The Sinking City 2

While a lot of the basic mechanics and moment-to-moment survival horror of The Sinking City 2 feel inescapably like off-brand Resident Evil, it's a praiseworthy imitation of its main inspirations wrapped in the Cthulhu mythos.

While the first's open world outstayed its welcome, the second moved on from the city when I'd only just got my feet wet.

The Sinking City 2 is a solid attempt at the classic survival horror formula that'll please those looking for preposterous puzzle design and tense resource management. A smaller development budget means the performances aren't quite up to the standards of the genre's biggest names, but Frogwares still has an admirable Resident Evil-esque effort on its hands. This is good - sometimes really good.

Mostly, it’s a solid evolution for Frogwares, and it makes me very curious about their next game. I hope it’s a survival horror, and they find the opportunity and inspiration to really push at the boundaries of the genre, as all the signs point to them having a lot more to offer here.

The Sinking City 2 is a far tighter, story-driven game - still with exploration and investigations, albeit more limited - than the original. Only really let down by the smallest of niggles, the game features excellent world-building, supported by challenging survival-horror combat and gameplay, decent exploration and puzzles, and a story that is genuinely interesting until the end, with a small but strong cast of characters. Fans of the original may be missing the open-world and detective focus, but the trade-off and direction of this stand-alone sequel feels right, and performs brilliantly.

The Sinking City 2 is a new take on Frogwares's Cthulhu Mythos experience.

The Sinking City 2 is a perfectly decent survival horror game with solid exploration, combat, and puzzle mechanics, but it doesn't excel in any of them. It doesn't take any risks, which makes it an enjoyable title and very suitable for fans of H.P. Lovecraft's stories, but it doesn't do anything special and leaves us missing the narrative and mechanical ambition of the first game in the series.

​The Sinking City 2 is a solid survival horror and a great way to lead into the spooky season of gaming. What it lacks in identity it makes up for in providing a genuinely tense and challenging game, lovingly wrapped in the blanket of H.P. Lovecraft. It provides a tight narrative and gameplay experience, but loses some of the stronger investigative mechanics from the original game in exchange.

The Sinking City 2 boldly rebuilds its identity but remains uneven. The shift to action‑survival horror may divide fans, yet Frogwares’ drive to reinvent is clear. Arkham is oppressive and magnetic; rigid inventory and enemy‑heavy sections slow things down. Still, Cal and Faye’s journey holds emotional weight and ends coherently. More than a sequel, it’s a resilient, imperfect but worthwhile experience.

The Sinking City 2 doesn't innovate in the third-person survival horror genre, but that's okay because of its unique world design. This handcrafted setting is fun to explore; it is full of distinctive characters, straightforward puzzles, and standard enemies. It also helps that the story is engaging enough if you are interested in H.P. Lovecraft, pulling from lore that is very cosmic-heavy and sometimes taking turns you do not expect, even if saving your unconscious lover isn't your cup of tea.