![]() There were moments of high tension when I was fleeing from a cultist house, my health and sanity so low that suicidal visions obscured my screen, but most combat encounters were simply frustrating. In theory, you can hit weak spots on enemies to inflict massive damage – think glowing bits or heads – or simply run from the simplistic AI. Unfortunately, combat is serviceable at best, playing like a clunky third-person shooter. Both the wylebeasts and several human factions are out for Reed’s blood. Given the effects of the flood and ongoing societal collapse, Oakmont is a hostile place. Some side missions are little more than spooky fetch quests, but there are several that’ll take you on unexpectedly creepy diversions with multiple outcomes. Player choice, multiple solutions for several missions, and three potential endings ensure there’s replay value. Slowly building up enough evidence and crafting a logical deduction in Reed’s mind palace remains great fun throughout. Selecting key search criteria at different city archives can reveal new leads or suspects (think city hall for properties, the police station for criminal activity, and the local newspaper office for past events etc.). ![]() Hunting for clues will unlock new dialogue options and leads. This investigation-focused gameplay loop plays to Frogware’s strengths and is another highlight of the experience. As most cases revolve around several characters or factions in conflict with one another, you’ll eventually have to side with someone to access new information (and most characters in Oakmont are ethically dubious at best). ![]() Once you’ve accumulated enough key information – by piecing together clues to understand the sequence of events or finding a new lead – you can combine clues in Reed’s “mind palace” to make deductions and inform your future responses. Gameplay primarily revolves around traversing the city – on foot or by boat – grilling quest givers and suspects for information, examining clues, and revealing past events using Reed’s supernatural vision. Once you’ve found all the required evidence at a scene, Charles Reed’s supernatural abilities allow him to piece together past events to make deductions. This eerie atmosphere is one of the highlights and only bested by the Silent Hill games. Reed will also travel to some truly unnerving locations that the locals think nothing of. It reinforces that sensation of being a newcomer – the people you meet clearly know more than they are letting on – while the player is given the choice to discuss some of the strange things they see, or just let it slide. Oakmont is a strange city full of equally strange inhabitants that, despite being terrified of recent events, accept all the weirdness and the appearance of the “wylebeasts” after the recent flood. However, everything still feels consistently weird for those that have never read his work. As The Sinking City has a fair amount of dialogue, reading, and world-building, it’s a treat for Lovecraft fans. ![]() Lovecraft’s more recognisable works, while the side missions often feature locations and letters that reference some of his lesser-known short stories. There are also a half dozen side missions with a similar structure. This kicks off a lengthy adventure, consisting of nine multi-part main missions that’ll send you all over the city to uncover an unravelling supernatural conspiracy. Oakmont looks better than ever in this re-release – if you can look past the catastrophic flooding, eel-infested waters, and supernatural wylebeasts. As a “newcomer” in an old, isolated, and recently flooded town, he has few leads and fewer friends. He is looking for one Johannes van der Berg, a philosopher that promises to both assist him in understanding the visions and help him find several missing persons who have fled from the mainland to the town. Other elements, most notably combat and crafting, feel underdeveloped in comparison.Įvents kick off when former-navy-man-turned-PI Charles Reed arrives at Oakmont, having suffered increasingly vivid visions about aquatic monsters and the destruction of the town. If you missed this release the first time, The Sinking City is, first and foremost, a narrative-driven investigation game that plays to Frogware’s strengths. The Sinking City re-release – now developed and published by Frogwares – gives new and returning players another chance to explore the eerie and oppressive streets of Oakmont, a flooded and isolated town in Massachusetts, USA.
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