Unknown 9: Awakening presents an ambitious attempt to introduce players to a new world of magic and deep lore, but unfortunately, it struggles to deliver on its potential. Here’s our Unknown 9: Awakening review.
The game follows Haroona, a character on a path of revenge, as she discovers her ability to tap into a mystical force known as the Fold. These powers, reminiscent of the Force from Star Wars, allow her to perform impressive feats, but the game’s execution leaves much to be desired.
The opening of Unknown 9 fails to give Haroona’s story the emotional depth it deserves. As she gets used to her powers, the moments that should feel impactful come across as flat. While the actors do their best, the weak writing and clunky scene direction make it hard to connect with her journey. This lack of emotional weight sets a shaky foundation for the rest of the game.
The lore is rich, and it’s clear that the developers put a lot of thought into creating a detailed universe. However, the pacing of the story feels disjointed, especially with cutscenes that often jump around awkwardly. The attempt to build a new franchise is evident, but the execution feels rushed, with quality sacrificed for quantity in terms of world-building.
When it comes to gameplay, Unknown 9 feels outdated, reminiscent of older action games from the Xbox 360 and PS3 era—but not in a good way. Enemy AI is easily exploitable, the stealth system is overly simplistic and lacks the proper tools to be more creative or expressive in the way you approach a level, and the moment-to-moment gameplay ends up getting repetitive by the middle part of the playthrough. Even after hours of exploiting it, for some reason, the enemies can’t quite figure out that putting exploding and flammable hazards in their hideouts are the reasons why Haroona can just push/pull them into their deaths.
Haroona’s Fold powers are initially intriguing, offering the ability to manipulate objects and mind-control enemies. However, the novelty of these abilities wears off quickly, as the game forces players to repeat the same combat encounters with little variation. The game lacks the dynamic scenarios and escalating challenges that modern action games have come to master, leaving the experience feeling monotonous.
The game does like pushing you out of stealth and into direct combat a lot which can be a bit frustrating given how the melee system is incredibly floaty and inconsistent. Just wwhack away at an enemy, break their guard, and dodge every now and then.
Visually, Unknown 9 doesn’t do anything special to stand out. The textures are simplistic, and the art direction is underwhelming, lacking the polish that would make its world come alive. Even more disappointing is the game’s performance. Despite running it on a solid setup (AMD Ryzen 5 5600X and an NVIDIA 4070), players may encounter stuttering, frame drops, and graphical pop-ins, further pulling me out of the experience. For a game that uses Unreal Engine 5, it sure doesn’t look and run like it.
Additionally, the characters often get stuck on simple geometry, and the hitboxes feel inconsistent, making combat even more frustrating. These technical issues, combined with flat lighting and uninspired visual effects, make Unknown 9 feel like an unpolished product.
Unknown 9: Awakening Review Final Verdict – 6/10
Unknown 9: Awakening had the potential to be a strong debut for a new franchise, but it’s held back by uneven storytelling, outdated gameplay mechanics, and technical issues. While there are moments of fun to be had with Haroona’s Fold powers, the lack of refinement makes it difficult to fully enjoy. Fans of third-person action games may find some elements enjoyable, but overall, Unknown 9 struggles to stand out in a crowded genre.
This review was made using a game code for the PC provided by the publisher.