The Sinking City

I don't care what people say about the mechanics. Yeah, it's annoying sometimes, but it's actually a really good game worth checking out if you like Lovecraftian horror.

The Sinking City is without a doubt a really cool game, a lovecraftian inspired detective adventure with a very decent story and an amazing art style.
The game as a very unique quest system and most of the times you need to figure it out where you need to go, set waypoints in the map and investigate areas in order to progress through the quest, quite clearly a true detective game and that I can only compare to a Atomfall (2025), because yes I am only playing this now in 2025 (guess this is my year to be a detective).

Anyway, is a very interesting game, where your choices matter and make difference to the world. It is not always a fast or possible to go guns blazing game, since most of the times the ammo is scarce, but this does not means the combat is not decent, because it is. I just hoped to have more diversity of enemies, that is possibly my only down point of the game.

Overall a really decent game that I fully recommend it, hope that are fast to create The Sinking City 2, that is already being talked about in 2025. Maybe before that I came back here and see some of the other options that I could have choose through out the game.

I like the premise of the game, however, the user interface is not intuitive and I feel that I've spent far too long in the game actually reading things online to help me do things. The healing system is absolute bobbins, totally inadequate for any sort of smooth game play. I will persevere for a while. but it's probably going to drive me insane before too long, which is probably appropriate given from where the inspiration is derived. It does have decent look, but I'd rather the challenges came from the game than the game mechanics.

This game has a lot of flaws and when people say they don't like it, I completely understand. There is so much copy and paste, NPC models and building interiors are repeated constantly. Half the upgrades in the skill tree are next to useless, resources are far too easy to come by. The game doesn't feel designed for mouse and keyboard, with things like hotkeys for weapons and a toggle walk key being absent. Also, the game has a habit of not registering your inputs in combat. The open world feels far too big and empty and worst of all, none of the endings left me satisfied. I get the impression the devs had some big ideas, but lacked the funding to achieve them.

But despite this, I still enjoyed the game. I enjoyed the investigations despite them feeling samey towards the end. I like how you have to do things like go to the police station, library etc... to check records to help with your investigation. I really like how bleak, wet and alien Oakmont feels. I think this game is definitely worth getting at a heavy discount.

Things I'd like to see in the sequel. More sanity effects that are harder to tell if they're real or not. Either remove or add more to the diving sections so that they don't feel like a loading screen you slowly walk through. Refine the open world, Oakmont has far too much dead space with repeated interiors. Improve on the crafting system, maybe tie weapon upgrades to it and give us more things to craft. Also bear traps feel useless even with all the upgrades, either remove or make them able to hold all the man sized enemies and/or give us a chance to recover them after use.

In conclusion, a very flawed game that I recommend you pick up when it's $12 or lower.

First of all: Sucked in, Nacon

Second, I love this game, the atmosphere, the themes, and basically everything else. One thing that threw me for a loop is when Bobby M (monke) Throgmorton said that bullets and medical supplies were the currency, it felt like there would be stores that would trade with you, which I'd like to see in the sequel.

I also like how this game makes you read maps and doesn't just tell you where to go with an annoying location marker.

I really like this game, but it is best played through WeMod (no dizzy head crap, unlimited health, ammo, fast speed, etc, whatever mods you want to enable)

I'd suggest waiting for a sale, I bought it for around $8 and the price/hr at that price is good.

One thing I've read though is DO NOT FINISH the game if you want to complete side quests and explore, once you finish, you're done (granted you can load a save, but you can't go back once you finish the main plot)

First the good: the graphics and voice acting are decent. The city is pretty atmospheric. The investigation gameplay is solid.

But then there's the bad: Interiors are repetitive, and so is the gameplay, ultimately. The combat feels tacked on and vestigial, even though almost all of the skill tree revolves around it. The writing is not very profound, rather vacuous.

Not a very satisfying or immersive experience.

