There’s no question about it – Frogwares have been a studio up against it during development of this game.

Before the menu screen even pops, it gives you a smidgeon of an idea of just how much, with 14 members of the team drafted to the ongoing Ukranian conflict, 17 had homes damaged and there were more 85,000 air raid signals throughout the game’s development. You can scarcely even imagine.

It’s already incredibly difficult making a video game but doing it under these conditions? Extraordinary. And so to see the defiance of Frogwares after telling us all this – that The Sinking City 2 is the best game they’ve ever made – made hairs stand up on end.

I happen to agree. I’ve been a fan of Frogwares games for a long time – mostly for love of the Sherlock Holmes games – but while they get a lot of things right with those games, they have a healthy amount of jank and feel a bit stiff and rigid. And while Sinking City 2 has some of that same DNA, I was incredibly impressed by the game’s overall quality.

The game has a survival horror style vibe to it, which feels ripped right from the Resident Evils and Silent Hills, and while it lacks the budget of those big releases, Frogwares have found inventive ways to keep players on their toes, while building good tension with your surroundings, brought together with intriguing story.

The map’s large, traversable by boat, and in between it all, the puzzle-solving you’ve come to expect from the developers, like working out combinations and symbol positions. The game is not only functional, it’s a massive piece of work that, based on the above, feel like it shouldn’t even exist.

Interestingly, as well, despite being called The Sinking City 2, the game follows a new protagonist in a new area, so playing the first game isn’t mandatory. That being said, there’s certainly contextual clues you’d be missing and leads you might pick out on if you did play the first game.

But I guess the other big thing to say about this is the games are also quite different. Where the original Sinking City followed more of Frogwares traditional detective style gameplay, Sinking City 2 mostly abandons a lot of that – save for some clue linking – and instead brings in elements like crafting, save rooms, inventory and upgrades, with a ton more horror and gore.

It’s an adjustment at first, especially if you’ve just come from the first game in prep for this, but I think it also speaks more to the developers ambition. And let’s be honest, survival horror is a perfect fit for this universe. It’s just the difference between being more open to firing at enemy weak spots that appear and wincing at graphic horror that might just give Resi Requiem a run for its money.

That’s not to say investigations are dead, far from it. As mentioned there’s still a litany of puzzles to solve, and even optional quests that can actually give you a safer route through some of the more treacherous areas. You’ve got multi choice dialogue sequences and leads to link together in order to find solutions, as well as tons of notes and logs.

But the focus on action is definitely much more apparent, to the point where there’s even individual difficulties for both the action and puzzle solving. So at least Frogwares have tried to appeal to their core audience while also attempting to broaden it.

Of course, jank is here. This isn’t perfect, and at this point if you’ve played a Frogwares game at any point before now, you shouldn’t expect any less. In this case though, it adds to the charm and as mentioned at the top of this, what has been achieved in face of the circumstances is truly remarkable and impressive.

The story itself is even interesting with very strong Lovecraftian inspiration and myths as you’ve come to expect from the franchise, with unexpected characters and a few surprising twists. As Calvin Rafferty, you have been part of a failed ritual to bring back loved one, Faye Bennett. But remain determined to bring her back and so venture out into the horrifying world filled with Slither, worm like creatures reanimate bodies in horrific ways.

The shift to Survival Horror works well here but has enough relatable, bridging content that it stays within the realm of its predecessor with enough to get the grey matter working, even when you’ve got the dead on your heels. Which brings it closer to a Resident Evil, and that is ultimately a correct and logical path for this series to take.

If you’re looking for something to fill the gap between Requiem and the latest Silent Hill game, The Sinking City 2 works a treat and even brings back some of those Evil Within vibes we’ve been missing. It’s a lower-ended budget and doesn’t sport the same level of polish, but it’s also a game that proudly wears its independent roots on its sleeve and just like the game itself, has been through hell and back to even be here in the first place.

Verdict

The Sinking City 2 is a worthy – and in many ways better – successor, naturally building the franchise and allowing it to grow in smart, sensible ways. It has some great horror, smart puzzles, tough action, and intriguing story, brought together in a tight independent package. Some rough edges and it might not be exactly what fans of The Sinking City were looking for – leaning much more into combat horror – but I think The Sinking City 2 works well overall and is a well-rounded package you shouldn’t ignore.

Pros

---

The Sinking City 2 is out now on PC, PS, and Xbox

Reviewed on PS5

Code Kindly Provided by Frogwares for review purposes