Unknown 9: Awakening

Lore & Background

Unknown 9: Awakening is set in Northern India during the early 20th century, following Haroona, a Quaestor with mystical abilities tied to an alternate dimension called the Fold. The story begins in 1908 as Haroona and her mentor Reika confront Vincent, a former pupil who leads the Ascendants, a splinter group of the Leap Year Society. After Reika is seemingly killed, Haroona seeks revenge in 1912, teaming up with allies Luther and Buchra to steal Vincent's airship and learn that Reika is alive and allied with Vincent as one of the immortal Unknown 9. The plot culminates in Haroona confronting Vincent, freeing a dangerous Fold entity named Seshin, and ultimately replacing Reika as a member of the Unknown 9.

The game was developed by Reflector Entertainment, founded in 2017 by Alexandre Amancio and Guy Laliberté. Preliminary plans for the Unknown 9 series were revealed at New York Comic Con in October 2018, described as a transmedia story spanning video games, a scripted podcast, comic books, and other forms. Consultants Kim Belair and David Bédard, later of Sweet Baby Inc., worked on the series. The game was formally announced at Gamescom 2020, and Bandai Namco Entertainment Europe purchased Reflector Entertainment the following month. Development was delayed due to COVID-19 and a 'talent war in Montreal.' British actress Anya Chalotra portrayed Haroona through body-scanning and motion capture.

Reader's Guide

Unknown 9: Awakening received mixed or average reviews on Metacritic, with OpenCritic noting only 15% of critics recommended it. IGN called it 'bland and janky,' while Eurogamer Portugal lamented its ignored release and wasted potential. Several reviewers cited its low budget, with IGN Benelux comparing it to a bargain-bin game. More positive reviews came from IGN Italia, which praised the story-driven narrative, and GamesRadar+, which liked the story but found gameplay lacking. Edge gave a poor review, calling it 'derivative and crudely executed.'

Commercially, the game reached a peak of 285 concurrent players on Steam within a month, with fewer than 100 user reviews. A month after release, 18% of Reflector Entertainment's workforce was laid off, though the company denied sales and reception were the cause. In January 2025, Bandai-Namco Europe CCO Herve Hoerdt confirmed no sequels would be made, stating the decision 'correlates directly with the failure of the studio's ambitious and courageous first project' and that performance 'didn't come near the company expectations.' The planned five additional games and century-spanning storyline were cancelled.

Did You Know?

• The game's peak concurrent player count on Steam was 285 within a month of release.
• British actress Anya Chalotra performed both body-scanning and motion capture for the main character Haroona.
• Reflector Entertainment was co-founded by Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté.
• The game was part of a planned transmedia series that included a scripted podcast and comic books.