I really enjoyed this! The mechanics make you feel like a detective, and also make you have to stop and think about what to do next. Once you get into the flow of it, I wouldn't say it's ever particularly challenging, but there's something about gathering clues, combining evidence, searching through archives and manually placing your own waypoints on the map that's super satisfying. There's some jank, sure, but I found the core loop and the general tone and atmosphere great enough to keep me going. Combat and the diving sequences are the weakest part, so keeping the combat difficulty at the easiest setting is my recommendation. The open world is also pretty sparse, but I didn't mind that too much -- I personally feel it added to the overall detective mechanics, since you have to figure where to go next on your own. I suppose the biggest downside was having to walk back to fast travel points; would've be nicer if you could just fast travel from the map screen.

The writing was overall decent, and the game presents you with some choices during cases that I thought were interesting to mull over. But I feel like it could've gotten deeper on its subject matter. I think it was a cool choice to address the inherit racism in Lovecraft's work, but it sometimes felt a bit muddled.

That being said, bonus points because this game lets you shoot up the KKK.

Absolutely horrible game. I tried, I really did. The concept of this game was good, the execution was terrible. I don't think I've raged at a game more than this one. Nor have I had to watch walk throughs of a game more than I did playing this game. That should never have to be done. 10 out of 10 DO NOT RECOMMEND. Was a complete waste of money and I will definitely not be playing the second one when it comes out.

DO NOT PLAY

Surprisingly solid game! I will most certainly check out The Sinking City 2 in the future as well.

A good game but i have some points:
- NPCS feel lack of life, of course that we can't compare with other games like RDR2 but most of time they don't feel they have a life, or they are doing something. Other times they were glitching inside some objects,like tables etc. And i found they were reusing some npcs but just adding a beard or a hat on it to just tell they were difference people.
- The crafting system is not of the best, some times its hard to get supplies like bullets, i had a boss to fight,the game warned me to better get more bullets before i continue, my luck is that i found some places had a glitch to gather these resources.(Kind of boring)
- There are parts you go underwater and to be honest could be better worked, i wish you could skip these parts
-Some parts of the game you need to find clues or go to the archives but the game doesnt tell you which place you need to go, and there is like more than 4 places that you could use to find the archives you want.
- Is a solid 7/10 for me i really like games that have a lovecraftian vibes,shout-out to the artists that worked on the environment, its pretty good.

If you love HP Love craft and the Call of Cthulhu this is the game for you.

The only real downside to this game is that 40% of the world is fake. So many houses and buildings that look real aren't and can't be explored. There's a TON to explore don't get me wrong, but there's a good chunk that's just window dressing.

Other than that, this is a pretty good lovecraftian game. Frogwares, the makers of the game have also confirmed a remaster and it looks to be a free update to purchasers of the game, so might as well buy it.

The game has bugs that doesnt allow to progress in the game even if you load a old save slot. The worst game I ever played.

I'm changing my review now that I've played the entire game.

It's one of those games where if you can play the entire thing, then it's somewhat enjoyable as a whole. But for the most part is fulls of bugs, has zero tutorial for any of its game play elements, and has very ugly graphics. By the end of it I was basically rushing to get it done because the game is very depressing and not fun in any way shape or form. Every single choice you make, at any stage of the game, leads to someone dying. Which makes those choices both predictable and boring.

The actual endings of the game are not worth it at all either. You can tell the developers were as eager to finish making the game as I was to finish playing it.

But honestly, considering everything I'd give this game a 5/10. It's a higher score than I gave it previously. And I'm still not recommending it because of its many issues, and an average game is mostly a waste of time.

But I am willing to get the remastered version and get the 2nd game too. I think those games will be a LOT better than what this was. If the remastered version is as bad as this though, then I'm not giving anymore chances.

Ive been having the game for a while and just recently played it to get all the achievements and it was a fun run!

All the major Lovecraftian themes and memes in one game, wrapped in light investigative mechanics, a bit of casual combat and a whole lot of dead fish.

