Unknown 9: Awakening is a bold attempt at merging mysticism, world-spanning adventure, and action-heavy gameplay into a cohesive narrative-driven experience. Developed by Reflector Entertainment and published by Bandai Namco, the game follows Haroona, a gifted young woman from Kolkata who possesses mysterious powers tied to a shadow dimension known as the Fold. With its unique premise and globally inspired setting, the game sets out to carve a distinctive identity in the action-adventure genre. While the ambition is palpable throughout, the final product struggles under the weight of inconsistent execution, unfulfilled potential, and technical shortcomings that ultimately hold it back from greatness.

Set primarily in a beautifully rendered vision of early 20th-century India and other richly imagined locales, the game’s environments are its most consistent strength. Haroona’s journey takes players through vibrant streets, desolate deserts, ancient temples, and lush jungles. These areas are crafted with a clear appreciation for cultural detail, architectural authenticity, and atmospheric lighting. The diversity of locations offers visual variety and a welcome sense of progression as the narrative unfolds. Unfortunately, while the scenery is often striking, the level design itself feels more constrained. What at first appears to be an open-world or semi-open experience quickly reveals itself to be highly linear, with very little room for genuine exploration or creative routing.

The gameplay centers around Haroona’s unique abilities as an Unbric—an individual able to access and manipulate the Fold, a shadow-like plane that allows her to influence the physical world in supernatural ways. Core mechanics include stealth-focused takedowns, possession of enemies via an ability called Stepping, and environmental manipulation. Combat feels fresh at first, thanks to these powers, and the use of the Fold adds a layer of strategy, allowing players to phase through obstacles or disrupt enemy attacks. However, the novelty begins to wear thin as enemy encounters become repetitive and AI behaviors fail to evolve. The enemies often fall into simple patterns, and stealth sections lose tension when adversaries react unrealistically or become too easy to outmaneuver.

A progression system adds some depth to the gameplay, with players unlocking new abilities and passive enhancements by collecting anomalies scattered across the map. This mechanic encourages exploration, though the game's restrictive level design often works against it. Some skills can change how you approach combat scenarios—letting you, for example, deal with groups more efficiently or move more freely through the Fold—but many upgrades feel incremental rather than transformative. The addition of “Faze” powers, which act as high-impact attacks, injects a bit of excitement into combat, but their usage is limited by a charge meter, keeping them from becoming a consistent part of your toolkit.

Narratively, Unknown 9: Awakening presents an intriguing, layered mythology that hints at a deeper, transmedia universe. Haroona is a compelling lead—a determined and emotionally driven young woman uncovering her powers and grappling with a morally grey organization that seeks to control the Fold for its own ends. The premise is strong, touching on themes of destiny, heritage, and personal agency. However, the story’s delivery often lacks polish. Cutscenes can be jarring, with stiff character animations and oddly flat facial expressions undermining emotionally charged moments. Dialogue sometimes feels forced or melodramatic, and while the game tries to establish meaningful character relationships, most supporting characters are underdeveloped, offering little beyond their functional roles in the plot.

Visually, the game straddles a line between stylistically ambitious and technically outdated. While environments often shine, character models are inconsistent, with hair textures and lighting effects that at times look oddly artificial. Technical performance is also a concern—frame rate drops, occasional crashes, and graphical pop-ins can disrupt immersion, even on higher-end machines. The art direction works hard to elevate the presentation, but the lack of technical polish remains a persistent distraction throughout the experience.

Despite its many rough edges, Unknown 9: Awakening shows glimmers of brilliance. It introduces fresh ideas to the genre and attempts to weave narrative depth into gameplay mechanics in a way few action-adventure titles attempt. The central concept—of existing between two worlds and manipulating one to control the other—is both thematically and mechanically rich, but the game never fully capitalizes on it. With a more refined combat system, tighter storytelling, and smoother technical performance, it could have easily stood out as a new cult favorite.

In the end, Unknown 9: Awakening is a deeply ambitious title that ultimately falls short of its potential. It delivers a unique setting, some engaging mechanics, and a protagonist worth rooting for, but these strengths are undercut by uneven design choices and technical instability. For players who value original world-building and don’t mind navigating around some flaws, it offers an intriguing if inconsistent ride. It’s a game that feels like a first draft of something far greater—a promising beginning to a franchise that, for now, seems unlikely to continue.

Rating: 6/10