The Sinking City 2 embraces pure survival horror, moving away from the ambitious but flawed open-world design of its predecessor. Developer Frogwares, known for its Sherlock Holmes series, has opted for a more constrained experience reminiscent of Resident Evil, featuring puzzle locks and enemies that can reanimate after being shot. The game is set in a flood-ravaged 1920s Arkham, where occult adventurer Calvin Rafferty seeks to awaken his partner, Faye Bennett, from a supernatural coma.
Players navigate the darkened, waterlogged city by motorboat and explore abandoned buildings, confronting reanimated corpses controlled by worm-like creatures that emerged with the flood. The combat system has seen improvements, introducing a dodge move and allowing players to strategically bait enemies into charging for opportune melee attacks, a welcome change that conserves scarce ammunition. The original's janky stealth mechanics have been entirely removed, with Calvin resolutely engaging threats directly. However, the removal of the sanity meter, while perhaps thematically appropriate, simplifies the horror experience.
While Calvin dons the appearance of a detective, the investigation elements have been significantly downplayed. The mind palace feature is now primarily used for piecing together clues to solve environmental puzzles and code locks, rather than identifying suspects. The game also incorporates an inventory management system similar to Resident Evil, requiring players to carefully balance weapons, ammunition, quest items, and crafting materials. This system can lead to frustrating decisions, such as leaving behind a larger weapon to make space for crucial items, only to find ample ammunition for it later, or having an inventory filled with crafting components that could have been replaced by ready-to-use items.
The progression through The Sinking City 2 involves visiting a hospital and other traditional survival horror locales. Notably, players do not revisit earlier areas or have the opportunity to complete previously skipped sidequests. The narrative concludes rather abruptly, with limited exploration of the mysterious Dreamlands, leaving players to begin a New Game Plus without carried-over inventory upgrades. Despite these shortcomings, the game offers a solid survival horror experience that can be completed in under 15 hours. While an improvement over the original, it represents an incremental step forward for the series.