"The Sinking City"


"The Sinking City"
Reviewed by: Carless Yen
Developer: Frogwares
Published: Big Ben Interactive
Platforms: Xbox, PS4,Switch, Windows
First off I will say sorry there is no video to go with this. I try to do them every time now so people can get a visual feel for the title. Some reason though the game developer doesn't allow their videos to be uploaded to Xbox Live or Upload studio so written is all you guys will be getting.
This is a action adventure mystery title brought to you by the guys that did the Sherlock Holmes titles. So your getting the same type of game where your choices matter, and where your deep into a mystery that keeps you thinking the entire time. It's inspired by Lovecraft which has been very common in videogames here lately. This how ever is one of the most fun of those I've played to date. You play as Charles Reed a private Investigator and War veteran, and your trying to find out about these weird visions and dreams you been having. You head to Oakmont a town recently flooded, and full of strange happenings. Soon as you get there your rushed into a case. Like Sherlock Holmes you have special abilities to see things regular people wouldn't, and put the clues together. it is fun using these skills, and I enjoyed solving the mysteries.
Another thing you will notice right off the bat is the games really creepy atmosphere, and wonderful characters and voice acting. The town really looks like it's seen a disaster, and really looks lived in. It's open world, and the map is pretty large. The traveling system is unique because you have to travel between sections of land because of the floods. A lot of the places you must go is on water, and you use a small engine john boat to get between the areas. You are actually in the boat a lot , because most of the places are under water. I understand that it was flooded , and that goes into that but I get's old driving the boat so much. If It was a little less I would have enjoyed it more I think. It got repetitive. Yes there is fast travel by finding phone booths.(Those are phones that are outdoors for the public for any one that wasn't around for those) They just aren't always easy to find. I wish they were marked on the map so I'm not running around areas I don't need to looking for them.
You craft your own bullets , and health by items you find searching. The only thing is your better off melee everything because it seems stronger then the bullets. I always felt like i didn't have enough ammunition, and like my weapons were under powered. I get that that can add to the horror of it not having enough ammo, and being under attack. When you swing a shovel like Thor swings a hammer it really doesn't make you worry any. I wish I could have had more ammo, and a gun that actually felt good to shoot. The combat really dropped the ball as far as I'm concerned. Which sucks because the story, the characters, and the environment all are amazing. It takes off from the start, but just gets really stale. It's not bad, but it just gets really boring, and after awhile I was just wanting to be playing some thing else. The traveling and just glitches really started to annoy me. I got stuck under docks with my boat many times, stuck inside of areas of houses, and stuck in quests, because people that were supposed be there weren't.
I hate saying negative things about this game, because at first I really enjoyed it. The first few hours were a blast. The first part of the island I was really enjoying myself, but when I was able to advance things started going down hill for me. To be honest I'm actually stuck at about the 8 hour mark, because my game saved on a part where I'm stuck in the environment, and no way i want to start over.
So is it for you? It could be if you enjoyed the Sherlock Holmes games like I did. I love them I own them all. Just don't expect the exact same experience.
Pros: Creepy and Wonderful Atmosphere
The Environments look worn down and lived in
Great characters and voice acting
Puzzle solving and finding clues is enjoyable
Cons: Very Buggy
Horrible Combat
Traveling and Game grows Stale.
Overall: 6.0 The Sinking City takes off from the jump delivering a lot of fun and puzzle solving and then loses it's appeal as the combat and traveling around the map increases.

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