The Sinking City 2 Reinvents The Franchise Into Survival Horror With New Protagonist Calvin Rafferty Exploring A Drowning Arkham Built In Unreal Engine 5
Frogwares is venturing into the unknown in a very big way. Unlike the open world detective simulation that the 2019 game was, The Sinking City 2 is now leaning firmly into outright survival horror. After an early hands on demo with both early and mid game sections, it’s safe to say this sequel promises to be a terrifying, resource starved romp into Lovecraftian madness, likely sometime in 2026.
This installment has traded in the previous protagonist and city of Oakmont for a whole new character in Calvin Rafferty and the water logged city of Arkham, Massachusetts. Visually reminiscent of a classic pulp adventurer, fedora and leather jacket included, Calvin navigates the drowned streets of a crumbling Arkham searching for an arcane book in an attempt to save his comatose friend, Fay, who has been stricken by a dark curse after an accident with forbidden ritual.
Arkham itself feels like a character; abandoned by most, the city has been completely overtaken by unnatural, unending floods. You'll split your time between normal traversal by foot through narrow, claustrophobic hallways and bizarre architecture like a nightmarish annex at Miskatonic University or a dilapidated hospital and exploring non linear, flood filled city streets via motorboat. Unreal Engine 5 makes itself at home here, offering an oppressive and detailed visual experience even in the early stages, though frame rate stutters are still to be expected.
Fans of the recent Resident Evil remakes will feel right at home with The Sinking City 2's combat. Ammo is precious and enemies will surround you in a terrifying 360 degree, over the shoulder frenzy. Where it differs from many other similar titles is that headshots are not the target in order to quickly dispatch them, players will need to shoot dynamically spawning glowing pustules that appear on enemy limbs and torsos, stunning and dealing a large amount of damage to them.
These mutated zombies and shamblers are controlled by the “Slither” a mass of slimy, worm like parasites that are essentially driving them. As a fantastic way of conserving ammo, you can use a brutality heavy stomp move; when an enemy has fallen to its knees, or if it overleaps you while you dodge, a quick stomp will instantly dispatch it. This stomp can also be used to eliminate Slither clusters from the floor, which would otherwise spawn more enemies.
While much of the time consuming, elaborate investigation of the first title has been drastically pared down to suit the quicker pace, it still plays a significant part in the gameplay. Puzzles are now more concise and less lengthy. Gathering information and linking pieces of it to new information not only progresses the narrative and unlocks new areas, but is the key to earning "Dream Essence."
This essence is the currency of a lite RPG system, where players can purchase runes that can be applied to an artifact known as The Nightshade Mask. Each talent will offer different bonuses, such as faster reloads, increased health recovery or bonus damage if you successfully turn off your flashlight.
Exploration will also reveal Activator Pens, used to unlock special Emergency Relief Crates tucked away in hidden nooks and crannies. These crates often contain vital weapon modifications or coveted extra inventory slots, so it’s essential that you don’t miss them
The survival horror aspect works wonders within the Cthulhu mythos. The tension of knowing that even a simple turn in the wrong direction could lead to disaster, especially with a wealth of environmental traps to fall prey to, creates a constant, unnerving atmosphere. Even the NPC's are delightfully unhinged: in one section, you’ll meet a man who had willingly carved out his own eyes and replaced them with Slither in an effort to gain the curse of seeing ancient and forbidden languages.
