The Sinking City 2 Preview

There’s something about the Lovecraftian mythos that really sells itself to gaming, from the sense of mystery to the horror element. Over the years, we have seen plenty of games try to take this concept and develop it into a game, including 2019’s The Sinking City from developer Frogwares. The game aimed to mix investigation with open-world exploration and a dash of combat. Now, I played the original game relatively recently and was pretty impressed with what I saw, so the reveal of a sequel was a welcome surprise. 

The Sinking City 2 has you take on the role of Calvin, a man stuck in the mysterious city of Arkham that has been devastated by a flood. Now, in the normal world, this is bad enough, but in the world of H.P. Lovecraft, it brings a whole host of horrors with it, namely a creature called the Slither that inhabits the corpses of Arkham’s people. Now, if I were Calvin, I would probably leave, but he has to stay to find out about a strange ritual from a very disturbing librarian.

One interesting thing about The Sinking City 2 is that it takes quite a noticeable departure from the original title. The game is no longer a fully open world; instead, Frogwares has elected for a semi-open design. On top of that, the investigations take less of a focal point, with the new version offering to help you on your journey rather than being a central focus. 

While this is a bit disappointing, the actual controls and combat are much improved, with the game taking several cues from the Resident Evil series, primarily Resident Evil 2 (2019). You have a set amount of inventory space and will need to scour every corner to find enough ammo to fend off the hordes of… well, they’re not zombies, but the basic enemies sure act like them. Thankfully,  The Sinking City 2 offers pretty detailed map screens that also show you if you’ve found everything in a room, as well as any locked crates.

When it comes to combat, Calvin has a pistol and likely a selection of other weapons at his disposal, as well as the means to craft needed items. On top of that, he can also improve himself using Dream Essences in the safe rooms. That’s right, the similarities to Resident Evil continue. Of course, you’ll need all the help you can get as the Slither really don’t make things easy, with the infected corpses reacting to bullets without much concern, unless you hit their weak points. These points aren’t hard to spot; they take the form of giant tumours that sprout on their bodies. If that wasn’t bad enough, other strange creatures scuttle around and attack Calvin at the worst moment. 

A mechanic that has seen a return that has returned from the original is the use of a boat to navigate the map, although it mostly just felt like a point to get from A to B. However, it does give you a chance to really see some of the fantastic visuals of the game. One thing Frogwares has really done well is the atmosphere: everything is dark, wet, and drab, with corpses, luggage, and more filling the streets.

The visuals all come together to give a great impression of the aftermath of panic and a desperate rush to escape. Meanwhile, the graffiti, random notes, and brief conversations help to create a sense of the madness that has overtaken the populace. Add to that the great use of sound, with roars, clicks, and moans offering an unsettling experience. With that being said, I do kind of miss wandering the streets in the original, with the odd mix of people, fish people, and more that had their own sense of unease. 

So far, The Sinking City 2 really wears its inspiration on its sleeve, and that might not be a bad thing at all. See, the Resident Evil series has figured out what works, and a lot of the gameplay issues I had with the first game (such as the slow combat, weird movement and drawn-out pace) have been fixed. However, my concern is if some of the magic from the original title might have been lost in the process. Only time will tell, so keep an eye out for our full review in the coming months.