The Sinking City 2 preview – A sequel that leans more into survival horror
It’s been seven years since the release of Frogwares’ The Sinking City, which I find staggering – it feels it was only a couple of years ago. Perhaps it’s because it was only remastered fairly recently? In any case, Frogwares is hard at work polishing up its follow-up for release later this year, and after going hands-on with The Sinking City 2 for a short while, as a fan of survival horror, I’m more excited for it than ever before.
When The Sinking City 2 was announced, Frogwares did state that it was leaning more into survival horror for this sequel, and within minutes of jumping into a preview slice of the game, it was clear that the studio has kept to its word. Taking control of protagonist Calvin Rafferty, I was left to explore a university in disarray, moving from room to room in an effort to find a mysterious book. And needless to say, it didn’t take long for me to come face-to-face with something far from friendly.
Many of the enemies here are what can only be described as zombie-like, awakening from their slumber around you then shambling in your direction as if they’re hungry for a snack. They’re not zombies, though, they’re something else, and by shooting the strange bulbous growths on their bodies you can put them down much easier. I’ve encountered other enemies during my short time spent playing, too, including fast-moving spider-like beasts and humanoids that fire projectiles at a distance. The full game promises even more grotesque and fantastical creatures, and I can’t wait to see what else I’ll be coming up against.
Thankfully you’re not defenceless in The Sinking City 2. A range of weapons are available such as a pistol, a shotgun, and more, and you can map these to the direction buttons for quick access. Like in recent Resident Evil games, you can craft ammo for these as well as simply finding it laying around on shelves and in boxes, etc. If you want to preserve your ammo, melee attacks are also available; a forceful punch can inflict a bit of damage to a standing enemy, while a stomp attack is useful for smaller adversaries and finishing off those you’ve downed.
But there’s more to The Sinking City 2 than combat. Just like in any good survival horror there’s an abundance of puzzles; an early one had me trying to work out the year a bell was made to open up a lock that was blocking my progress, for example. And for those who loved the investigation aspects of the first game, there are more intricate puzzles to solve. Many of these will be optional, with valuable rewards on offer for putting in the effort. And to give you a helping hand, you have access to an investigation board where you can place the clues you’ve found, group them together, draw connections, and more.
Still, the increased focus on survival horror here means that some players who loved the first game might feel like their noses have been put out of joint. At least a range of difficulty options are available, so combat doesn’t have to be quite so challenging if you don’t want it to be. And the last thing I’ll touch on is the game’s presentation: this is a great-looking game with what promises to be a variety of foreboding environments. The voice acting appears to be top-notch, too, helping its story to be that bit more engaging.
All in all, I’ll go out on a limb and say that The Sinking City 2 is likely going to be a must-play for survival horror fans when it launches later this year. And fans of the first game should very much enjoy it too, providing they can get onboard with the dialled-up atmosphere and combat. After spending a small amount of the time with the game, I’m very eager to play more, as well as unravel Calvin’s story from beginning to end.
The Sinking City 2 launches later this year on PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.