I enjoyed this game. All the horror elements were on point, being a detective was fun and trying to get things right as well. One thing that I found always pulling me out of the world was the world building. Some things seemed to absurd. Like the shanty towns, or entire streets being submerged suddenly. I hope that the sequel will correct those shortcomings and the devs focus on building a city that feels real with the Lovecraft elements within. A realistic city with Lovecraftian elements not so much an imaginary city with lovecraftina elements. As the game is called the sinking city, a big focus of it is on the city. When you look at a flooded street you want to look at it and see it make seance, "oh yeah this street is downhill in a revenue/flood plain so it makes seance that that however many levels are below water. Oh this is a smaller city in Massachusetts, maybe it will have a few taller buildings in the downtown, not the whole thing." They can learn a thing or two from the world built by the devs of Vampir. Hopefully the next one will be less goofy in that regard, and they just won't throw random crap all over the city like giant fishing boats in the middle of the flooded streets with the hull somehow submerged in a few feet of water.

Game feels dry and unfinished. Mechanics were cool, but shadows of doubt is a better detective game in my opinion.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this game.

The strange mix of 3rd person action and detective work (akin to Frogwares previous Sherlock Holmes games) isn't fully realised, and for that reason some may find it off-putting.

However, the level of detail and care that has gone into fleshing out this games setting and story is very well done.
It's clear the developers had a lot of fun with this game and are big fans of the source material, and it really shows.

Despite it's shortcomings, this game is a passion project that is a must have for any Lovecraft fans.

If you love investigation games and Lovecraft lore, you will definitely enjoy Sinking City !
Very gritty and dark ambience with some nice sanity mechanics. Resources are scarse and sometimes you feel like you could be missing out on ammo, but the game is generally easy.

You play this game for the story, the mood and the universe.

This game has a lot of pros and cons but i really like this game, if you like the mythos/HP Lovecraft and/or investigation games. I would recommend but also give this a 6.5-7 out of 10.

The ambiance is befitting as well as the story. I would say that going from one place to the other can be a drag as there's nothing stimulating in the environment, just citizens walking around and a few creatures on the ground. unless you have a side quest, there's nothing worth exploring Sometimes you have to walk far, even to fast travel to walk or boat to your destination. I believe if the map was condensed it would feel less like a slog. I wish there was more in the world that made it feel more alive and also kept you on edge, like as your in your boat a tentacle could come out of the water and slither away or a monster crossing your path but vanishing into smoke. Something that could make you feel like your going mad. I must say I did enjoy the touch of when your sanity was being lost that you had your visions and could sprout shadows if it were too drained. You just get used to it after awhile and it starts to lose its impact.

I appreciate that this game doesn't hold your hand, although sometimes your visions can be indicators to help your progress, you will be stuck if you don't identify something that could look like nothing at first glance or overlaps an original piece of evidence so you missed it and are stuck for awhile. With that said I still enjoyed the investigations and most of them were unique.

There is not many variation of enemies, it can feel quite dull some times especially later one when its only exciting because there are more of them depending on your destinations. As its been mentioned before it can be rather clunky but finding materials for crafting your ammo isn't hard to come by so you don't feel your at a disadvantage at all. There was a bug where a monster would spawn but only make noises and it kinda helped giving the moment ambiance as if you were going mad and hearing things but its a bug nonetheless.

A lot of side quests can be boring as well, there's a rerun of (eliminate these enemies and find this item) and it gets boring after awhile but there are enough unique side quests that come with their own story and problems that I was still intrigued. I really liked the story as you learn more about the officials around you and how the mythos are interacting with this town between the cult and the old ones influence.

Overall, I think its a really great game. I wouldn't play if you want something mindless. I would also just say to keep in mind that it is janky. This game makes me excited for the sequel they are making and im sure they will flesh it out and enhance what was great and fix its low points.

This game was incredible and every side mission felt relevant and was more than just a fetch quest. I thoroughly enjoyed it and the story. I would recommend this to anyone.

