Calling Ukrainian developer Frogwares ambitious is an understatement. For years, their games have included increasingly more complex systems, and for as janky as some of their execution might have felt at times, it can’t be denied that they’re incredibly impressive. With The Sinking City 2, that is especially the case, even more so considering how superior of a sequel it is in just about every way.
The game stars Calvin Rafferty, a supernatural investigator of sorts, whose wife Faye, a college professor, is in a vegetative state after an eventual excursion to the “other side”. Struggling to find a way to save the soul of the love of his life, he embarks on a journey through the city of Arkham, which has been taken over by an otherworldly flood, bringing with it all sorts of horrible creatures, in search of a mysterious tome that is rumored to be very powerful in that regard.
As with the original, The Sinking City 2 is based on the works of Howard Phillips Lovecraft, one of the precursors of the occult in literature, and in that, it follows those writings to a T, making even greater use of its themes not only in providing some brilliant ambiance, but ridiculously tense action. Unlike the first one, though, this sequel is a little less focused on sheer investigation, instead borrowing elements from Capcom’s impressive reinvention of their blockbuster franchise, most notably Resident Evil 2.
Meaning that The Sinking City 2 is a game that takes place in a fairly large, semi open-world map, featuring sections of gameplay that are served to you via condensed locations, each with their own themes, dangers, puzzles, and situations. These include, for instance, an abandoned college library, a church, and even a creepy apartment complex. Although quite urban and not that surprising, the way these places are put together, and how warped they get by the anomalies running amok in Arkham.
Those include some downright gross enemies that come close to rivaling RE 2‘s zombies, in the form of corpses that become reanimated by the gross slugs that roam the map. Instead of simply pumping them full of lead, you’re required to be a bit more strategic, aiming for specific spots that grow out of their bodies. Truly horrific and admittedly videogame-y, but still tense, even more so because of how awkward it is controlling Calvin, who tends to be quite slow to react – definitely not the action hero type like our pals Leon or Claire.
Our boy does have some aces up his trenchcoat’s sleeves, though. As he acquires more supernatural points, he’s able to upgrade some of his core stats, such as reload speed and reaction time, helping him get an edge over the bigger and badder threats in his way, which there are plenty of and are very – and somewhat a bit cheaper than we’d like – dangerous to fight.
But not all gameplay in The Sinking City 2 relies on brute strength. Taking a cue from other Frogwares titles like Sherlock Holmes, there’s an investigative side to the game as well, where Calvin puts his gumshoe skills to work by linking up clues picked up along the way in order to form conclusions, giving way to solving puzzles, like passwords or key item locations, for instance. It’s not as complex as Holmes’ “mind palace”, one of his many games’ pivotal elements, but it’s engaging enough and works within the confines of the theme.
The Sinking City 2 is a beautiful looking game that offers variety in a tighter and straight to the point package than what came before it. Thanks to some clear borrowed elements from other survival horror hits, the warping involving Lovecraft’s creations works well in setting it apart. It should not be missed by those looking to enjoy a moody and exciting horror experience in game form, regardless of their familiarity with its inspirations, whether from literature or coming from its competition.
