Have you ever thought about what you’d get if you mixed Sherlock Holmes, H.P. Lovecraft stories, and the dark shadows that keep children up at night? Well, taking at least two of those things together makes the latest detective game The Sinking City. Developed by Frogwares, the studio behind the most recent Sherlock Holmes titles, The Sinking City is another creative, and mysterious take on the investigation gameplay that they’ve perfected.
The Sinking City is a detective style, open-world game that tosses in some action to an otherwise mysterious and eerie setting. Set within the quiet, half-sunken city of Oakmont, you play as Charles Reed, a private investigator, who has arrived to help with an investigation as well as gain some answers to the strange visions he’s been having. People from all over the country have made their way to Oakmont, and like Reed, they are all haunted by visions that cannot be explained.
Back again is the detective gameplay which will have players running around the city in order to solve crimes and unravel the mysteries that plague the city. Reed also has powers that allow him to piece together the events from crime scenes, but it will cost him his sanity for using it. Combat makes its way into the game as well. Lovecraft-inspired monsters lurk within the darkness, and to defeat them players will have a limited arsenal of weapons, traps, and skills that can be unlocked. As for traversing the world, most of the town is underwater but can be accessed by boat. Beware if you dare to swim through, the monsters lurk in more places than just on land.
The Sinking City will release on June 27th, 2019 on the PC, PS4 and Xbox One. Interested in pre-ordering? The Day One physical edition comes with the game, The Investigation Pack, which comes with a new outfit and other crafting resources, the Chicago Organ Grinder weapon, and an exclusive physical map of Oakmont. Purchase the Necronomicon digital edition and gain the Worshippers of the Necronomicon Quest Pack, which includes three new side quests that feature new monsters and the infamous Necronomicon, The Investigation Pack, 48-hour Early Access, and an exclusive digital copy of Sherlock Holmes: The Devil’s Daughter.
You can check out a 12-minute commented gameplay video below, which features the mission “A Delicate Matter,” where Reeds finds himself investigating the disappearance of an art collector. It features many of the different gameplay mechanics already mentioned, as well as some of the city’s more eccentric citizens.
