The Sinking City 2's Shift To Survival Horror Leaves It Treading For Air

"The Sinking City 2, on the other hand, is not as ambitious. Instead of aiming for the same heights as the first game and Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One, Frogwares has whittled The Sinking City 2 down into a genre more safely suited for its Lovecraftian Psychological roots: survival horror. And, yes, that makes sense, but while the first Sinking City has its share of blemishes for its stiff combat and underbaked open world, I had a soft spot for its earnest ambitions."

"But where I'd often say Frogwares swung punches above its own weight, The Sinking City 2 jabs at the waistline, and it isn't leaving a mark. The pivot to survival horror should have been a slam dunk for me--a survival horror and detective game obsessor. Contrary, my two hours of hands-on time with the game left me feeling unsurprised, unchallenged, and, most disappointing of all, uninspired."

"The first Sinking City was an ambitious swing for developer Frogwares. It was open-world, featured a massive, flooded city to explore, had loads of side quests, and made an--albeit flawed--attempt at third-person horror action. All of that wove together with the studio's signature detective-mystery roots to make an experience that wasn't very good, but was at least worth trying or paying attention to."

"Before The Sinking City, Frogwares had iterated on the deduction mechanics of the detective genre one Sherlock Holmes game at a time, sprinkling in influences from other genres along the way, from open-ended exploration in Crimes and Punishment, to light combat with The Devil's Daughter. But neither were as stark in genre shift or as daring in scale as The Sinking City--even if those bold decisions were to the game's own detriment."

Frogwares’ first Sinking City combined open-world exploration, many side quests, and third-person horror action with detective-mystery gameplay, resulting in a flawed but notable attempt. Earlier Frogwares titles iterated on detective deduction mechanics, adding genre influences such as open-ended exploration and light combat. The sequel reduces ambition by pivoting toward survival horror to better fit Lovecraftian psychological themes. Despite the genre change seeming like a strong match, hands-on time with the game produced feelings of predictability and lack of challenge. The survival horror approach does not create a memorable impact, and the experience feels uninspired rather than engaging.

Read at GameSpot