Processor:  Intel Core i5-2500 3.3GHz / AMD FX-8300

Memory: 8 GB RAM

Graphics: GeForce GTX 770 4GB or Radeon R9 380X

DirectX: Version 11[/toggle] [toggle title=”Recommended Specification”]OS:  64bits version of Windows 10

Processor: Intel Core i7-3770 3.4 GHz or AMD FX-8350 4.0 GHz

Memory: 8 GB RAM

Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 or AMD Radeon R9 290

DirectX: Version 11[/toggle] [toggle title=”Review Specification”]OS: Windows 10 64bit

Processor: Intel Core i5-7500

Memory: 16 GB RAM

Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070[/toggle] [/toggles]

The Sinking City

DETAILED REVIEW

Lovecraftian literature has had a profound impact on gaming, dating as far back as the early 90s. From survival horror progenitor Alone in the Dark to more nuanced takes as seen in Bloodborne and Darkest Dungeon, the presence of bas-relief carved monstrosities, structures with non-Euclidean angles and eldritch entities in deep slumber played a big role in inducing a creeping sense of dread and uneasiness in us. There has been a more direct approach to capturing Lovecraftian mythos in games as well, with titles such as  Headfirst Productions’ Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth and Cyanide’s Call of Cthulhu: The Official Video Game (which I have enjoyed a lot, contrary to the general public reception). Now, Frogwares of Sherlock Holmes fame has brought us The Sinking City, an open-world detective game inspired by the works of none other than H.P. Lovecraft himself. 30+ hours of playing and one and a half playthroughs later, here’s me telling you what’s good about the Sinking City and what isn’t.

Story & Narrative

Much like many of Lovecraft’s works, The Sinking City is set in the post-war, prohibition period of the 1920s. You play as Charles Reed, a former Navy veteran turned private investigator tormented by horrifying visions and disturbing dreams. Reed traces the source of the disturbances to reports of mass hysteria and madness in the half-submerged port city of Oakmont. Devastated by an unnatural flood that occurred over 6 months ago, Oakmont is host to supernatural events, incogitable characters and everything you expect to see in Lovecraftian fiction. To get to the bottom of the fish-filled barrel, Reed has got to go deeper into the history of the town, the lineage of its inhabitants and age-old prophecies waiting to happen.

The story is easily the best aspect of The Sinking City. Everything one would want from a Lovecraftian game is present. The Sinking City features a foreboding and oppressive atmosphere, an alien town dripping with antediluvian secrets, a roster of weird and macabre characters, creeping madness and knowledge beyond human comprehension. While the main character came across very one dimensional for the first few hours, his detached, snarky personality with a devil-may-care attitude becomes prominent later on.

The story is full of twists and turns and like any good Lovecraftian fiction, leaves a lot open to interpretation. You can also make a few choices here and there that will change the fate of NPCs and impact events in alternate ways. Just don’t expect branching storylines  However, a bad ending can ruin the best of experiences. Without spoiling much, it can be said that The Sinking City ends up leaving a bad taste in your mouth. It’s not that the endings are bad, quite the contrary. They well-fit the Lovecraftian mythos but the game does a poor job of properly presenting them to the player. Never undermine the power of a good epilogue.

Gameplay & Mechanics

The Sinking City is an action-adventure set in an open-world with a large focus on investigative storytelling. The gameplay is divided into third person exploration on foot and on boat, analyzing and reconstructing crime scenes, gathering evidence and finally, combat. As per tradition, there’s a sanity meter that will go down as you witness disturbing imagery and scenes resulting in impaired vision but it’s mostly a gameplay gimmick than a persistent insanity system.  But before we get into all that, there is one aspect of the game that must be discussed in full detail.

The Atmosphere

The Sinking City does a great job of building up atmosphere and maintaining it till the very end. So much so that it could be compared to Pathologic or even Vampire: TMB. The water-soaked streets, alleyways and submerged buildings of Oakmont feel both alien and lived in. What’s more impressive is the creeping sense of dread as you take a long stroll through the debris-filled cityscape. It is a feeling that many games fail to nail down. They also managed to capture the disastrous after-effects of a flood quite impressively. As a person who lived through a deluge the past year, seeing the aftermath in Sinking City was very relatable and a part of me congratulates the team for expertly visualizing such an untapped theme in their game.

At the same time, there are quite a few immersion breaking factors such as pedestrians spawning literally before your eyes, getting stuck in the terrain, stuck in an incomplete loop and basically ending up as just filler props used to fill the game world. Even though there are a lot of memorable landmarks in the sizeable open world, the usage of the one-time procedural City Generator results in many of the indoor areas looking the same and there are quite a lot of assets re-used over and over (If I see Whatley’s Household Chemistry signboard one more time, I’ll throw a temper tantrum).

