The Sinking City Critic Reviews

It’s great to finally have a game that seems to put you right in the middle of one of H. P. Lovecraft’s worlds… that sense of strangeness that lies over everything like a fog that draws you in and embraces you in the oddness of it all is quite compelling. Best played at night with the lights off to truly become immersed in the world of The Sinking City.

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.

From the first moment when I fired up The Sinking City, I was immediately transported to a world HP Lovecraft could have created himself.

The Sinking City is an amazing experience, portraying a great interpretation of the pieces of H. P. Lovecraft. Adding together L.A. Noire with Sherlock Holmes, Frogwares gives us a game that blends private investigation, shooting and narrative into a believable world that is immersive and molded by our decisions, making us feel the true protagonist of the adventure.

The Sinking City is deeply evocative in its oppressive dourness, and stays true to the investigative backbone of Cthulhu. We are presented an open world of horror and suspense that HP Lovecraft surely would have enjoyed investigating.

Even with its (few) flaws, The Sinking City manages to shine right where other games of the same genre have failed to impress. It doesn’t abuse jumpscare and useless boss fights, but instead Frogwares focused on a well thought out and engaging investigative system and on pleasant action parts, which naturally lead the player to discover the monstrosities of the abyss and to bitterly repent of their own curiosity.

For the first time in its long existence, Frogwares created a mature, multilayered, intense adventure that will keep you in its tentacled grip until the very last second.

A good example of how to craft a Mythos game. Not for the faint of heart. Cool fact: a gamer who knows nothing about the mythos will probably make all the wrong choices in the game.

The Sinking City's unique blend of Detective gameplay and Cthulhu Mythos elements will intrigue fans of H.P. Lovecraft's works, even if certain shortcomings ultimately prevent it from truly standing out as the best Cthulhu game ever made.

Aside from some indie crunch, The Sinking City is a moody yet faithful dive into the world of Lovecraft that would make a great starting ground for anyone new to the genre. It would be nice to see the world and combat tightened up a bit, but its incredibly rewarding mystery-solving makes it a stellar investigation game that succeeds at such a naturally mystifying genre where many others fail.

A treat for fans of H. P. Lovecraft's works, mystifying settings, and followers of the Cthulhu Mythos. Unfortunately, its weaker combat and exploration mechanics remain asleep at the bottom of the ocean.

The Sinking City has an incredible atmosphere that really grips the darkest parts of your mind. Oakmont feels hostile, unwelcoming and full of secrets, but the game makes it clear that it might cost more than just your life to find out what they are. While it stumbles with its characters and combat, The Sinking City is a great first step into the supernatural detective game.

Despite its shortcomings, the story and the oppressing atmosphere of The Sinking City recommend it as one of the best Lovecraft inspired game to date. If you can get past the clunky combat and technical issues, there's much to like in The Sinking City.

While occasionally frustrating, The Sinking City's compelling stories, exciting environments, and memorable characters make for one of the better Cthulhu lore games around.

The Sinking City is probably the Lovecraft inspired game currently available on the market, thanks to its oppressive atmosphere and its story, which utilizes the lore masterfully without deviating from the canon. AI and technical issues, as well as the clunky combat, are often immersion breaking, but the excellent investigation mechanics and exploration features make it easy to look past these issues. Highly recommended to survival horror fans and those who live and breath Lovecraft.

Even if it doesn’t succeed at everything it’s trying, The Sinking City has a lot of personality. The investigation isn’t as free as we were promised it would be, and the fighting are weak. But it’s a strong game with good writing.

The Sinking City is a decent adaptation of Lovecraft’s work, meshing dark themes with a variety of great investigations that culminate into tricky decisions. If the combat was less clunky and the world more polished, it would have beckoned all to its desolate shore.

The Sinking City is a very interesting game, with some great ideas but also some shortcomings. If you’re looking for a slow-paced, investigation-based game, make sure to check this out.

A truly groundbreaking experience is not the mish-mash of clues, uninspired fireworks and quite appealing story with a rather lame ending - but for answering difficult questions, you have to beat The Sinking City more than just on the back.

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.