The original Sinking City was a title that found a cult following despite, or in some ways because of, its jankiness. Taking familiar Lovecraftian settings and themes and placing them in a semi-open world investigative game was an inspired decision and many players saw past the occasional bugs and flaws to find a thrilling and ambitious game. Since release, the title and its developers have endured numerous challenges from publisher fallouts to the literal invasion of their home country, so it is almost a miracle that the sequel has been finished at all. The fact that this second game is so much more polished and focused is even more remarkable.
Despite some visual similarities in tone and style, The Sinking City 2 is not a direct sequel in storyline or character. Charles Winfield Reed, the private investigator protagonist from the first game has been replaced by Calvin Rafferty, a figure more versed in the supernatural than his predecessor, but still a similar character in many ways. The story begins in media res as Calvin must discover the details of a ritual that will bring his partner, Faye Bennett, back from a mysterious coma. As the game progresses this narrative develops, with some interesting chronological twists and turns as well as some morally grey decisions (albeit with less of the choice from the original). Calvin is a likeable protagonist but feels more in keeping with classic survival horror than investigation.
Playing on PS5, The Sinking City 2 performs well, with very few frame drops that I noticed on the 60fps Performance preset. The Quality setting felt unplayable, however, as the extra fancy lighting tanked the frame rate, so consider this strictly for Pro owners only. Areas are well designed and have distinct aesthetics from the tight corridors of a disused hospital to the more expansive environment of an Antarctic expedition. Facial animation isn’t the most advanced, but is more than adequate to accompany the very strong voice acting and audio design in general.
Whereas the original game was a flawed but ambitious cult favourite, The Sinking City 2 is a far more focused and polished affair. Gone are the open world aspects, with a more linear progression along the flooded streets of Arkham and beyond and no requirement to use investigation mechanics to reveal objectives. This may prove to be a controversial decision as it does remove much of the unique character of the original in favour of a more traditional survival horror experience. Fortunately the more linear gameplay is designed well enough that it will appeal to fans of Resident Evil and the like.
While no longer a key gameplay mechanic, some aspects of the investigative horror original are maintained. The lore spread across each area in the form of notes and letters is split between background detail and puzzle solutions. Putting together the relevant clues in your journal rewards you with both in-game items and upgrade points for the passive bonuses applied through the new Talent Tables. Much of this can be ignored for those who want to focus on action, though, or equally those looking to speedrun subsequent playthroughs for challenges and trophies.
I was initially a little concerned about this change, that the consequence would be a more generic game without the unique character that made the original stand out. This is true up to a point, but once you take the game on its own terms then a highly enjoyable survival horror is revealed. Levels are well designed with multiple loops and shortcuts to unlock as you progress and the resource scarcity is well judged to ensure that you never feel completely safe or overpowered (unless playing on the easiest difficulty setting and using invincibility options).
Your initial loadout consists of a simple pistol that does decent damage, especially when you focus on the prominent enemy weak points. Later you’ll find the usual range of shotgun, rifle, and sub-machine gun, with each taking separate ammo and therefore needing inventory management. Exploring and solving all the puzzles is necessary to expand your very limited inventory and to find upgrade parts for each weapon. The final powerful weapon seemed unnecessary, however, and I left it in storage until the final boss of the game.
Each level is found through exploring the flooded streets of Arkham but there are practically no alternative paths or hidden areas to find. This makes the boat sections feel like extended loading areas of past generations, rather than truly interactive parts of the game, but does mean there is less backtracking or potential to get lost, which the first game was overly prone to. Within each level you’ll be following the usual survival horror tropes of finding keys and unlocking paths with a sprinkle of environmental puzzles to solve. There are a couple of boss encounters but most of the time you’ll be fighting a relatively small range of enemy types.