Review: Awake - Definitive Edition | Being Serial Killed is quite enjoyable
5Awake is a 2D point n click adventure where you're getting murdered all the time. It's quite enjoyable, actually, being murdered all the time.
You're out on a trip with your girlfriend, until you get a dart in your neck, you pass out and then you drown. You're not sure who did this, you don't really know why, but the weirdest thing is, you wake up again as if nothing happened. Just like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day. With the knowledge you gain during all of these murders, you need to figure out a way to stop the killer, making use of various objects and events.
[FLASHBACK to a knife] Wish I had a knife right now
This can be quite a challenge, because you're on the clock. At some point, you get that dart in your neck again and another slaughter sequence starts. You have limited time to think about your steps, you can only carry 4 items, so figuring out the puzzle might not be so easy. Still though, by using some common sense and the advice provided to you, it shouldn't take you that long either.
The voice acting in Awake is pretty decent, with mostly convincing lines and a seemingly natural relationship between the two main characters. I like the simplistic black and white art style as well, which gives the scene that grim look. You're constantly being murdered, after all. If you look carefully, you can also find a few easter eggs, such as an interesting relationship between the game director and the murderer.
I really appreciate the concept, waking up every time, figuring out ways to prevent you from dying. You can make your killer's life miserable, instead of losing your own. It's implemented well, there's multiple ways to solve the puzzles, there's a bunch of achievements that are puzzles in itself and there's various solutions to stop you from being serial killed.
The game is an overhaul of the 2016 jam version, hence the definitive edition. It won a prize back then and I can see why. Only 2 bucks offers around half an hour to an hour of gameplay? Maybe a little more if you go achievement hunting. I think that's a fair price. The game is also available on other platforms soon, like iOS and Android, which makes it accessible and appealing to a wide audience.
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