The Sinking City Remastered Review – The Shadow Over Oakmont

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Initially released in 2019, “The Sinking City” garnered mixed reviews, with many criticizing its unpolished execution, average graphics, and awkward controls alongside praise for its innovative concepts. Fast forward to today, developers Frogwares have returned with an updated version of the game, leveraging Unreal Engine 5. Now, we revisit this investigative horror title to determine if it’s addressed the issues that plagued its original release.

The game titled “The Sinking City Remastered” is quite resource-intensive when it comes to optimizing its visuals. On my hardware setup – an AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D CPU, 32 GB of GDDR5 RAM, and an AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT graphics card – I found that I couldn’t run it at maximum graphics settings without experiencing a significant drop in frame rate. With everything set to its highest level and FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution) on native anti-aliasing, the game ran at around 30-40 frames per second. However, by simply adjusting FSR to Quality mode and disabling ray tracing, my frame rates doubled.

In essence, The Sinking City’s overall ambiance and detective-style gameplay were already strong points that didn’t require significant enhancements. This is evident in the remastered version as it only made subtle adjustments to these aspects.

With its improved high-definition textures and advanced capabilities such as FSR/DLSS (depending on your graphics card), plus the ability to generate frames, The Sinking City Remastered offers instances where it truly shines with stunning visuals.

Despite the game’s characters being meticulously modeled and animated, particularly during conversations, there are areas that appear somewhat unpolished. For instance, facial hair on characters often appears as an overly simplified collection of colored blobs rather than realistic depictions. Interestingly, even though intricate details in a character’s overall design have been carefully crafted, this inconsistency persists. A notable example is the protagonist, Charles Reed, whose tired eyes are vividly portrayed without any dialogue explaining his lack of sleep. Instead, this aspect of his character is effectively conveyed through visual storytelling alone.

In terms of overall ambiance and detective-style gameplay, The Sinking City didn’t require significant enhancements, and the remastered version underscores this by implementing only minor adjustments in these aspects. The city of Oakmont remains one of the most intriguing interpretations of a world influenced by the horror themes of H.P. Lovecraft, seamlessly blending elements from various of his tales into a single, larger canvas that is a delight to traverse.

“The Sinking City Remastered can certainly have moments where it looks absolutely gorgeous.”

The setting for the story is incredibly Lovecraftian; private investigator Charles Reed finds himself drawn towards the city of Oakmont due to recurring nightmares. In these dreams, he experiences eerie voices beckoning him into the abyss as his vessel seems stuck in a peculiar state between sea and sky. Overhead, an enormous leviathan hovers menacingly.

As I step foot into Oakmont, things don’t seem to get any simpler for me, a stranger. This town doesn’t exactly welcome outsiders with open arms, what with its own share of troubles like rising water levels, the sudden appearance of monstrous beasts, and the Grand Families constantly playing their political games.

I soon realize that I’m not alone in experiencing these strange dreams and visions. It turns out to be a common occurrence among the townsfolk, which eventually leads me to my most pressing case: uncover the truth behind an expedition that vanished while investigating the link between the flood devastating Oakmont, and the mysterious visions we’re all having.

As a seasoned gamer stepping into the shoes of detective Reed, I find myself immersed in a Lovecraftian world that’s become synonymous with Frogwares’ signature style: investigative gameplay. My task is to unravel mysteries, gather clues, and piece together the puzzling events unfolding around me. To aid my quest, Reed possesses an extraordinary ability known as the Mind’s Eye. This gift allows him to trace the footsteps of fleeing suspects, but also delve into the past by reenacting scenes in chronological order, a skill essential for cracking these intricate cases.

This game follows a typical Lovecraftian structure and heavily emphasizes the style of investigation that Frogwares is known for.

In The Sinking City Remastered, it’s the detective work that truly stands out, making the game seem like a less luminous jewel overall. Just as a real-life private eye would, Reed must scour the local newspaper’s archives for leads, converse with the police in an attempt to gain access to their case files, interview witnesses, uncover subtle hints, and eventually piece together all the pieces of the puzzle in his mind to get a comprehensive understanding of the situation.

In The Sinking City Remastered, while the investigation aspects are like engaging, intricate puzzles, the combat segments seem unnecessary. Occasionally, you’ll find yourself in a fight, either against humans or more frequently, supernatural monstrosities that can drain your sanity as well as your health. To face these threats, Reed has access to various weapons, ranging from a basic pistol at the start, up to advanced options such as a rifle, shotgun, and submachine gun.

Although the updated controls seem less clumsy compared to the 2019 version, the alterations in the remastered game don’t convincingly explain their necessity within the game. Battle encounters often exhibit an inconsistent level of challenge, ranging from trivial point-and-click skirmishes that deplete your valuable ammo supplies, to extremely challenging fights where opponents appear invincible due to absorbing an excessive amount of firepower.

In terms of standout features, it’s the detective work within The Sinking City Remastered that makes it feel like discovering a somewhat lackluster but still valuable treasure.

It’s unfortunate that the intense battles in The Sinking City Remastered can disrupt the enjoyable aspects of the game, particularly when they occur during suspenseful moments. Sometimes, these combats can slow down the pace significantly, especially if you’re on the trail of a suspect and encounter an unusual creature requiring either combat or stealthy evasion to avoid detection. Generally, the game maintains its chilling, tense ambiance effectively. However, the combat seems superfluous and appears to detract from the overall gaming experience.

In the course of his investigation, Reed naturally accumulates experience points, which ultimately convert into Knowledge Points for unlocking passive skills. These abilities are generally straightforward, such as boosting Reed’s health, increasing bullet capacity, or enhancing the base damage of certain weapons. However, since they don’t significantly contribute to investigative gameplay, the progression system seems more like an artificial addition to the game rather than a natural one. In essence, it appears quite extraneous and added on as an afterthought.

As a devoted fan, I’ve eagerly dived into the refreshed version of “The Sinking City,” and it’s clear that numerous troubles from the initial launch have been addressed. The visuals have undergone a remarkable transformation since 2019, offering a more immersive experience. The movement and combat mechanics no longer feel as clumsy as they once did.

However, there are areas where the game could still benefit from a bit more polish. For instance, some characters sport awkward facial hair, and certain combat and stealth sequences seem unnecessary. Nonetheless, “The Sinking City Remastered” continues to stand out among games that delve into the chilling themes of H.P. Lovecraft’s works.

This game was reviewed on PC.

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2025-05-19 11:41