Great game. Great setting and adaptation of lovecraft mythos. I would have added some npc to care about or to form a more human connection. Other than that, the detective work is what you would expect from the devs of the Sherlock games (so, very good) and the story and aesthetics also have two thumbs up.

i don't wanna totally knock this game but while it had some really cool and promising mechanics i overall wasn't terribly impressed.
i really liked the way the game forces you to think for yourself and make connections between evidence and information you find and research around them in a way that makes sense, and that there are no quest markers on the map; you must figure out where you have to go for yourself. but after the 50th time of searching the point where two roads meet on the map and fast travelling and slugging Reed over there, it got a bit dry.
I hated any quest where I had to go underwater; the experience was neither scary or interesting and was simply a slowed-down version of the rest of the game but where i can't fight anything back adequately or really see where i am going.
the combat is clunky and repetitive and it was a bit frustrating to be so limited by inventory space when it would be realistically so easy to fill my pockets with bullets and springs. i hated missing out on valuable ammo rewards because my ammo inv was full, only to be desperate for it 5 minutes later during another quest.
i also didnt really feel the game gained anything by the sanity bar. i had 0 desire or need to ever upgrade my sanity skills in the skill tree and never wanted for the sanity healing kits or their crafting components - it was just a pointless secondary healthbar that didn't even kill me. the visual camera wobblies and random visions of Reed hanging himself that i am shown as a result of losing my sanity also stopped being interesting the second or third time they happened.
some of the characters and plot points were very cool but under-utilized - mr monkey man and his wack monkey hybrid race is such a cool original addition to lovecraft's universe that fits in perfectly with the rest of the setting, but he kind of stops being relevant after the first quest and you forget all about him by the end. i also loved the King in Yellow character (even if his gang and the references were often far too on-the-nose for a game that otherwise often relies on subtlety and reading between the lines) but again his role ultimately was kind of unclear. the ending(s) in particular were quite lackluster and didn't deliver the impact i was expecting from the buildup over the game. overall very few of the stories went far enough or deep enough to particularly resonate or frighten me, or creep me out, and a couple left me a bit confused (was the random mayan vampire character necessary????)
tl;dr has some crumbs of a delicious pie but ultimately a bit disappointing

First, I don't want to knock the game completely. There are some potential really good bones here for TSC2. For the things I enjoyed, the Lovecraft setting, the city itself was interesting, and the story was...fine, but could have been better. But the things that I feel like could be improved for TSC2: Better combat, specifically a dodge mechanic, combat felt really unfair in some instances, the fact that Reed one-handed all the pistols is just unrealistic too. The boat was neat at first, but controlling it became a pain when turning, on that, all the crap in the water wasn't really necessary and caused issues. I get that the city flooded, but that many physics objects just "there" was excessive. I get that it isn't an RPG, but the upgrade trees felt underwhelming. You're telling me I need to upgrade a whole skill just to carry four more bullets? I could carry literally hundreds of 9mm in a small backpack IRL. The writing for some missions seemed weak, as in the choices presented weren't very logical, wish I had an example for this one. While I don't recommend this game, I do have hopes for TSC2 and look forward to playing it when it eventually drops.

After playing the main story, as well having done a dozen side quests. I have had a good time.
That being said, It's not the GOTY.
The game gave me the same feeling as a soda that had been opened the day before and is no longer ice cold.
By that I think what i want to say is.

The game was great, no regret in the time or the money spent.
The theme, story and graphics was enough to pull me thru with a smile.

What was not as desireable was, the gameplay mechanics.
Not all was terrible nor all was bad.
There are things that could use some polish like:
The shooting/battling mechanics, by having the enemies not being so stale to fight, almost a bit of a dread sometimes to battle them.
The detective thing was cool, having to find the hints before the character was able to go into the shadowrealm of detective to piece together a coherent story and then having it be reinacted from the past.

What was just plain terrible was the walking / driving between things you had to do.
It became tedious and boring.
And i found the idea of the archive stuff exciting but felt it gave me sour taste almost every time I had to use it to progress the case.
The categories had weird names some not having much meaning to me not being a native english speaker.
The language thing could be applied to the texts and dialogue in the game also.

The last thing to mention is of course the story.
It was a delight, I felt it was well paced, It used game as a platform to tell the story well.
The only problem i see is, some of the things happening in the game I feel did not feel like it was really thought much about if it would mix well together.

TLDR;
If full price buy if:
You like HP Lovecraft theme,
Love a good story
Don't mind a bit of a janky gameplay mechanic / still satisfying.

