Summary
- Frogwares has the ability to address technical faults from The Sinking City for a more polished experience in the second game.
- The sequel will lean more into modern third-person survival-horror with greater emphasis on combat in smaller game spaces.
- Frogwares looks to refine The Sinking City 2's overall performance by utilizing Unreal Engine 5 and accounting for lessons learned in the time since the original.
Developer Frogwares is probably best known for its long-running Sherlock Holmes series, but back in 2019, the studio dipped its toes into new waters with The Sinking City. Though it kept some of the familiar narrative and detective-based components, The Sinking City departed in other ways from previous works, primarily through being an open-world Lovecraftian horror game with heavier survival and shooting mechanics. Now, Frogwares is set to deliver a second entry, The Sinking City 2, later this year.
The Sinking City 2's announcement trailer premiered last March, and it is currently slated for a 2025 release, although no firm date has been provided yet. The first title contained some excellent elements, and the prospect of Frogwares diving back into the Stygian depths for a sequel is an exciting one. However, the original also displayed a bit of jankiness due to some noted performance struggles and technical issues. Based on what has been revealed about The Sinking City 2, though, it appears as if the forthcoming follow-up will thankfully make for a much-improved experience regarding these aspects.
After its release, Frogwares was embroiled in a messy legal battle over The Sinking City. It eventually gained full control of the rights to produce and publish the IP.
The Sinking City 2 is Set to Shore Up One of the Original's Biggest Shortcomings
The Sinking City Was a Somewhat Uneven Voyage
At the time, The Sinking City was one of Frogwares' most ambitious projects. While it had built up a good reputation on the strength of Sherlock Holmes, its foray into a larger world and survival-horror design came with some growing pains. Though it was praised for its narrative presentation and atmosphere, these aspects were hampered by some frustrating hitches in the form of frame rate drops and asset pop-in. The shooting could also feel a bit off due to hit detection and enemy feedback being hard to read and adjust to.
Some of The Sinking City's faults can be forgiven, as Frogwares is a smaller independent studio lacking AAA budgets and resources, and despite the technical annoyances, it was undeniably a heartfelt attempt that got a lot of things right regarding what a Lovecraft video game should be. Still, the result was a sometimes lopsided experience, and The Sinking City is often considered a diamond in the rough that could have been helped by a little more polish.
The Sinking City 2 May Show That a Rising Tide Lifts All Boats
The Sinking City 2 will have some significant differences compared to the first:
- Leaning more into modern third-person survival-horror
- Greater emphasis on combat
- More boss fights
- Smaller, semi-open world
- Switching to Unreal Engine 5
The first four items invoke recent successful titles like Alan Wake 2 and the Resident Evil 4 and Silent Hill 2 remakes. These and others used similar designs to great effect, and The Sinking City 2 embracing these elements could set it up to follow the same path. Frogwares also highlights how Unreal Engine 5 will allow it to "utilize the technological leaps and bounds the engine is offering." As UE5 becomes more standardized across the industry in the coming generations, developers will likely keep finding better ways to make the most of its capabilities, further refining and integrating them to create more impressive and stable games.
Frogwares is aiming to tweak and fine-tune its prior directions in order to streamline The Sinking City 2. By taking to heart lessons learned since the original and building upon what Unreal Engine 5 currently has to offer, all the pieces seem to be in place for it to smooth out The Sinking City's rougher edges to deliver a second title that is all around more impressive and honed.
The Sinking City
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 69 /100 Critics Rec: 37%
WHERE TO PLAY
The Sinking City is an adventure and investigation game set in an open world inspired by the universe of H.P. Lovecraft, the master of Horror. The half-submerged city of Oakmont is gripped by supernatural forces. You're a private investigator, and you have to uncover the truth of what has possessed the city… and the minds of its inhabitants.
- An oppressive atmosphere and story inspired by the universe of H.P. Lovecraft.
- A vast open world that can be explored on foot, by boat, in a diving suit…
- High replay value thanks to an open investigation system: each case can be solved in a number of ways, with different possible endings depending on your actions.
- An arsenal of weapons from the 1920s with which to take on nightmarish creatures.
- Manage your mental health to untangle the truth behind the madness.
- Platform(s)
- PS4, Xbox One, PC, Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- OpenCritic Rating
- Fair
