Did you know that Awakening is just one piece of Unknown 9’s ever-expanding landscape?
As you count down to the action-adventure game’s release on October 18, why not scope out the larger universe it belongs to? After all, much like the game, it’s an experience brimming with tales of adventure that follow Quaestors in search of forgotten truths.
The Unknown 9 experience
To most, the Unknown 9 experience will begin with gaming…but it doesn’t have to end there. It’s designed to expand across different entertainment mediums with every new story you consume. The more journeys you follow, the more connections you spot, and the clearer the larger, broader narrative becomes.
Think of it as multiple stories that come together to form one big adventure, a storytelling approach that unfolds a single narrative across multiple platforms, each one contributing uniquely to the overall experience.
The stories set within Unknown 9 are full of paranormal phenomena, bottomless enigmas, heart-pounding adventure, and morally complex decisions. They’re about unraveling the mysteries of our past, future, and the nature of the universe.
Who are the Unknown 9? Can they help humanity avoid utter devastation? Haroona’s quest in Unknown 9: Awakening is only the beginning.
How does one take part in the Unknown 9 experience?
It begins with choosing a story to dive into!
Not only can you walk Haroona’s path in Unknown 9: Awakening, but you can also follow the adventures of other Quaestors too.
Chronologically, the video game’s narrative is Unknown 9’s first story, making it arguably the best place to jump into the universe. But developer Reflector Entertainment’s approach ensures that every story—each one as enjoyable as a standalone experience as they are when consumed one after the other—act as an entry point into the universe.
What’s important to remember is that no matter the order in which you consume these tales, you’ll still be able to spot Easter eggs, connections, and crossovers from one adventure to the next.
How does it work?
As you carve your path through our universe, you’ll see familiar concepts, like Umbric abilities and the Fold, reappear. You’ll grow closer to characters and glean more information about the Leap Year Society, the Ascendants, and the 9 themselves (to name a few).
The specific order in which you read, listen, and watch becomes your own personal journey of discovery.
Here’s an example…
A Closer Look at the Leap Year Society
Imagine you began your journey into the Unknown with Awakening, then continued with the first season of the Out of Sight podcast, the Genesis novels, and then the Torment comic book series.
- Unknown 9: Awakening: The Leap Year Society (LYS) is a cornerstone of our narrative universe. You only meet a few members in the game but get a sense that before the Ascendants rose up and pummeled them, they did some pretty interesting things. The game gives you a snapshot of their state 100+ years ago, leaving you with more questions than answers—a fitting introduction to a secret society!
- Unknown 9: Out of Sight: After playing the video game, you listen to season one of the podcast. Without spoiling anything, you’d know that in the modern day, the LYS is hyper-secretive. They are keen observers of the paranormal, adept at intelligence gathering and trickery. To seek them out is to plunge into a world of weird surprises.
- Unknown 9: The Genesis Trilogy: If the novel trilogy is the next stop on your journey, you’ll notice the LYS starts to gain a lot of nuance. There will still be many questions about them, but you get a sense that, as an organization, they wield a lot of power and strive to make the smartest, most ethical choices. However, when the future of humanity is at stake, sometimes moral compromises must be made.
- Unknown 9: Torment: Finally, reading the comic book series will give you the most illuminating glimpses behind the LYS’s scenes. Jaden Crowe is caught up in their orbit right from Issue #1, just as the group announces their existence to the world. You’ll gain insight into their inner workings and ongoing rivalry with the Ascendants, and learn more about the latter group’s founder, Vincent.
From there, you may want to revisit Awakening and dig deeper into the Ascendants via all the collectible lore items scattered throughout the game. It might remind you of something you heard in Out of Sight, inspiring a relisten, which makes you think of an artifact you came across in the pages of Genesis. And on the cycle goes!
As existing stories expand and new ones get released, fresh connections and clues will reveal themselves as characters collide and the mysteries of the Fold and traces of the 9 continue to seep into our reality.
Are you ready to make the most of the Unknown 9 experience? Begin your journey here with the online exclusive origin story of one of Awakening’s most crucial characters.
As for the next leg of your adventure, make sure to pre-order Unknown 9: Awakening today and keep an eye out for new issues of Torment, updates from Out of Sight’s Blake and Lazari, as well as brand-new adventures unfolding in other media formats as early as this fall!