The Sinking City

 PlayStation 4
User Score
6.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 209 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 115 out of 209
  2. Mixed: 49 out of 209
  3. Negative: 45 out of 209
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  1. Earldog
    Jul 4, 2019
    7
    I’ve got about 15 hours into the game. I’m really enjoying it. I am a Lovecraft fan and am enjoying the handling of the lore and the vibe. The story is dope so far. The game is slow paced and is not a shooter game. If you’re not into that you definitely shouldn’t get it. I do really like it and the pro’s definitely outweigh the con’s but again. It is for a specific gamer. Downs...I’ve got about 15 hours into the game. I’m really enjoying it. I am a Lovecraft fan and am enjoying the handling of the lore and the vibe. The story is dope so far. The game is slow paced and is not a shooter game. If you’re not into that you definitely shouldn’t get it. I do really like it and the pro’s definitely outweigh the con’s but again. It is for a specific gamer. Downs... graphics aren’t stellar and there are bugs. Combat is chunky as many **** about but again it isn’t a shooter. It’s a bit of a let down when people give a game a “0”. It’s just not helpful. Nether is giving a game a “10” for “balance”… Expand
  2. Grey_Archer
    Jul 19, 2019
    7
    Not perfect, but worth it for the story and how much care they gave the subject matter. Art direction and sounds are pretty well done, as is the eventual creepy places you will go. There are some great stories contained in this game, but sadly, many will write it off due to weak combat, some troubled controls, and repeating areas. Stick with it though and you will find the game rewardsNot perfect, but worth it for the story and how much care they gave the subject matter. Art direction and sounds are pretty well done, as is the eventual creepy places you will go. There are some great stories contained in this game, but sadly, many will write it off due to weak combat, some troubled controls, and repeating areas. Stick with it though and you will find the game rewards your efforts by really bringing to life the source material. As a Keeper (DM) that rolwplays this game, I got some fun ideas from it!
    This isn't a perfect game, no, but it does deserve a buy, and if you were on the fence and a Cthulhu fan, I think you will enjoy it.    … Expand
  3. mynameiscalled
    Apr 25, 2022
    7
    Amazing game!

    Loved my playthrough, the overall vibe of the game is amazing, that is, of course, if you are a fan of anything Lovecraft. Sadly, there are setbacks as well - I personally hated the overall combat mechanic of the game - felt really clunky and not very enjoyable, but everything else was very fun! I do have to wonder why the cinematics felt so low resolution/quality but    Amazing game!

    Loved my playthrough, the overall vibe of the game is amazing, that is, of course, if you are a fan of anything Lovecraft.

    Sadly, there are setbacks as well - I personally hated the overall combat mechanic of the game - felt really clunky and not very enjoyable, but everything else was very fun! I do have to wonder why the cinematics felt so low resolution/quality but it's not a really big turn off.
    Would most definitely recommend this game to anybody who's into horror-noir detective movies/games.    … Expand
  4. wesker2012
    Jul 8, 2019
    7
    I enjoyed playing this game so much even though it got repetitive towards the end. It combines an open world game design mixed with survivor horror and detective work. It implemented the cthulu lore pretty well. The atmosphere and graphics were really good. The loading screens were incredibly long and the game felt like it needed more content to be a truly good game. The gameI enjoyed playing this game so much even though it got repetitive towards the end. It combines an open world game design mixed with survivor horror and detective work. It implemented the cthulu lore pretty well. The atmosphere and graphics were really good. The loading screens were incredibly long and the game felt like it needed more content to be a truly good game. The game sometimes felt like a chore to play but the unique, slow paced gameplay and engrossing atmosphere is something not seen in many games nowadays.… Expand
  5. Captain_Bagel
    Jun 30, 2019
    7
    The Sinking City is an action-adventure game surrounded by a certain mysterious veil in which the known H.P. Lovecraft horror is implemented. Developed by Frogwares and published by Bigben Interactive, this game gives a great deal of mind trembling puzzles where vile beasts from the depths will try to stop you from finding out the mysteries behind the hysteria in the flooded city ofThe Sinking City is an action-adventure game surrounded by a certain mysterious veil in which the known H.P. Lovecraft horror is implemented. Developed by Frogwares and published by Bigben Interactive, this game gives a great deal of mind trembling puzzles where vile beasts from the depths will try to stop you from finding out the mysteries behind the hysteria in the flooded city of Oakmont.

    While you explore this massive city as the protagonist, you will come across a big variety of people all trying to find their way through this ongoing madness. When solving cases for the civilians, make sure to look around in the eery environment you are in as it all gives small clues to what has happened in Oakmont. This game is all about making choices which eventually will lead to a different way to solve a case and get that little step closer towards revealing the truth.

