Topic: The Sinking City

I decided to make this thread after spending a lot of time with this game. I bought it because a game that was forgotten quickly came back to the forefront when it was recently revealed that its developers, Frogwares, was being screwed over by the games publisher, Big Ben Interactive. Apparently, the publisher was trying to outright steal the IP and screwed the devs out of a million in royalties. The devs, in retaliation, had the game removed everywhere, except one place, the Switch Eshop, where they had self-published the game.

The Sinking City is an open-world adventure game based on the Cthulhu Mythos. You are Charles Reed, private eye, drawn to the city of Oakmont via visions, and your task is figure out what is going on and to stop it. And how is the game? A 6.5 out of ten, maybe a seven.

The storytelling and lore are the best things about this game. It's dark, it's disturbing, it's compelling. All the hallmarks of the Cthulhu mythos are on display, including weird creatures, cults, and disturbing sexual undertones. Even the simple side-quests can be interesting, as you'll find notes that paint disturbing pictures.

Unfortunately, the open world the surrounds the storytelling, is barren and bland. Non critical NPCs all look the same. Almost all the buildings have the exact same interiors, even ones you visit on the main-quest. There's really no point in going exploring, because there is little to find. Everything that there is to find you will be directed to via a quest. So just fast travel around the map, you're not missing much.

The main game play loop is you get a case, go to an area, investigate fully(don't forget the loot crates), get a clue that points you to the next area and so on. You have the Mind's eye, which allows you to see hidden things, like doors, scenes, and evidence. You even have "retrocognition" where you see snippets of scenes and put them together in order. Always remember to use to your mind's eye, because otherwise, you'll be wandering around lost. If you are lost, chances are you missed a mind's eye hot spot.

Often, you'll have to fight monsters, and combat is awful as aiming is slow and its easy to miss. Sometimes it's easier just to use your shovel and save ammo.There are only four monsters to fight(Unless you buy the DLC). There are also human NPCs, but almost none put up a serious fight and go down in a shot or two).

There is an RPG-like progression system here. You get experience from quests and killing enemies. Every thousand exp you get a point, which can be used to upgrade stats like your health or your guns. I suggest you get the "silver tongue" upgrade as it gives you double the rewards from quests, which is very helpful.

Overall, this is a game that bit off more than it can chew. Open world games are tough to do on small budgets, and this game obviously had a relatively small budget. Play it for the story, and not much else, because honestly, there's not much here outside of it to draw you in.

So, if you've played it, tell me what you think. If you haven't, are you going to buy it?

Edit: I completely forgot the diving sequences, which were so forgettable, I forgot the mention them. There are six of them, and they are are horrible, but thankfully short.

I might give it a try. Sounds interesting at least.