Developer: Frogwares
Publisher: Frogwares
Platform: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S
Tested on: PS5
The Sinking City 2 – Review
Back in 2019, we were enamored by Frogwares’ The Sinking City, which looked like an interesting open-world investigation game. The game combined a classic 1920s setting with the Cthulhu mythos. When we finally got our hands on the game, however, we agreed that the setting was amazing, but the gameplay fell short, turning The Sinking City into a game that barely stayed afloat. Because of this, we didn’t have the highest expectations of the second installment, but when we saw footage showing a more horror-survival-like experience, we were secretly hoping to be able to give the game a go. That time is now upon us, and we absolutely loved it.
Story
Just like the first game, The Sinking City 2 takes place in the 1920s in Arkham, Massachusetts. You’ll be playing as Calvin Rafferty, who is trying to find a way to save his girlfriend Faye from a lingering curse. Faye’s soul is trapped in the so-called Dreamlands, and it’s the result of a ritual gone wrong. At the same time, Arkham is being flooded not only by water but also by creepy monsters and beings that can animate the dead. Even though the city is being evacuated, Calcin stays behind to trace the flood’s origin, as it may be the key to saving Faye from her predicament. All in all, the story is okay, but it takes a back seat most of the time, which is a huge contrast to the first game. We did like the presentation, and the plot points remained interesteing though.
Graphics
Graphically, The Sinking City 2 blew us out of the water (no pun intended), as it simply looked amazing. The game looks extremely polished on PS5, and even though the environments are sometimes a bit limited, we still enjoyed exploring every nook and cranny. We sometimes found the monster variety a bit low, but even then, they looked great and spooky enough to get us stressed out when navigating dark buildings. The game is full of small and intricate details and we actually didn’t notice that many frame drops during our playthrough. Funnily enough, we did notice a few lower FPS during some of the cutscenes and not during the actual gameplay. The style of the sequel also had very different vibes than the original, which could also be because of the higher focus on linear action and survival mechanics rather than open-world investigation gameplay.
Sound
The sound design is great here. While the supporting soundtrack really sets the tone, it’s often the sound effects and the voice acting that truly amp up the tension and atmosphere. We loved having voiced dialogue throughout the game, and it was simply creepy to hear creatures lurking in the dark. Of course, sometimes the enemies simply spawn in nearby, taking away a bit of the eeriness.
Gameplay
The Sinking City 2, unlike its predecessor, is a more action-based survival horror game. The first game had a heavier focus on investigation and exploring the world, while The Sinking City 2 is more linear and much more akin to an old-school Resident Evil experience. You’ll often find yourself in small enclosed areas where you’ll have to complete a puzzle or two to get access to the next zone, in which you’ll have to do the same. There is still some side content to explore, but overall, The Sinking City 2 is much more straightforward than the 2019 original.
As stated above, The Sinking City 2 plays more like a classic Resident Evil title. You’ll still have to perform small investigations, but these are often limited to linking some clues on a board, which will reward you with skill points. These rewards do motivate players to still invest some time linking clues, but it’s nowhere near the depth of the mechanics of the first game. We, personally, didn’t mind this completely different direction the gameplay steered towards in this second installment. The controls were also fairly straightforward, but not everything felt as smooth as it could have. Dodging feels a bit awkward at times, and aiming isn’t always as precise as you want it to be. We mainly noticed that many of the enemies remained the same throughout the experience, which did make The Sinking City 2 lose its edge from time to time. Nonetheless, combat was enjoyable; we couldn’t completely unload our weapons if we wanted to preserve ammunition, and the different difficulty settings made the game a lot more accessible.
Conclusion
Back in 2019, we weren’t truly that impressed by The Sinking City, even though it was a very ambitious project by Frogwares. Sadly, it fell flat due to dull combat and fairly bland investigation mechanics, but it still had quite a bit of charm thanks to its visuals and overall theme. Now, Frogwares has shown us that a sequel can be so much better than the original thanks to a massive gameplay overhaul. The new direction of the franchise is clearly the way to go, and we truly hope that there are more games in the series in store for us in the near future. If you are looking for a good linear action-adventure horror survival title, then The Sinking City 2 is one of the better ones out there.
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