If on sale:
If you like a singleplayer experience
Likes singleplayer shooter

The Sinking City is a fevered plunge into a nightmare city, drenched in noir and interesting kind of horror. Not fear, exactly—more like revulsion, a deep-seated unease at the sheer wrongness of things. The city is damp, swollen, festering. The kind of place where the walls sweat and something with too many limbs might be waiting just around the corner. It's Lovecraft way of body horror: mold, mucus, slick organic growths spreading over brick and flesh alike.

The game channels The Shadow over Innsmouth and At the Mountains of Madness, with its grotesque hybrid creatures straight out of The Call of Cthulhu. For my wife, the fish-headed monstrosities were a dealbreaker, too unnerving to continue. For me, however, the grotesque hybrids and other zootropic NPCs were a plus — the essence of Lovecraftian terror, the kind that disturbs without ever fully revealing itself. I’m not a huge fan of the writer himself, but I do appreciate his cultural influence.

The gameplay, though, is a little bit mess. Combat is clumsy, and the open-world mechanics feel shallow, leaving the city more like a forgotten diorama than a living place. The story hits familiar detective beats, but lacks the depth of its Lovecraftian inspirations. It’s a game that struggles to live up to its potential but still offers a raw, unsettling atmosphere that will haunt the right kind of player — if they’re willing to endure its flaws.

I saw a longplay of this on YouTube and thought it looked fun. But after playing it I realize this is really not that good, nor is it very Lovecraftian. It's just a mediocre detective game with some RPG-like elements and some misused ideas from the Cthulhu Mythos. Hybrids are not "average, decent people" and even seeing flashes of the Old Gods should drive the protagonist insane.

Pretty good lovecraft game, atmosphere is great, the lovecraftian weirdness is on point, here and there a little janky and lacks some polish but nothing you can't get over if you want some crazy outer gods stuff

Completely empty "open map" with glitchy NPC dolls.
Absolutely lazy developers who didn't even bother to look for an appropriate US Mail logo from the correct period, they slapped modern logo that is like only 25 years old...
Just couldn't be bother to play further if devs are complete ignorants and didn't care less about such an easy thing to verify and do properly.

This is a detective game with combat and diving, but the combat is clunky and not very good, diving is very boring, just walking around and dying if you miss one single shot, and most importantly, the cases are not cases to solve or deduce anything at all, they're just walking around to the next place and being told what happened. You don't have to put anything together, or make real choices or deduce along and create theories on what you think actually happened before you get all the evidence or figure out anything. Also having to go to predetermined spots to fast travel really suck when 80% of the game is getting from one place to another.

Interface is clunky, combat sucks ass. You'll spend most of your time hunting for ammo to the exclusion of all else. It feels like it directly copied from A Machine For Pigs, and The Vanishing Of Ethan Carter, and failed at both. Story line is basic and doesn't make up for the shortcomings.

Buy it on sale. I got it for 80% off, and it was $1.40 too much.

The game is broken. It cant even start a new game without crashing, no matter how many times I reinstall the game it just wont work.

DO NOT BUY!

As much as I love Lovecraft and while I do respect this game, it's simply not very good. Insanely repetitive, not scary or challenging, and the story is at best incredibly meh. It's more running simulator than it is anything.

The Sinking City: A Detective Game That’ll Ruin Your Sleep Schedule (And that's a good thing.)

Ever wanted to solve an open world mystery while slowly questioning your sanity? Welcome to The Sinking City, where the water levels are rising, the town is owned by a small oligarchy, racism is rampant, the townspeople are unsettlingly chill about it, and you, a very tired detective, have to figure out what the hell is going on. Just you, your PTSD, your gun, and a small boat to drive through flooded streets.

Unlike most games that slap waypoints on everything like a desperate GPS with ADHD, The Sinking City actually expects you to think; Clues don’t just solve themselves. You’ll read newspapers, cross-reference testimonies, and stare at your case notes like a sleep-deprived college student cramming for finals. When you finally piece something together, it feels incredible. When you don’t, well... welcome to aimless wandering.