    I must admit the graphics aren't that great, especially for the current gen consoles. The load times can take a while but to make it more bearable, the developers have put important notes in the loading screens, notes that help you remember what has to be done. If you see a wylebeast, be sure to just run away and come back more sneakily since the combat is pretty bad. Aiming goes really sluggish and melee looks like you're trying to hit something close to your face rather than in front of you.

    If there's no problems in these things for you then there might me the occasional lag when the game auto-saves, doesn't take long but it doesn't go unnoticed. If that still doesn't scare you away then go ahead and explore this sunken city filled with riddles and beasts (or people) as the game won't show you where to go. You'll have to get the good ol' map and find where to go and what to do.

    It's a bit overpriced but I recommend buying it if slow-paced, story driven games with an eery mystery in them strikes your fancy. Or just wait for the price to drop.    … Expand
  6. Pacemaker87
    Dec 7, 2020
    7
    A must play for fans of HP Lovecraft. A tough game that really doesn't hold your hand
  7. Toxic_Boy
    Jul 2, 2019
    5
    I'm giving this a 5 for the sake of it being a decent detective game faithful to Lovecraft. Unfortunately, virtually every other aspect of the game is either broken or subpar. If you focus solely on the stories and mysteries you unravel, at best you'll enjoy that aspect only.
  8. Bakoluk
    Aug 31, 2021
    6
    Graphics 6/10
    Playability 5/10
    Entertainment 7/10
    Story 7/10
    Overall 6/10
  9. SethGrey
    May 6, 2023
    5
    The Sinking City

    Visuals & Presentation: 4 There is often discourse amongst gamers whether a game has bad graphics or it's just an art-style. In my opinion, art-style is often used to conceal graphical limitations and other times it's just an artistic choice. The Sinking City is the former. However its art-style entirely fails to cloak its graphical shortcomings. The human character    The Sinking City

    Visuals & Presentation: 4
    There is often discourse amongst gamers whether a game has bad graphics or it's just an art-style. In my opinion, art-style is often used to conceal graphical limitations and other times it's just an artistic choice.

    The Sinking City is the former. However its art-style entirely fails to cloak its graphical shortcomings. The human character models are mostly hideous. There are constant frame drops. There monsters, non-human NPCs and the environment are well designed and earns whatever points for Frogwares in this department.

    Sound effects, Voice Acting & Music: 6
    The sound effects are more of less generic although the monsters do make intriguingly eerie noises, voice acting is flat most of the time. There's practically no soundtrack but the background noises are appropriate for the grim atmosphere.

    Story: 6
    Speaking of dialogue choices, almost every choice is a bad one. The game even rewards you for deplorable behaviour with trophies/achievements. The story itself is rather interesting but the endings have been very poorly executed. Dialogues are written capably.

    Gameplay: 6
    Combat is ordinary, the RPG elements, although unexceptional, is probably the most interesting thing about this game. Traversal through the boat is inaccurate and occasionally frustrating. Dialogue choices with branching narrative paths is the probably the only interesting thing about the gameplay. Performance: 5
    The game is very poorly optimised. You can get stuck in places with no escape. There are constant performance hiccups and frame drops where the character teleports to places whilst the screen is frozen.

    Overall: 5.4
    I was in love with the idea of The Sinking City. Although it looked rough I had hoped that the game will reward me with a great story but sadly, in spite of the great ideas the game is as bleak and hopeless as its story.

    I still hope the developers learn from its mistakes and make better games in the future with more success.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

66
#66 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2019
71
#71 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
64

Mixed or average reviews - based on 35 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 35
  2. Mixed: 21 out of 35
  3. Negative: 3 out of 35
  1. IGN Japan
    Nov 27, 2019
    77
    What makes The Sinking City unique is that it really feels like you’re investigating while struggling with hallucinations and madness as you step foot inside the world of Cthulhu mythos. If that sounds like your cup of tea, definitely give it a chance. However, after you get used to the gameplay you will notice that as a game, The Sinking City feels like too much of the same. An open-world design was not the ideal direction to take for this developer specialized in a specific genre.
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  2. PlayGround.ru
    Aug 1, 2019
    50
    I would recommend this game only to true Lovecraft’s fans. Follow the story and don’t step aside – otherwise, due to a large number of side quests, you may completely lose the thread of the story. You won’t find interesting gameplay mechanics, gloomy atmosphere or something like that in this game. All I managed to find was a simple detective story with elements of mysticism and a bunch of controversial design solutions. I definitely do not advise you to spend money on The Sinking City.
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  3. Playstation Official Magazine UK
    Jul 30, 2019
    60
    Weaves Lovecraftian mythos into an interesting setting. But it frequently veers into being dull and repetitive, which isn’t what you want from dreamlike horror. [Issue#165, p.89]
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