It’s incredibly easy to complain about sequels flooding the video game market, because plenty of us think we want new and innovative things. Really though sequels can provide this entirely, with so many different games proving this. Some sequels change from 2D to 3D, like Risk of Rain and every series around when the Nintendo 64 released. Others completely change genre, bringing a familiar world to entirely new gameplay systems. The Sinking City 2 is another great example of a sequel that changes things up, with more survival horror and less detective work than the original.
As a change of pace for a horror game, The Sinking City 2 opens with a date between main character Calvin and his love interest Faye. It’s all very sweet with some fun banter between these two, at least until this dream sequence is revealed and we find out Faye’s true fate. Calvin and Faye are occultists who were taking part in an Eldritch ritual, and it has left Faye in a sort of supernatural coma. Calvin isn’t going to accept this though, even as the city of Arkham around him floods and is overrun by worms.
While I like the characters in The Sinking City 2, it’s the location that really impressed me. This once bustling and historic city isn’t just a lot wetter now, it’s also infected by something much more otherworldly and sinister. The worms that have emerged from the depths aren’t just a little creepy either, they can inhabit corpses and bring them back to life as the angry Slither. It won’t be easy to survive in the city as you try to undo the ritual, and you’ll need to use every bullet you find to take on the monstrous masses.
The third-person shooting of The Sinking City 2 is very much like that of many modern Resident Evil games, especially the recent remakes. From an over the shoulder perspective you’ll need to aim and shoot at various horrific foes, which is easier said than done as they twitch about. Headshots aren’t the name of the game here either, with bulbous fleshy lumps serving as weak spots on the Slither. Nothing feels better than successfully bursting these and then stomping one of the monsters for the perfect kill, but more often than not you’ll need to dodge and weave a bit as they enter your personal space.
The combat is a huge part of The Sinking City 2, but the puzzles aren’t all gone from the first game. Some of these are required to progress but a whole lot of them are just used to hide away optional goodies that’ll help you survive. You’ll have to piece together information to find keys or unlock safes, by reading through documents and learning more about the people of Arkham and their plight. It’s a really compelling way to make the puzzles feel like they’re part of the world, but if you want less sleuthing you can lower the difficulty of the more thoughtful parts of the game and have important details highlighted in the notes you pick up.
For each clue you gather to solve a puzzle, you’re also able to arrange it in your spookier version of a Sherlock Holmes mind palace. By linking nodes together you’ll not only understand what to do next, but you’ll also gain rune points. These are used to unlock various skills you can slot into a mask which makes you stronger in combat. It’s a nice incentive to solve more optional puzzles, and explore off the beaten path a bit.
When I first tried The Sinking City 2 for a preview a few months ago, I expected it to have a fairly open environment. It’s actually a much more linear experience than you’d assume based on the motorboat you use to get around, with different locations like libraries, churches and asylums that have their own distinct puzzles and resources to discover. I actually preferred it this way, but not everyone will.
Above all else, The Sinking City 2 just has a lot of character. The twenties setting is so appealing, with a noir filter the only thing missing to really make the experience feel vintage. The cosmic horror hits perfectly too, and helps separate the experience from something like Resident Evil or Silent Hill. Even the visuals are particularly impressive, with a level of fidelity and design above all the other Frogwares games.
I loved splashing around in Arkham, but The Sinking City 2 does have its share of issues. The combat isn’t quite as polished as some of its horror peers, and some of the enemies are such a nightmare to hit because of their fast movement. It also has some slightly less exciting sections towards the end of the game especially, and some less than stellar boss fights. None of these come close to ruining the overall experience, but they certainly detract somewhat.
The Sinking City 2 feels like a full featured big budget survival horror game, with a setting that blew me away. The blend of combat and puzzle solving is delightful, and the story and world shine among its peers. It has a few issues that hold it back from the top of the horror pile (which I assume is made of bones and blood) but I’d recommend it to anyone looking for something new to play in the dead of night.
