2019’s The Sinking City was an interesting (albeit flawed) take on Lovecraft-inspired horror, with a heavy emphasis on open exploration and investigations. For the follow-up, Frogwares (generally known for its Sherlock Holmes games) chose a more focused approach. After going hands-on with a preview build of The Sinking City 2, I’m sure the shift is the right move, but I have concerns still.
Set in “a Lovecraftian 1920s United States”, The Sinking City 2 takes players to Arkham, which (unsurprisingly) has seen better days. “A supernatural flood” has devastated the place, and monstrosities from the Cthulhu mythos are roaming what remains of the city. Whereas the original game had a more open-ended approach peppered with so-so combat scenes, The Sinking City 2 takes cues from survival horror classics like the recent Resident Evil remakes or even Alan Wake 2.
Those are big shoes to fill, yet Frogwares seems confident enough in the dark setting and the story, which sees new protagonist Calvin Rafferty looking for a way to bring back Faye, the woman he loves. While the two sections I got to play aren’t set at the very beginning of the game and major plot beats were kept a secret, The Sinking City 2 instantly presents a more personal narrative hook which might help its case.
The sequel also got a visual glow-up, with Unreal Engine 5’s more advanced rendering and lighting features enabling a more detailed take on a ruined, flooded city. Even at this stage, Arkham’s decay got to me, and the broken-up exterior areas paint a distinct picture which will no doubt attract those looking for a period piece survival horror experience. Frogwares already did a pretty solid job with the original’s (and its remaster) presentation with the resources it had, and the level-up (bolstered by all the accumulated experience with other games) is evident here.
I was particularly surprised in places by the animation work. While Calvin’s movement during normal play feels just adequate, the in-game cutscenes have him and the other characters doing a lot more than just standing still while delivering lines, and the facial animations are generally better than many in recent triple-A games. Frogwares is punching above its weight here, and camerawork is also on the more dynamic side of the spectrum.
Structurally, modern the Resident Evil games and Remedy’s critical darlings are the obvious templates, and I mean that in a positive way. At some point, you become tired of games that complicate things too much despite their limited scope, and it feels like Frogwares’ decision to dial things back responded to criticisms of the first being too spread out at times for what the adventure ultimately had to offer.
Calvin’s map quickly shows which rooms have been explored and which haven’t, with clear icons marking all the notable items and unopened boxes in each of them. The navigation is concise and easy, and even if the actual environment is more visually busy, it’s hard to get lost. For game that’s leaning linear despite its semi-open levels, I appreciate this approach. Frogwares isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel here. Instead, The Sinking City 2 takes the first one’s best elements (with its puzzles and multi-part investigations still getting love) and puts them into a smaller, more polished box.
A decision that may annoy the more casual crowd is that it’s a more action-heavy game, or at least that’s the impression I got from these two sections. The first one had me navigating a building that’s largely a compressed version of the Raccoon Police Department, abundance of undead enemies and other sneaky monsters included. Ammunition is scarce, and even if crafting on the spot (RE-style, yes) is allowed, the regular difficulty setting had me counting my shots most of the time. This is a survival horror experience first and foremost even if there’s a “Story” setting for scaredy cats. There are even magically warded safe rooms where you can save your progress by using gramophones and manage your (limited) inventory with boxes. The Sinking City 2 wars its influences proudly.
Extra spice is added through a simple progression layer that has you spending runes of sorts for perks that you can equip and unequip, and weapon attachments that can be acquired if you’re a curious investigator. Perhaps more interesting is the Nightshade object and a rarer, very special resource attached to it; they allow you to come back from the dead once if you have a charge. This also ties into the main story of the game, which we were asked not to fully unveil.
What worries me about The Sinking City 2 is that, judging from what I’ve played, it doesn’t feel truly scary. It’s creepy, sure, and there are some disturbing visuals in there, but getting stalked and jumped by freaky creatures never startled me, and I’m not the bravest gamer around. Maybe it’s about creating tension, you might think. Well, not really, as Calvin just won’t shut up after being infected with the “chatty protagonist” virus; he rarely keeps more than a couple of thoughts to himself.
The Akeley Memorial Hospital level amped things up, but so far, The Sinking City 2 comes across as more of a horror-themed ride than a game I struggle with during intense moments. Again, things could change in the full game, but with previews often seen as the perfect opportunity to put one’s best foot forward, why should I hold out hope for real terror, especially of the more psychological type?
Despite the literary works it honours (many of us are familiar with The Dunwich Horror or The Call of Cthulhu) and its roots, The Sinking City 2 generally feels like Frogwares doing new things inside the familiar sandbox, but those new things aren’t exactly fresh unless this is your first survival horror rodeo. In the age of too many studios overpromising and choosing to go too big, there’s a real earnestness to this whole endeavour that makes it attractive. Even if I have my doubts about the studio hitting all its targets, this horror romp packs a well-defined vision, and that’s shockingly difficult to find these days.
The Sinking City 2 is set to release on PC (Steam, Epic Games Store, GOG), PS5, and Xbox Series X/S this summer.
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