The Sinking City 2 Review
Frogwares replaces open-world investigation with tense, linear survival horror as it returns to flooded Arkham in The Sinking City 2.
The Sinking City 2. Credit: Frogwares
Frogwares’ latest game, The Sinking City 2, is my favorite that they’ve put out. I wasn’t fond of the previous entry in the series, but the new game flips the focus. The original is an open-world, investigation-focused detective game. The sequel makes investigation secondary to survival horror.
The story draws on H.P. Lovecraft’s horror mythos, taking place in Arkham along the Miskatonic River. In the previous game, Arkham was already struck by a mysterious supernatural flood. When the sequel begins, the water has only gotten higher and the town is all but abandoned. To make things worse, what’s left is overrun by the Slither, parasitic worms that can reanimate the dead.
Calvin Rafferty is an adventurer specializing in the occult, very much an Indiana Jones type but in a horror mold. When the game opens, his partner Faye Bennett is in a coma thanks to a ritual gone wrong, and he’s hunting for the cursed artifacts and secret knowledge to save her. They can’t evacuate Arkham with everyone else.
The Sinking City 2. Credit: Frogwares
Calvin navigates the drowned streets on a motorboat, like in the first game. However, instead of exploring an open world, the path is linear and dictated by the story. The streets connect locations that serve as large levels, such as the Miskatonic University library and Akeley Memorial Hospital. The structure reminds me of Resident Evil or Silent Hill. The game benefits from the tighter, linear focus and resulting smaller environment. It feels like Frogwares was able to give everything a higher degree of polish.
Along the way, Calvin meets some of the few other people who have decided to stay in town: weird, untrustworthy characters. There are notes of Silent Hill there as well, and I found these NPCs memorable. I won’t easily forget the scholar who replaced his eyes with Slither or the mysterious celebrity who inspired her fans to murder eachother.
Much of the gameplay is combat focused. Melee combat is an option, but it’s dangerous compared to shooting. Weak spots appear on enemies and are the most effective way to take them down. Combat can get quite challenging because enemies sometimes revive if you don’t stomp on the Slither that crawl from the corpses. When you’re dealing with a crowd, getting to those creepy-crawlies in time isn’t always easy. I ended up reducing the game’s difficulty because I got frustrated, something I haven’t had to do in recent Resident Evil or Silent Hill games. I don’t consider that a negative mark on the game. It’s just worth noting.
The Sinking City 2. Credit: Frogwares
There’s plenty of challenge, but The Sinking City 2 isn’t unnecessarily cruel. Brutal design is something I’ve come to expect from Lovecraft-themed games, where failure and overwhelming odds can feel like part of the point. It may be thematically appropriate, but that doesn’t always make it fun. Of course, you can ratchet up the difficulty here if that’s what you want, but I appreciate that Frogwares doesn’t treat misery as a requirement for cosmic horror.
Limited inventory space and scarce supplies also follow the Resident Evil mold. You can’t carry much, and some weapons and items take up multiple inventory slots. Key items don’t get their own dedicated storage, and some items don’t stack. I returned often to the safe rooms that contain the requisite magical storage trunk to swap stuff in and out. You’ll also juggle ingredients for the game’s simple crafting system, used to make scarce ammo and healing items.
Frogwares hasn’t eliminated investigation, even if it’s no longer the main focus. Clues generally give you hints about bonus objectives. Connect two or three matching clues in Calvin’s Investigation Space UI, and you might discover a lock combination or something similar. Linking clues awards points to unlock skills on the Night Shade mask that he carries, which also serves another purpose I won’t spoil.
The Sinking City 2. Credit: Frogwares
The Sinking City 2 looks far better than the previous game. Characters and enemies are passable, with decently detailed models and animation that’s good enough. The environments are the highlight. The streets that have become canals and the dilapidated, collapsing building interiors are chilling to explore, with lighting that creates the perfect mood. I was completely absorbed and constantly on the edge of my seat.
Frogwares’ latest is their opus. Working in a genre unfamiliar to them, under the crushing circumstances of the war in Ukraine, they’ve created something great. The Sinking City 2 draws heavily from its clear survival horror inspirations, but the setting is distinct enough and the execution polished enough that it stands alongside them. I also appreciate that I could enjoy cosmic horror without the misery.
The Sinking City 2
The Sinking City 2 borrows heavily from Resident Evil and Silent Hill, but Frogwares gives those familiar survival horror ideas a memorable cosmic horror identity.
Frogwares replaces open-world investigation with tense, linear survival horror as it returns to flooded Arkham in The Sinking City 2.