The atmosphere is chef’s kiss levels of eerie. Oakmont feels like the kind of place where bad things happen all the time, and everyone just accepts it. People look at you like they know something you don’t. They probably do. They definitely do. You’ll never feel comfortable here, which is exactly the point.

Combat? It’s there. It exists. It's decent. you’ll shoot some things. Will you love it? No. Will it occasionally save your life? Yes. Is it the reason to play? Absolutely not. You’re here for the mystery, the paranoia, and the overwhelming feeling that something very, very wrong is lurking just beneath the surface.

If you like detective work, psychological horror, and games that let you feel smart instead of just checking boxes, The Sinking City is worth diving into. Just be warned: the deeper you go, the weirder it gets. And there’s no coming back from that.

Final Verdict: 8.5/10 – Like Sherlock Holmes, but with more fish people and existential dread.

Man, it is really hard to recommend this game to someone that's not a total H.P.L. nut. I'd say it's on the same level as CoC from 2018. It's clearly a labour of love, but max I can give it is a 7/10 if you're a fan of Lovecraft. And if you don't mind that the plot and substories are kinda in your face with everything HPL.

First, let's straight some expectations. This is a detective game first. Yes, there's an open world, but it's bare bones. Yes, there's survival horror combat, but it's a bit off and definitely not the focus. We good?

The main draw of the game is the plot and the detective work. For fans of Lovecraft's work this is full of references and they're not limited to the most famous stories of the mythos. I like that you have some choice in how to present a case: not necessarily tell the truth, but present the version that serves your agenda. Most of the time the 'consequences' will be just be a text here and there, but there's some variation (and multiple endings). I, for example, played as a lying asshole, pocketing bribes and then delivering those that gave them to the authorities.

The game can be very non-linear, but I suggest you stick to the main plot for a while. That's because new weapons are tied to it and if you go doing side content from the start you'll soon find enemies you're not equipped to deal with. At first you'll feel very poor, which isn't helped by the combat being clunky. There's not a lot of consequence for dying, but you'll bleed resources, which are scarce in the beginning. I just set combat to easy and it got satisfying, especially once you get shotguns and grenades.

Final thoughts: this game actually surprised me! The plot had lots of twists and plenty of schemes and manipulation, so you keep wondering who to trust and whether you're being a puppet or not. Some voice acting is quite good and despite overall the quality of the models being ugly, some characters have a nice design. The game offers a couple striking images, but graphical fidelity isn't the focus. A very solid choice for anyone wanting some detective light RPG - I know I wanna check out their other games (Sherlock Holmes - The Awakaned is another lovecraftian title)

PS: If you enjoy reading books, consider 'Joe Golem and the Drowining City' by Mike Mignola. Same concept done years prior to this game.

Really enjoyed this game. If you are looking for a game similar to Bloodlines in play style, it's a lot of fun. You have to explore, find places on the map, make decisions, and try to stay sane! The cthulhu world is done well here as I play tabletop Pulp Cthulhu with friends. A very dark world to explore!

Took about 40 hrs to complete with side quests, so well worth it.

The publisher is also doing a Kickstarter for the sequel as well.

An open world third person shooter, with some detective elements. Some missions can result in some interesting choices, and the Cthulhu mythos was applied pretty well, with lots of neat references and easter eggs to Lovecraft's writings sprinkled throughout.

I really wanted to like this, having finished both of Call of Ctulhu, being a long-time fan of Lovecraft's work, and because the game looks fantastic. Sadly, I got dissapointed too much too quickly despite some parts of it being arguably good, and well-thought out.

So, I picked this game up on sale, and almost right off the bat, this Innsmouther — a more fishy-looking character (both literally and figuratively) than the ones in the actual Lovecraftian stories — appears as a true Mr. Goody Two-Shoes. He seems like such a nice, innocent guy, feeding his family, he didn't mean "any of it", and even leaves a nice message for you if you choose to side with him during the course of the story. (Not much of a spoiler; it’s nothing fancy, just a message.)

