PC REVIEW | The Sinking City 2

I don’t usually start by explaining I knew too much about the game before diving in. Most of the time, I like to go in blind. Keep myself on my toes, so to speak. But I was always a fan of the first Sinking City. I loved the investigations, the Lovecraftian lore, and of course, the combat, despite it being secondary to everything else. When I heard Frogwares were launching a Kickstarter campaign to bring another entry to life, I followed development actively.
Clearly drawing inspiration from Resident Evil 2 Remake, and Silent Hill 2 Remake, it was clearly shaping up nicely. Fast forward a couple of years, and here we are. The Sinking City 2 is finally released, and to my surprise, it is one hell of a game. Despite suffering from a bit of an identity crisis, Frogwares have managed to pull off an extremely capable survival horror game, that delivers on scares, environmental design, and a complete overhaul of the combat. Despite deviating massively from the first game, The Sinking City 2 stands out as one of this years top games for me, and from the moment I started, I couldn’t put it down.

Things I liked!

• The Music | The music in The Sinking City 2 is ethereal in nature, lending the entire experience an eerie, cinematic quality. As you traverse the flooded streets, its haunting melodies perfectly capture the grim atmosphere of a city slowly being swallowed by water. There is a constant sense of unease when playing, and I love it! Even quieter moments feel deeply unsettling. When enemies are nearby, the music shifts into grittier, more aggressive beats that immediately signal danger. During combat, these heavier rhythms intensify the action and make every encounter feel suitably desperate and chaotic.

• The Combat | Combat is heavily inspired by Resident Evil 2 Remake and Silent Hill 2 Remake, and the developers have absolutely nailed what makes those systems so satisfying. Every weapon feels weighty and powerful, while the over the shoulder perspective keeps each encounter tense and personal. Enemies stumble and react convincingly to every shot, giving your attacks a genuine sense of impact. Limited resources encourage you to stay calm, aim carefully and make every bullet count. It captures the deliberate and desperate nature of modern survival horror combat almost perfectly.
  
  Enemies will sprout worms from certain parts of their bodies, and shooting these will trigger extra damage and weaken them, or outright kill them. When they are down but not out, you can even execute a stomp attack like that found in Dead Space to deal the final blow. It all sounds very satisfying and sends worms and blood flying. You can even dodge enemy attacks by pressing space bar including a direction, which will save your life over and over again.
  
  Even being grabbed by an enemy feels suitably horrific, as the camera shifts uncomfortably close while you desperately button mash to escape. Watching these creatures attempt to force their tentacles down your throat makes every grapple feel brutal, invasive and genuinely disturbing.
  
  
• A Worthy Sequel | The Sinking City 2 is a worthy sequel, even though it takes the series in a dramatically different direction. While the original was primarily an open world detective adventure built around gathering evidence, searching archives and solving cases, this sequel places far greater emphasis on survival horror, combat and resource management. Investigations are still present, but they are now optional and considerably more streamlined, allowing the pacing to remain focused on exploration and survival.
  
  The move to a more tightly designed, semi open world also makes the experience feel more deliberate and consistently engaging than its sprawling predecessor. It may not follow the expected path, but it retains the Lovecraftian identity of the original while confidently transforming the series into something far more frightening and intense.
  
  
• Level Design | The level design is one of the strongest aspects of The Sinking City 2, with its flooded streets creating an oppressive and haunting sense of place. Decaying buildings and flickering lights make every location feel abandoned, dangerous and steeped in history. Each area is carefully interconnected, encouraging you to investigate your surroundings and remember paths that were previously inaccessible. The way everything comes together through exploration, investigations and rewarding backtracking makes the city feel cohesive rather than like a collection of disconnected locations.
  
  
• Enemy Design | While there are only four main enemy variations, their strong animations make them unpredictable and consistently tense to fight. The AI is remarkably clever, with enemies actively hunting you through different rooms, barging through doors and smashing through parts of the environment to reach you.
  
  Boss fights are also incredibly fun and visually impressive, providing some of the game’s most memorable encounters. Better still, several bosses involve more meaningful mechanics than simply unloading every available bullet into them.
  
  
• Worthwhile Collectibles | Collectibles are genuinely enjoyable to seek out because they help bridge many pieces of the story together. Rather than being reduced to random notes written by people during their final moments, they provide meaningful insight into the city, its history and the horrors unfolding within it. Many contain fascinating lore details that add greater context to characters, locations and events.
  
  Others offer valuable information about secret areas, rewarding curious players with new places to explore and additional discoveries that you can benefit from if you do decide to invest time into the investigation tab in the pause menu.
  
  
• Great Accessibility Modes | The Sinking City 2 includes a welcome selection of accessibility features that allow more players to experience its Lovecraftian horrors. Those playing on the easiest difficulty can enable invincibility mode, removing the threat of death while still allowing them to enjoy the story, exploration and atmosphere. It is a thoughtful addition that makes the game more approachable without affecting the challenging survival horror experience awaiting players on higher difficulties.

Mixed & disliked!

• Instigations are now optional | One of the more disappointing changes is that the investigations and evidence gathering that made the first game so compelling have been reduced to optional additions. These mechanics should have remained a more substantial and mandatory part of the experience, perhaps allowing players to uncover side quests by following clues and piecing evidence together.
  
  Instead, much of the information you need is simply discovered through notes scattered throughout the game, which feels far less engaging. Bringing the detective work into the main progression would have preserved more of the original game’s identity while still allowing the sequel to embrace its new survival horror focus. I understand what they wanted to do, but it still feels like part of the identity is missing.

• Bugs | There are a few noticeable bugs, including occasional collision issues that can make movement through the environment feel awkward. Enemies can sometimes be seen standing in a T pose before their scripted appearance is triggered, briefly shattering the game’s otherwise excellent atmosphere. I understand no game is perfect, but they do break immersion.

• How long did I play the review before publishing? 12 Hours
• How long to beat the story? 12 hours
• How many Achievements did I earn before publishing? 18/23
• How long to get 100%? | 20 hours
• You’ll love this game if you like these | The Sinking City, Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 4

Score: 85/100

The Sinking City 2 is a fantastic survival horror experience, combining tense combat, intelligent enemies, rewarding exploration and exceptional level design with a wonderfully grim Lovecraftian atmosphere. Despite some bugs and the reduced importance of investigations, its haunting flooded city and compelling storytelling make it worthy of picking up.

Aaron

Gaming is in my blood.  Be it handheld games, Xbox, PC, Switch or Playstation, I am all over it.
I make my own games as part of my profession and love playing co op games with friends in my spare time. Avid dog lover and camper van enthusiast.