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By now, the news about the cancellation of the Unknown 9 Narrative Universe is known far and wide. Yet, I can’t help but wonder if a certain change in the direction could’ve salvaged it. After the review, I agreed that Unknown 9: Awakening had some interesting ideas and even some of the media outside of the video game was hitting the nail on the supernatural mystery part. So then, why did this universe meet its abrupt end? Or rather, didn’t even get the chance to fly before its wings got clipped.
The Unknown 9 Narrative Universe Had Solid Foundations, But Poor Execution
Often, we’ve talked about how fleeting some new IPs and ideas are, especially in the video game market. Anything remotely successful is usually because it has a hint of nostalgia. For instance, the many remasters and remakes we’ve seen recently. In that sense, creating a whole new universe is a commendable undertaking for developers. With that in mind, the Unknown 9 Narrative Universe had solid foundations, which is more than we can say for other modern original works.
I won’t delve deep into every bit of this universe, but the lore wasn’t difficult to understand, and the media that launched before the game’s release did a good job at building suspense, especially for those who love some mystery with sprinkles of supernatural stuff. Yet, the game seems to be the thing that truly killed what could’ve become a longer and more enjoyable product.
At the moment, Unknown 9: Awakening is sitting at Mostly Negative reviews on Steam and a 59 Metascore on Metacritic, which is not great for the one thing that would propel the Narrative Universe. Clunky gameplay, bugged boss fights, strange facial movements, and a predictable plot are some of the few things that led to these scores and the premature death of Unknown 9. But if we think about it, was the game the sole thing that brought it down, or did the fledgling franchise face an Icarus situation?
Unknown 9 Was Already Chewing More Than It Could Swallow
There’s nothing wrong with being ambitious in whatever market of this day and age. However, being overly ambitious tends to be counterproductive, and more so in the case of video games. Before the game launched, Unknown 9 had already announced a huge Narrative Universe, and people’s reactions were mixed. Some of them even didn’t know what it would entail. In my case, I always thought Unknown 9 should’ve taken things slowly and tested the waters before announcing something so big.
If Unknown 9 had launched the game alone, the blow might’ve been a bit softer. Yet, like Atlas, it had the weight of its own world it had created, and as it fell upon it, the fall was harder. Expectations were already high for the community the universe had amassed before the game’s release. Looking at it, ambition is what brought Unknown 9 down, at least in my opinion. And again, it is sad to see its abrupt end because it had promising ideas and well-established lore behind it, which is no easy feat.
Furthermore, the game had some great star talent behind it. I’m not saying this guarantees success, but the studio wasn’t holding back, which was great. But even if you place top-notch actors and the best writers in the world, it all comes down to the execution, and in the game’s case, it was poorly made. If it had been the early 2000s, then the game would’ve been fun. The gameplay felt quite “retro” at times. However, the lack of polish was also noticeable, and in the end, a few things were salvageable.
A Different and Slower Approach Could’ve Extended Its Lifetime
After I reminisced about Unknown 9: Awakening, a wild idea hit me, “A different genre could’ve worked better.” With the star talent behind the game, something like an interactive movie/game, a là Until Dawn could’ve been great. That way, the star talent and the story would have taken the spotlight as intended. I see myself enjoying this universe more if it used its strengths in a different format instead of trying something like Uncharted. Then again, it will all stay as an idea and a fever dream because that universe has left us as another unwritten story.
In truth, it is sad because there was a lot of heart in it. You could see the developers and those involved in the other media trying to make something memorable. Frankly, the podcast was great and provided some fantastic world-building. You can still listen to it, by the way. Yet, we won’t see any more of it. So, was it expected? In a way, yes. As soon as trailers launched, we all knew the ambition was a double-edged sword. Could it have been prevented? Of course. Start small, build a fan base, and then expand on it. If this teaches us something, though, is that studios and publishers should be a bit more careful before promising a whole MCU-like thing. Sometimes, the weight is too big to handle and can crush these projects before they even see the light.
