The Sinking City: Deluxe Edition (2019)

I'm a huge fan of Frogwares from their Sherlock Holmes series, so when this was announced I was very excited as someone who plays a lot of Call of Cthulhu tabletop. Unfortunately, I couldn't get it until more recently due to not having a PS5 and not wanting to give Nacon any money (IYKYK). Thankfully, I finally got my hands on a PS5 and this was one of the first games I got.

I had to play this game in fits and starts, not because I wasn't enjoying myself, but because it really triggered my PTSD for some reason so I'd inevitably have to tap out after a few days of playing at a time. Will that be an issue for others? I can't say, and I honestly can't pinpoint what about the game caused my issues. But, I do want to throw it out there so anyone with said issues can have fair warning.

Now, to the game. The main story is rich, interesting, and full of wonderful lore. I love the city they developed and the ways they sprinkled in Cthulhu lore with their own. It was very fun. Where it really shines is its detective bits. Frogwares really knows how to do these things right. Full stop. I also enjoyed the leveling up system. It was simple but well done, and you can easily max out if you're doing side quests and exploring. Rushing through the main stories only would likely be rough but doable. I much prefer taking my time exploring and doing other things when games let me though.

That said, while the main story and side quests were fun and engaging, there's a whole set of fetch quest type missions that are repetitive as hell. Not only in that you have a whole list of the same goal over and over again, but also that it takes you to places that basically look the same, with the same pattern of things to do. These don't include any type of investigation and they just weren't it. The proper side quests, though, are worth it, as they are investigative with good story of their own.

The graphics in this aren't the best, no, but they also aren't bad. The cut scenes can actually be quite beautiful. There is certainly an upgrade to the PS5 version from what I've seen of side by side comparisons (more on that later). There's some really good physics at play - I particularly like the way the water moves and reacts. Atmosphere is another thing Frogwares is good at, and this is no different. The city itself is moody. Both the sound and lighting design work in a way to set the tone perfectly. So, no, I don't care the overall graphics are atypical AA quality at the end of the day.

The only true downside of the game for me was combat. Though, I think part of that is my own personal failings of being crap with horror games. There are a variety of weapons you'll end up with through the course of the game. Ammo is scarce and you'll have to craft it yourself most of the time. Crafting stuff is easily found, though, especially when you start knowing where to look and the fact you can keep raiding the same locations as you please. Also, taking certain skills will help. I say all this as I saw other reviews saying supplies were hard to come by, so I'm not sure if it was rebalanced for PS5 version (again, more later), or what. But I didn't have an issue. Back to combat: The shooting actually isn't that bad. A little janky, but not bad. I hated the melee strike with the trenching tool. I felt like the thing never hit where I wanted it to, which was super frustrating, especially when you have a creature up in your face. That said, while not my favorite part of the game, I did get used to it and the rest of the game made up for it.

Lastly, a small change I really think should be made: There is a feature where as you lose sanity, the screen will blur and warp, images will appear in the corners, etc. Now, it's an amazing effect, don't get me wrong. I really do like the concept. However, there should be an option to switch all or part of it off - specifically the weird warping and swaying motion. If you're someone who experiences motion sickness or similar issues, it's going to make any type of combat very difficult. I don't even have those problems, yet it still was nauseating to me at times. So often I had to back out of places just to let my sanity bar come back up so it would go away before I could continue. It's a pretty big accessibility oversight, IMO.

In conclusion, this was a really fun game, despite it's flaws and slight jank. Now that Frogwares has full rights and control of the game back on ALL platforms, it's the perfect time to dive into this game. And for those that got it on non-PS5 platforms, in case you missed the announcement, all editions will be getting the new update they did for the PS5 version, so if you tapped out for one reason or another, it's worth giving it another look.