So, this guy who's already breaking one of the original tropes, drops a conversation bomb out of nowhere: how he’s also very proud of his heritage, a blessing from the sea. This will probably fall flat for readers unfamiliar with Lovecraft's work, but I cannot believe what I'm reading and can't help but wonder what other 'surprises' this Lovecraft-inspired game has in store. :(

Still, I'd get over it, oversights happen, okay. It was one thing only. But there's this one, much more substantial con revealing after one or two hours of gameplay. That is, as soon as you finish your initial case, you get to prowl through the whole town, and that means large areas filled with many doors, people, strange alleyways, etc., but you can't do much of anything anywhere. Aside from key NPCs, people don’t react to anything except you bumping or meleeing them. You can’t enter 95% of the doors, and similarly, 95% of the ominous alleyways, niches, and crevices provide no hidden lootables, actual points of interests, lore bits, nada, niente, nothing. It's just large streams of "atmospheric-yet-empty" graphics, only very rarely allowing you to stumble upon some fights, or places you can enter for a change. And—who would've guessed—those are rather Indistinguishable from those mentioned aforehand.

Alright, we have had games like this that were good, so, maybe it wouldn't have to be so bad, right? Well, if only the game didn't sort of pose for an exploratory thing, you know? All the crafting, surviving, investigating, and all that. Maaan...

Sadly, the list of cons goes on:

When loading a manual save, you end up appearing randomly several blocks (or half a district, if you are unlucky) away from the place you died/saved at. Sometimes even at places you've never even been to. You finally found some place to explore, you save half way through, you see a chest at the end of that derelict corridor, and something kills you. Okay, next time you'll show more skill, aye? Nah, you appear god knows where, and because the uneventful streets scarcely give you mental note anchor points, so to speak, you likely won't be able to find that place again, and get lost.

And if you were lucky, and the game loaded your position just several streets away, you make it back, now... all the containers are full for looting again? And this game tells you "Resources are scarce, save your ammo..."

So, that's that. One frustration upon another, unfortunately.

Frankly speaking, the rest isn't bad at all. The investigation feels like a proper twist on a Lovecraftian occult-investigator’s journey (I can see how it probably could become a chore later on, but so far, it hasn’t felt that way). The atmosphere is spot-on, and there are some original approaches, the Mental Palace (a clue game) is refreshing. I also don’t understand what people in reviews have against the shooting mechanics. It’s a survival/detective game, nothing fancy FPS, and even like that you can still aim with iron sights, you have some variety, the weapons produce satisfying bangs, have noticeable recoil — the usual things.

But these few things didn't save it for me. I can't recommend it overall. Not a bad game per se, and definitely not a bad vision there, but it's all dragged down by infuriating or obnoxious technicalities. At least for me. You might be more tolerant, have an itch this game scratches (there are so few Lovecraftians out there), or you can play for the story itself and disregard most of the rest—some people pointed out that this way it's possible to overcome the frustrating parts.

Bottom line: I am very likely done with the game and won’t finish it for the reasons mentioned above. However, it left me wanting more, which will be hard to fill—I’m a sucker for atmosphere, and this game has it in spades. There’s nothing left for me but to hope that Frogwares learned something during the making of the first installment and that the second will improve the bad parts while expanding on or leaving out what was good. Looking forward to checking it out!

Weak Positive.
The graphics feels somewhat dated, but the game is still playable if you like Lovecraftian stories. The action/gunplay is somewhat simple and seondary, and it wasn't much of a horror game. More like an oldstyle detective story that became a little too long and repetitive. Still, it had its moments.

Really intriguing lore bogged down by 90% of the game being taken up by walking to and from locations that all look basically the same, and the completely ruined by the least satisfying endings I have ever experienced in a video game. Genuinely do not waste your time

the game is cool, is a vibe the city and the plot but poorly executed, this game came before that sherlock holmes chapter one and have little construction, i feel the game incomplete, the guns are cool but the perks are kinda useless, the city is to big for you to run around only to go to the same places, library, police, mayor hall but in resume was ok, i do some side quests but they are the same, only 5 types of enemies with recolors ( jesus) none appearance of the deep ones, same has sherlock holmes the awakened, the dive parts was useless and boring, ( this look like a dumb avowed review trashing the game and giving positive review) 6/10. In resume is a cool game but i recommend just do the main questline and will be more enjoyable the game and fast. GET ON DISCOUNT. Hope sinking city 2 is better.

