The original The Sinking City was an ambitious but flawed attempt to blend detective work with Lovecraftian horror. Now, Frogwares is back with The Sinking City 2, aiming to refine the formula and deliver a more focused survival horror experience. The question is: does it succeed?
A New Era of Horror
Unlike its predecessor’s sprawling open world, The Sinking City 2 embraces a series of constrained locations, drawing clear inspiration from the Resident Evil franchise. This shift allows for a tighter, more focused experience, emphasizing puzzle-solving, resource management, and tense encounters with grotesque creatures.
You step into the shoes of Calvin Rafferty, an occult investigator tasked with reviving his partner, Faye Bennett, who’s trapped in a supernatural coma. This quest takes you through Arkham, now partially submerged and teeming with horrors. The game wisely sheds many elements that didn’t work in the first installment, focusing on what makes survival horror truly terrifying.
Gameplay: Inspired by the Masters
The combat has been significantly improved, featuring a dodge mechanic that allows you to evade enemy attacks. Enemies are designed to be baited into charging, creating opportunities for strategic melee counters and ammo conservation. While I missed the 180-turn button from Resident Evil, the gameplay feels snappier and more responsive.
The original game’s clunky stealth mechanics have been replaced with a more direct approach. Calvin stands resolutely upright while blasting away at monsters, embracing the action-oriented gameplay. The sanity meter has also been removed, streamlining the experience and focusing on the core survival horror elements.
A Familiar Inventory System
The inventory system is reminiscent of Resident Evil, requiring players to carefully manage limited space for weapons, consumables, quest items, and crafting materials. This adds a layer of strategic depth, forcing you to make tough choices about what to carry and what to leave behind. However, the crafting system feels tacked on, often serving as more of a nuisance than an enhancement to the gameplay.
A Rushed Conclusion?
While The Sinking City 2 offers a solid survival horror experience that can be completed in around 15 hours, the ending feels rushed. The game doesn’t allow you to revisit previous areas or complete optional side quests, leaving a sense of missed opportunity. Furthermore, the New Game Plus mode doesn’t carry over inventory upgrades, which feels like a significant oversight.
Despite its shortcomings, The Sinking City 2 represents an improvement over the original game. It delivers a focused survival horror experience that successfully captures the atmosphere and tension of classic titles. Whether it will be enough to win over fans remains to be seen, but with a potential third installment on the horizon, Frogwares is clearly committed to refining its vision.
Source: PC Gamer
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