A Detective is You

Since The Sinking City is made by the same people who made some of the best Sherlock Holmes games out there, you can bet 100% that even if all else fails, the investigative gameplay will flourish. The Sinking City is best when it’s a slow-paced investigative thriller. The core gameplay loop revolves around going to location from location, investigating odd events, gathering clues and reconstructing the crime scene using your supernatural powers. Think Sherlock Holmes but madder than usual. After gathering enough evidence, it’s up to the player to combine them and arrive at deductions in your mind palace. A lot of the time, events can be interpreted in multiple ways, leading to different outcomes.

What sets The Sinking City apart from its peers is how little handholding there is when it comes to investigations (unless you absolutely want the game to do it for you). More often than not, Reed has to look up key information regarding suspects and locations at various archives around the city. You can access archives at Oakmont’s police station, newspaper agency, hospital, and public library to help pin down topical information. In the archive interface, you can select the piece of evidence you wish to investigate, then choose three criteria to search for relevant information. Key locations are not spoonfed to you, resulting in the player having to manually pin down spots using street names and other clues. Oh Elder Gods, how I’ve missed the ability to add custom markers in games. These features are not as complex or confusing as I may have described but don’t insult your intelligence either. These remain key throughout the game and saves The Sinking City from becoming yet another pixel hunt.

Aside from the main story, there are also a decent number of side missions. A lot of them revolve around finding more information regarding the lore of the town and the effects of the madness on its denizens using the detective elements established in the main story. There are hardly any filler quests and all quests, in one way or another provides tidbits of backstory and lore. A personal favorite side quest involves digging deep into the bloodlines of Oakmont’s biggest family and leads up to a very emotional climax. I just wish more of the side quests were open-ended in providing the player meaningful choices and consequences.

The Combat

The combat is probably the least refined aspect of The Sinking City. It’s not really bad, just painfully basic. The major culprit is the fact that firearms lack any sort of impact. I would mistake them for BB guns if they did not get the job done, which they certainly do but in a very unsatisfying manner. The only way to know if you’re hitting something is when the enemies eventually fall down and die. The throwables aren’t any better. Thankfully, you can avoid most of the non-scripted encounters either by running away or by using the very basic stealth mechanics. I suggest running away especially since it’s faster and you’ll be fighting the same 4 enemy types most of the time.

You can also increase your effectiveness in combat (to an extent) and crafting (yes you can craft all combat-usable items in the game) by leveling up and investing in either of the three skill menus. Some skills are useful (like increasing the amount of ammo you can carry) while some are not (such as decreasing fall damage). Pretty standard stuff and nothing to write home about.

There are even a few brief sections in the story where you are able to explore underwater locations in a diving suit to break up the routine. There isn’t much to say about these sections. It doesn’t overstay its welcome and provides a much-needed change from all the running around.

Visuals & Performance

Coming to the visuals, The Sinking City won’t set any benchmarks for graphical fidelity. But what it lacks in texture quality and character models, it makes up for in the brilliant art design. From the muted yet striking color palette to the dynamic lighting to the impressive weather effects, The Sinking City brings the town of Oakmont to life. It might feel like the lightning and the weather effects change a bit too fast but that just adds to the eldritch feeling. However,  what stands out (for all the wrong reasons)are the facial expressions and in particular, the eyes. Everyone is Oakmont has eyes more dead than that of the fish in my local market.  The game sends you straight to the uncanny valley (even uncanny for Lovecraft) during conversations where the movement of the eyes doesn’t match the rest of the body. The animations are not that great either. Thankfully, the fantastic art style makes up for a lot of these complaints.

Performance wise, The Sinking City ran at a locked 60 fps for the most part. There are several sections in the game where the number sunk to the low 40s even though the CPU never maxed itself out. I’m guessing a post-launch driver will resolve some of the issues. Other than that, I didn’t experience any crashes, bugs or glitches throughout my 30+ hour journey.

Music & Sound

The music and ambiance in The Sinking City are very well done and lives up to the expectations of a Lovecraft fan. It’s spooky and almost serene, in a way. Voice acting is what you’d expect from a game of this production value. It’s not terrible by any means but there are odd deliveries here and there. Weapon sounds, on the other hand, is where the game drops the ball completely.  The primary reason why combat feels underwhelming is that all of the gun sounds are terrible. Even the shotgun comes across as a pea shooter thanks to the wimpy sound effects.

VERDICT

The Sinking City has many flaws, many of them technical. Yet, none of these could stop me from being engrossed in this weirdly alluring world and its inhabitants Frogwares has expertly crafted. The oppressive atmosphere, engaging storyline, and compelling investigative gameplay will keep you hooked for 20-30 hours. The Sinking City is a worthy game inspired by the Cthulhu mythos that fans of cosmic horror shouldn’t miss. As for others, just be mindful of the rough edges and you’ll have a good time.