this game will not be for everyone but its a solid horror style investigation style game with some action tossed in.
the core game focuses on you the player investigating cases in the city of oakmont which is currently being flooded and attacked by strange creature's, the core reason for the main character a, private investigator, being there is to learn about visions he has been having and as you solve things you learn about his past and the horrors that lie beneath the city and even within it.
the investigating aspect is the make or break part you will either hate or love it as you have to look around the different spots for clues which includes making your own markers to find said locations, personally i think its cool having to go about finding the streets and even people to progress the cases.
the combat is a little clunky using a loot and craft system to make ammo and other tools to fight the creatures and while it is not terrible it's not great.
the map is interesting but there is a lot of reused assets for both exterior and interior buildings most likely due to budget restraints but it is still cool to look around and discover the hidden bits throughout the city.
lastly the story is overall actually really engaging as you learn about the city's people, history, and even your past and is the big reason i recommend this game.

if its on sale for a decent price i say get it you will at least have a good story to follow at the least and once you get used to the gameplay it's pretty fun

There is a lot to like in this game, but also a lot of disappointments.

The monster fighting survival horror gameplay gets a pass. It's no resident evil, but it shouldn't get in your way of enjoying the game.

The story & atmosphere meet my expectations as someone with a mild familiarity with Lovecraft and an interest in other Eldritch Horror, but I don't know whether it would live up to the standards of die hard fans of the genre. Almost all NPCs have nothing to say, some live out little vignettes on the street that neither involve you nor hold your interest. Some NPCs can be decent, but I wouldn't call any one of them three dimensional.

The setting is interesting as a whole, but most of the locations in it are not. You will undoubtedly encounter reused locations several times in this game in both main and side quests. The cutscene for using a diving suit is cool the first time, but reused every time thereafter. Honestly, I think they could have skipped it all of those extra times and lost nothing.

The detective gameplay starts out novel, but there isn't enough there to keep it interesting for the whole game. One disappointment here was the archive research system - you can look through records at places like the police station and the newspaper to aid in your investigation. My disappointment came after finding time and time again that this research is more like a combination lock waiting for the right input rather than something that feels like doing actual research: trying to find just the right piece of information in a sea of noise.

My final critique is of the open world. The act of traversing it is not very fun. There are dangerous zones, but they're largely avoidable and the resources available within are not so uncommon as to be worth the risk. Many parts of the city require the use of boats to navigate. Given the watery theme of the setting and the monstrosities that you know for a fact lurk underwater, riding these boats is bound to make you ask, "am I really safe on this boat?" The answer is yes. As far as I can tell, there is no harm that can befall you in them, which I would consider a wasted opportunity. They're also the place where I saw the most issues with the physics engine, which was nearly free of issue. Indeed, the floating debris is the most incomprehensible of all the eldritch horrors present in Oakmont.

Final Verdict: Wait for a deep sale, and you'll get a decent detective game for a decent price. I got it 80% off and feel pretty good about it. Probably won't be picking up the sequel on launch though.

A fun and well written game. Combat is a little clunky, diving is a little tedious, and it would be nice to cast some of the spells from the Mythos at some point. But it's a great representation of the canon, good visuals, good soundtrack, good voice acting. Parts of the story seem to be red herrings (why is there an ape man?) and the protagonists backstory isn't very well fleshed out. All that said though it's a good game and a solid recommend for anyone that enjoys Lovecraft.

Multiple manual save slots available yet they are of no use. You will always load a certain checkpoint/autosave. There's no excuse for this BS.

There are so few Cthulu-type games. So while the combat is uninspired, it scratched an itch and I can't wait to play the second one that was announced. Story kept me hooked even if I didn't see much point in continuing to do the side quests. I got what I wanted from the title and was more than happy with the price point. If you're hunting for a Lovecraftian game, this is a solid title to appease you.

very good detective game tho it gives you a lot of info right at the start its not too hard to keep up after that