerstalker hat. That is in fact a product of the celebrated images which accompanied the short stories, which appeared in the Strand magazine from 1891. It was the illustrator, Sidney Paget, who drew Holmes wearing a deerstalker when the detective went into the country to investigate mysteries at country houses and in small rural villages.
Have a great day,
Peace. CryptoGod-1.
Referral links:
Publish0x - https://www.publish0x.com/?a=olejZqrzej
Splinterlands - https://splinterlands.com?ref=rnabc1
Upland - r.upland.me/NQAH
Binance - https://accounts.binance.com/en/register?ref=143611368
NFT Market Sales
OpenSea - https://opensea.io/RNabc
Follow Me :)
Twitter - @RNabc123
