All drowned and freaking you out: The Sinking City 2 review

The Sinking City 2 is a third-person survival horror game from the Ukrainian studioFrogwares, set in a Lovecraftian-style, flooded Arkham of the 1920s. In this sequel, we are told a new story about Calvin Rafferty, an occult investigator who refuses to evacuate the city in order to save his beloved Faye. What begins as a desperate rescue mission quickly turns into a horror that threatens to engulf both the city and Calvin’s sanity. And the ggeditorial team has also decided to delve into the depths of Arkham to find out what actually caused the flood — and whether Calvin will truly be able to save the one he loves.

Synopsis

The story unfolds on the flooded streets of Arkham in the 1920s, where a mysterious ritual has triggered a supernatural catastrophe that threatens to engulf the city. Calvin Rafferty, a researcher into the occult, finds himself trapped in the metropolis after his beloved Fay falls into a supernatural coma and her soul is lost in the Land of Dreams. Consumed by guilt and despair, Calvin must make his way through monster-infested districts, evade grotesque horrors and unravel the mystery of the ritual that has doomed them both.

5 reasons to buy The Sinking City 2

• You want a game inspired by Lovecraft’s works that keeps you on edge
• You fancy something new after Resident Evil and Silent Hill
• You enjoy the tension of knowing that every bullet is worth its weight in gold
• High-quality puzzles that’ll really make you rack your brains
• The sequel isn’t connected to the original, so there’s no need to ‘do your homework’ before playing

1 reason not to buy The Sinking City 2

• You have aquaphobia

Story: Wake up your loved one and flee the city

The Sinking City 2 transports players to the flooded and decaying city of Arkham in 1929, where the streets have turned into canals and the buildings into tombs, half-submerged in water. The story centres on Calvin Rafferty, an occult researcher whose ritual with his partner, Fay Bennett, ended in catastrophic failure: her soul remained trapped in the Land of Dreams, whilst her body lies in a supernatural coma. Overcome by guilt and despair, Calvin refuses to evacuate with the rest of the city’s inhabitants, deciding instead to find a way to undo the ritual and bring Faye back to life.

An alarm sounds at the start of the game. You realise straight away that it’s a Ukrainian game. Illustration: Gagadget

As Calvin delves deeper into Arkham, he unravels a web of forbidden research, cult activities and supernatural forces that have transformed the flood into something far greater than just a natural disaster. The city itself becomes a character: a labyrinth of ghostly neighbourhoods, flooded libraries and cellars, where around every corner lies another fragment of the truth about the ritual, the Land of Dreams and the monstrous creatures now prowling the streets. The narrative skilfully blends personal motivations with the broader history of the world, offering answers to the question of how humanity ever ended up – or rather, swam – into such a situation.

And whilst the plot doesn’t offer anything particularly groundbreaking, it’s still a good, rich story about desperate attempts to save what’s most precious to you in circumstances where everything is about to perish. There’s chemistry between the characters, the supporting cast are interesting, and Arkhem’s mystique is so compelling that you find yourself reading every note and scrutinising everything around you. I wasn’t bored for a single moment, and that’s surely what matters most.

Gameplay: no reinventing the wheel

The Sinking City 2 has moved into the survival horror genre. And the game feels like a love letter to the genre, where all the elements work as they should and it’s clear that the developers have studied the subject thoroughly. Combat is slow and brutal: you can’t carry many weapons due to inventory limitations, ammunition is scarce, and the enemies — ranging from mutated locals to otherworldly horrors — demand careful positioning and choosing the right moment to secure victory. To achieve this, you often have to shoot at specific mutated weak points on the enemies, rather than just blasting away at their body or head. And this can be tricky at times, as no one is simply going to stand there and let you have your way. The game encourages a tactical approach rather than brute force, which reinforces the sense that Calvin is an ordinary person facing extraordinary threats.

As well as the usual monsters, always be prepared for some massive beast to jump out at you. Illustration: Frogwares

Survival depends on your ability to manage resources and understand your surroundings. Players will have to scavenge for supplies, craft essential items and keep an eye on Calvin’s health whilst travelling through dangerous, flood-stricken locations. The puzzles are seamlessly woven into the exploration process: to progress, players often have to decipher cryptic notes, operate occult mechanisms or uncover hidden passages. And these puzzles deserve special praise. They are very well crafted and intriguing. For example, in the hospital, there was a moment when three brains in jars were dictating a radio frequency, but each was saying something different, and the player had to piece together the truth from this information. The game’s level design encourages you to return to familiar areas, using new tools or the knowledge you’ve gained, which creates a sense of progression and discovery. 

In between all this, you can pop into the rest room to recover and restock your supplies. Illustration: Gagadget

Together, these systems create a tense cycle that draws you into its dark depths and won’t let you go. Resource scarcity and the deadly danger of combat keep players on edge, whilst puzzles and exploration offer moments that test your wits.  The result is a gaming experience that simultaneously evokes a sense of fear: you are constantly aware of your vulnerability, yet you press on, driven by the need to uncover the truth. This balance evokes anxiety, curiosity and grim determination, making every step in Arkham feel like a gamble against the unknown.

Thanks to the constant momentum, you never tire of playing through the game and find yourself wanting to play again and again. Illustration: Gagadget

How does the flooded city work?

I played the game on a PlayStation 5 Pro and had no issues with optimisation whatsoever. The game never crashed, there were no bugs, and I didn’t notice any frame rate drops either. Yes, it’s a game built on Unreal Engine 5, but when the developers know what they’re doing, even this engine can be used to optimise a game beautifully.

Scary, but beautiful

The Sinking City 2 is a stunningly beautiful nightmare. The game immerses you in its 1920s atmosphere, with hyper-realistic waters reflecting the flickering light of street lamps, rain-soaked cobblestones and the ruined façades of once-majestic buildings. Every frame is like a painting of decay and horror, which is what makes Arkham so fascinating. Add to this the variety of locations, from the university and hospital to the fish market, and for an AA title, we have a truly beautiful game.

The audio will keep you entertained

The soundtrack of The Sinking City 2 plunges players even deeper into Arkham’s waterlogged despair. The soundtrack creates a sense of unease that never fully dissipates, whilst the sounds of the world – the lapping of water, the creaking of wood, distant whispers – make it clear that nothing pleasant is to be expected. All of this makes every moment in this world feel like a descent into a living nightmare.

What makes The Sinking City 2 memorable

The Sinking City 2 stands out for its bold reimagining of the series: instead of the original’s detective storyline, the game offers a sharply focused survival horror narrative that nevertheless retains its ‘Lovecraftian’ essence. The game is memorable for the way it balances personal human experiences — Calvin’s desperate attempts to save Fay — with cosmic horror in the face of ancient, incomprehensible forces. The flooded Arkham is both terrifying and mesmerising with its atmosphere. The combat is intense but never tiresome. The puzzles are seamlessly woven into the game’s world, and the narrative relies on clues in the environment and character-driven moments, rather than on tedious, lengthy explanations. The result is a game that feels both personal and epic, leaving players with a lasting sense of fear and wonder long after the credits have rolled. So, once again, the Ukrainians have shown that they know how to create wonderful games.

At present, The Sinking City 2 is one of the best Ukrainian AA games. Illustration: Frogwares

Five things you need to know about The Sinking City 2

• The Sinking City 2 is not connected to the first instalment
• This time, the developers have decided to create a survival horror game
• The game is inspired by Lovecraft and the horrors he created
• The story follows a hero trying to bring his beloved out of a coma
• The game takes the best elements from other titles in the genre and creates its own terrifyingly brilliant blend

For those who want to know more

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