As part of today’s Xbox Partner Preview, Ukrainian developer Frogwares has revealed The Sinking City 2, sequel to their 2019 title. It’s set to release in 2025.
The trailer announcing the game depicts a new protagonist battling against Deep Ones before being hit by a ghost train and getting transported to its interior. He sits down across from a crying lady. Things decide they weren’t creepy enough, and suddenly the train is a bit worse for wear. A former inmate steps up to say hi, and the protagonist drops his standard issue horror flashlight, but manages to escape out the rear of the train. He finds himself in city streets, turns around, and sees an unspeakable horror towering into the sky.
To be honest, the trailer doesn’t really sell the Lovecraftian horror angle. The Sinking City was something of a follow-up to Lovecraft’s The Shadow of Innsmouth. It did a pretty good job of capturing the atmosphere of unknowable horror. The trailer here looks more like Silent Hill, which, admittedly, is probably easier to sell. Here’s hoping that they can pull off the same feat.
Here be monsters
While the trailer doesn’t tell us much beyond “here be monsters” there are a bit more details beyond that. The Sinking City 2 will take place in Lovecraft’s central fictional city of Arkham during the 1920s. It’s uncertain if it happened before or after the events of The Sinking City, which took place in Oakmont, also during the 1920s. I feel like if it happened before, someone in the first game would have mentioned it. However, it’s said that this will be a “stand-alone story separate from the one told in the original game.”
The press release also puts heavy emphasis on combat, which was one of the weaker aspects of the first game. They also say that the investigation aspect is optional. They elaborate by saying that players who choose to investigate will discover secrets and “awareness of options” that may inform their choices. However, it won’t be necessary to progress.
The actually crime scene investigation in The Sinking City wasn’t great, but the deduction necessary for some of the sidequests was. However, having to actually think about where you need to go next isn’t something that happens often in modern game design. It would be a shame to see it exorcised.
In light of the Russian invasion of their home country, Frogwares will also be launching a Kickstarter in hopes of building a “safety net” that will assist the developer in functioning during the war. They did the same with their previous game, Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened, which raised €252,599 and allowed them to navigate the difficulties of developing during an ongoing invasion.
The Sinking City 2 is currently slated to release on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S sometime in 2025.
