Frogwares' The Sinking City resurfaces in more survival-oriented sequel

• Announcements by Jack Allin
• Published:

Lovecraftian thriller marks pivot to “horror-first” focus for the creators of modern Sherlock Holmes games

There's some good news and some depends-how-you-feel-about-action news coming from Frogwares today, as the acclaimed Ukrainian developer behind the modern Sherlock Holmes games has announced a more combat-oriented, "horror first" focus to their new projects, beginning with a sequel to 2021's Lovecraftian thriller The Sinking City.

Although still set in a flooded 1920s American city, The Sinking City 2 takes place in a whole new location with a brand new standalone story. This time you'll be visiting the notorious Arkham, which is now "plagued by a supernatural flood that has brought decay and Eldritch monsters to its streets." No specific narrative details have been released just yet, but players can expect a "a morally grey and captivating story set around the Lovecraft mythos of cults, mutant creatures and incomprehensible gods." If you're to "discover what dark mysteries brought you to this forsaken place," you'll need to fight to survive "nightmarish abominations" even as the city's rotting landscape constantly changes around you with the rising waters. There will be smaller mysteries to investigate that reveal "new secrets, lore, [and] ways to progress," but this time it's entirely your choice whether to don your private detective's hat to solve them or take your chances on trying to succeed without that hidden knowledge. 

Originally conceived in late 2021 before the invasion of Ukraine understandably paused production for the Kyiv-based developer, The Sinking City 2 represents another step forward visually as the team has shifted to the Unreal Engine 5 to "utilize the technological leaps and bounds" offered by the engine. The "semi-open" setting will take players through "decaying mansions, flooded markets and abandoned hospitals," but the increasingly destructive floodwaters may result in "changing the layout of locations when you return." While the first game had occasional combat too, here there will be an even greater emphasis on survival, offering an "arsenal of 1920s-inspired firearms and melee weapons" but requiring you to "scrounge for limited resources and balance a finite inventory as you decide what to bring and what to leave behind." However, for those more used to Frogwares' leisurely, cerebral detective adventures, the studio promises "various accessibility features to help" survive the terrors of Arkham, which include "Deep Ones, Mi-gos, occult zealots and other iconic monsters from the source material as well as new and unique creatures that expand the Cthulhu Mythos."

The Sinking City 2 is expected to be finished sometime in 2025 for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, but to help finance production through disruptively dangerous and turbulent times, Frogwares will launch a Kickstarter campaign soon, which fans can pre-register for to be notified when it goes live. 

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