The Sinking City Reviews
Check out The Sinking City Review Scores from trusted Critics below. With 28 reviews on CriticDB, The Sinking City has a score of:
The Sinking City is well worth playing for the initial rhythm of its casework and the freshness of its setting, but its mechanics, like its mystery, end up flooded.
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I had the distinct pleasure of reviewing Frogware’s The Sinking City when it first launched in 2019. As a fan of Lovecraftian horror, I knew this was a title I absolutely had to play. It can be tough to find a good Lovecraftian game and while it wasn’t without issue, the original launch of the game definitely filled that dark and brooding space in my mind. Seemingly out of the depths, the city of Oakmont has risen once more with the upgraded PS5 edition in a move no one saw coming but plenty should be excited about. So what can...
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The Sinking City was already an intriguing and worthwhile detective-thriller. But its PS5 enhancements have taken it to the next level. It’s a gorgeous-looking game, and roaming the ruined streets of Oakmont at 60FPS has never felt better. The combat is still a let-down, and more repercussions for your choices would be nice to see, but the freedom the game gives you to follow your own leads is second to none. Frogwares should be proud of everything it has achieved here, and it’s got me excited to see what its next game has in store for us.
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After looking at all the evidence, I must say I almost enjoyed The Sinking City. There is a solid game here buried under technical problems and tedium. The interesting characters and quirky protagonist were almost enough to keep me interested, but sloppy combat and plentiful walking eventually wore me down. This is a paranormal call I recommend walking away from.
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A brilliant concept with some excellent ideas, let down badly by the game engine, inconsistent writing and plotting
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What goes down must come up. The Sinking City is more than the sum of its glitchy b-game parts. Balanced detective work makes up for shoddy gunplay. A gruff and well-realized cast makes up for brain-dead AI. This is unironically a highwater mark for both detective fiction and Lovecraftian Horror in video gaming.
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There have been tons of games based on Cthulhu Mythos yet few are as noteworthy as The Sinking City so here's my review.
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Overall, as much as I adore the story and atmosphere of The Sinking City, it definitely feels like a budget title at times. If you can get past the weak combat, harmless jank, and enjoy a solid detective experience that won’t hold your hand and throw tough choices your way, you shouldn’t pass up on it. Even more so if you’re a fan of Lovecraft. Because as the Old Ones were, the Old Ones are, and the Old Ones shall be and that’s a good enough reason for me!
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An interesting game that scratches the detective itch, without ever reaching great heights.
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I’m a pretty big wimp, so when it comes to horror I much prefer the existential kind. I can brave a few gory monsters as long as most of my fear is for the incomprehensible will of an eternal diety. So yeah, I’m a fan of Lovecraft (the genre, not the man himself or his writing). The Sinking City reads like a love letter to Lovecraftian lore, taking inspiration from its most well-known stories and blending them into a fun, if clunky, open world game.
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It must also be noted that this game is a technical mess, although it never crashed. You got frame drops, screen tearing, glitchy enemies and NPCs, bad pop in, floating NPCs, and other things I am sure I missed. NPCs also don't fight back against the creatures, and ignore them for the most part. If they are in the same building, the humans generally die, but on the streets, it is like they are invisible to each other.
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The Sinking City promises a nightmarish journey through a Lovecraftian townscape filled with monsters and threatening cults, but too often falls into a loop of forced combat and resource hunting. The investigative parts are excellent, and this is probably the best Lovecrat adaptation since Call of Cthulu: Dark Corners of the Earth, but it still never really lives up to its potential. Close, but no Shoggoth.
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While the characters in The Sinking City may be more concerned with the murky waters flooding their homes, players will find themselves neck-deep in a flood of technical problems and puzzling game design choices. Anyone looking for a quality Lovecraftian horror game won't find it here, which is disappointing as The Sinking City was one of the most exciting horror games showcased at E3 2019.
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The Sinking City struggles under the weight of its ambition, but it’s compelling mysteries and horrific world make it a compelling journey.
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The Sinking City’s creation of a new Lovecraftian vision paired with compelling stories, exciting environments, and memorable characters make for one of the better Cthulhu lore games I’ve played. Its commitment to tastefully updating the storytelling methods, while preserving the setting and tone of Lovecraft shines through the tedium and frustration. Though the laborious open-world travel, clunky combat, and aggravating research system can grow wearisome, there’s much to like in The Sinking City. I really hope to see a sequel from Frogwares, giving them the opportunity to refine these ideas in a sequel, because there's a lot of promise here...
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We’re in a strange time of numerous video games inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft. The Sinking City is the latest such game, from developer Frogwares. If that name sounds familiar in any way, that’s because this is the developer behind the long-running Sherlock Holmes series of games. And therein lies the biggest selling point of The Sinking City: its focus on detective work. You’ll have to put on your best (figurative) deerstalker, as this is a game that will put your mind to work, for better or worse.
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There have been many attempts at Lovecraft-inspired games over the years, but few have managed to accurately nail the author’s unique brand of cosmic horror. It’s not an easy genre to pull off by any stretch, but Frogwares’ The Sinking City might just be the best Lovecraftian game on the market.
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Shortly after we reviewed Call of Cthulhu last year, I got Lovecraft fever. I was reminded of how much I enjoyed Lovecraftian horror and the dingy fishing villages of my home state of Massachusetts, but it didn’t completely scratch the itch. I began seeking out other games that might fill that cosmic void and I stumbled across The Sinking City. I had high hopes for it and came up with my dream wishlist of what we’d experience within the sinking city of Oakmont, MA. This week we finally go...
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The Sinking City is an exciting horror detective adventure that's a few clues short of a case. Here's our review...
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The Sinking City has a fantastic story, atmosphere, and investigations, leading to something that feels genuinely unique. It's just a shame that it's brought down by an overabundance of crummy combat and glitches.
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Without the weird Lovecraftian bits, this is a slightly janky, slightly grindy detective game that does some interesting things in a very atmospheric depiction of a profoundly depressed town. Taking them into account, I don’t know! I was confused and uncharmed by the whole thing, but I still haven’t untangled my brainnoodles. At least I’ve told you how they got tangled. Goodness, I was very interested in The Sinking City. I really wanted to love it. But I’m afraid rain may have stopped play this time.
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Over the past few years, we have seen a lot of games based on the terrifying universe created by H.p: Lovecraft, which is hardly surprising, considering how the setting is just perfect for a story filled with fear, tension, and horror. Not too many games have managed, however, to capture the true sense of fear that comes from Lovecraft's work, as it's based on a subtle type of fear, the fear of the unknown which all men must inevitably face. Frogwares' The Sinking City is definitely among the games that nailed the atmosphere perfectly, making players feel part of a...
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The Sinking City’s engrossing premise is ultimately betrayed by counterintuitive systems and bleak monotony.
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The Sinking City has character. If you are a fan of Lovecraftian themes then you might still want to give this game a shot if you can look past some of its flaws. For me personally, I can't help but feel a little disappointed. I was looking forward to a detective game but felt that I was just solving a bunch of fetch quests most of the time. Those cool detective moments where I actually felt like I was a PI were a little few and far between. From the subpar mission pacing and structure to the clunky and forgettable...
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The Sinking City provides a compelling story, gorgeous art, and genuine scares, but
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With a distinct lack of hand-holding, in-depth investigative mechanics, and a solid mix of open world design with mythos monsters, The Sinking City is the standard for Lovecraftian games.
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