The Sinking City 2 arrives as Frogwares’ most confident work yet. A focused survival-horror descent into a drowned Arkham that feels both intimate and cosmically vast. Set in 1929, it follows Calvin Rafferty as he fights through a city devastated by flood and something older, driven by one goal: pulling his partner Faye Bennett back from a ritual-induced slumber.
The story succeeds because it treats its central relationship as more than a plot device. Calvin is no super hero; he is a man out of his depth, and the writing lets his fear, stubbornness, and tenderness coexist without undercutting either. Supporting characters encountered along the way and survivors who have made terrible bargains with the city’s new occupants add texture without stealing focus. The narrative unfolds at a confident pace
Gameplay has been streamlined from the first game’s more open-ended investigation into something closer to modern Resident Evil or Dead Space, and the change pays off. You move through distinct locations, unlocking shortcuts, hunting keys, and solving puzzles that reward thorough searching. Resource scarcity is well judged: ammunition, healing items, and crafting materials never feel generous, so every encounter becomes a calculation. This is something I always enjoy in Resident Evil, but it can be a difficult mechanic to balance. Frogwares nails it here.
Combat is tense. Most enemies demand you target specific weak points rather than spray and pray. Miss those glowing growths and you waste precious rounds while their parasites threaten to revive the fallen. You have a dodge at your disposal, but timing matters. Melee is functional rather than elegant, which fits a protagonist who is improvising rather than trained. It also fits the RE framework, although I’d argue here it can at least be useful sometimes. I swear Wesker replaced Chris & Jill’s knife with a plastic replica!
Inventory pressure early on can feel fussy, sending you back to safe rooms more often than ideal, yet it reinforces the same vulnerability the story is selling. Optional investigations and collectibles still exist, and a talent system that lets you spend Dream Essence on incremental, meaningful upgrades. The boat trips between districts are more connective tissue than playground, but they keep the flooded city feeling like a single, hostile place.
Visually, the game looks good without ever wowing you. Arkham exists mostly in muted palettes, oily reflections, and decaying grandeur. Performance mode on PS5 holds a locked 60fps with lighting and water that still sell the atmosphere; Quality mode is prettier but feels clunky on base machines. Best left to those with a Pro. Sound design does a great job of setting the tone, with distant sirens, wet footsteps, and the small ominous noises of approaching things keep you scanning all directions.
Minor complaints exist. Early inventory friction and a desire for even more enemy variety spring to mind. There is also some stiff facial animations, but it never took me out of the experience. Frogwares operates as a high end AA studio, but this really feels like a jump into the AAA space.
The Sinking City 2 lasts around 14 hours for a first playthrough, but comes packing a New Game+ mode for those who want more. It isn’t a reinvention of survival horror so much as a very good example of it, executed with craft, atmosphere, and genuine feeling for its characters. Frogwares best game to date in my opinion.
Mark
