There is a strong balance between accessibility and difficulty in the cases as the game progresses. Luckily, players open up quick travel options early on and can get around the long commutes.įinishing cases is always satisfying though. This is really cool thematically, but unfortunately, gets old rather quickly. As a result, the player uses a tiny boat to navigate a number of the streets. Remember too, that the island of Oakmont is flooded. The gunplay is competent, but I genuinely cannot imagine someone wanting for more gunplay than is present. Actual combat however, is generally flavorless and a big barrier to the more fun activity of picking apart a scene and deciding who is at fault. Players can craft a number of different items, including ammunition and healing supplies from items they find throughout the world. While that was terrific, the weakest part of the game play is undoubtedly the combat. The detective game play is consistently compelling, and it never got old to look at current clues and correctly discern where I had to go next for the next piece of the puzzle.
The ultimate goal of each case is to resolve one piece of the larger case and decide where to go next. As Reed collects clues, they get placed into the Mind Palace, where he can put them together and reach conclusions. You will eventually travel to all corners as you look for clues about what is really going on in Oakmont.
Cases function as quests, and there are a number of main and side cases for players to pursue.įollowing the first mission, the entire island opens up to the player. The player moves through the world looking for clues based on the current case they are working on. The game is presented by way of a third-person camera. The Sinking City employs a great system for making the player really feel like Reed during the course of the game and investigations. Innsmouth gets referenced, along with a bunch of other great additions. The other great thing about The Sinking City is the amount of Lovecraft lore it throws at the player. The result is an engrossing tale where the player really feels like a detective, and it works surprisingly well. Players look at and consider evidence before deciding where on the map to head next in order to further the investigation. Depending on the evidence players find, Reed can come to different conclusions, with the player needing to make choices regarding action regularly.
THE SINKING CITY MONSTERS SERIES
The story plays out in a series of cases which Reed is tasked with solving. The island has been plagued by flooding and an invasion of horrifying monsters which Reed must deal with. Plagued by nightmares and horrifying visions, he sets off for Oakmont, Massachusetts in search of help. The Sinking City lets players control Charles Reed, a World War I navy man-turned private eye in Boston.
The second of these titles, The Sinking City, delivers on the detective game play players want while constructing an engrossing narrative in a world that really feels alive. Lovecraft and his Cthulhu mythos were on the way, I was as pumped as anyone. When it was originally announced that two new games from the H.P.