Review for The Sinking City. Game for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, the video game was released on 27/06/2019 The version for Nintendo Switch came out on 12/09/2019
Once upon a time - as one begins in fairy tales - there was a thriving and wealthy town, whose wealthiest citizens did not hesitate to loot with force (but also with style, for heaven's sake) to the detriment of the weakest. A classic example of racial discrimination, typical of a dark historical period, as well as one of the topics most touched by the work in question: The Sinking City. The new effort by Frogwares, however, first of all aims to replicate - as others have already tried to do, with varying fortunes - the psychological horror of the work of the visionary genius Howard Philip Lovecraft, thus attracting the media attention of the many fans of the writer, but also - simply - of those looking for a game capable of skilfully mixing many of the most popular mechanics of recent times.
"At the thought that everything is falling apart, some people begin to destroy everything they can."
Open World
Can an open world game blend with the elements of survival horror and at the same time focus strongly on the investigative factor, the trademark of the developers themselves, drawing heavily on Lovecraft's imagination? The Sinking City has tried and, needless to repeat it, has aroused a great interest in the videogame "mass" since the first cries. We regret having to ascertain, however, that the premises of the eve perhaps were excessively overwhelming since the final result, not so much for Lovecraft fans but for gamers specifically, did not have the desired effect. But we want to reassure you once again: if you are a lover of the author of Providence you will find in The Sinking City all the typical atmosphere of the works of the master of horror, especially those belonging to the famous "Cthulhu Cycle", whose soul is revealed at every corner. Too bad, however, for the so-called "through", which proves to be an empty body, slender and studded with problems of all kinds.
Exceptional narration
We had already said it at the beginning: from the narrative point of view, of the main plot, therefore, - but not only - The Sinking City stands out without problems on most titles of the genre, establishing itself without any problems as one of the most popular games. fire in circulation. The events of the title of the boys of Frogwares take place in the (fictional) town of Oakmont, Massachussets, in which the protagonist, the good private investigator Charles W. Reed, finds himself setting foot to continue his investigations, but also to shed light. about a particular disorder from which he is mysteriously affected.
The nights of man are in fact marred by nightmares and macabre visions, in which horrors of all kinds put a strain on the sanity of a man already back from the horrors of war. Reed has been recalled to Oakmont by a mysterious character, whom we will already know from the very first bars, who has proved himself informed about the particular problem that afflicts our hero and that, potentially, could help him shed light on what is happening. Set foot on the soil of the remote town, now separated from the outside world by a violent flood that has in fact also redesigned its geographical composition, Reed will soon understand that he has ended up in a surreal and difficult to explain place, where the border between normality and madness it is more subtle than ever. In fact, in Oakmont the population alone is an irrefutable business card, since we will find ourselves in dialogue with individuals completely disconnected from reality and the laws of normality both on an aesthetic level and on the level of attitudes.
Quiet life
Everyday life flows so quietly, between a street cleaner carrying corpse pieces on his back and a completely crazy woman who wants to resurrect her dead son, amid the total indifference of the police, doctors and the vast majority of game characters. The main plot, however, mainly revolves (at least at the beginning) on the mysterious murder of the son of one of the most influential figures of the Oakmant society., who will instruct Reed to shed light on the ominous affair. From here on - abundantly supported by an excellent number (and a very valid quality) of secondary missions - begins a journey to discover an abysmal evil, hidden in the depths, both in the strict sense of the word and understood as the most hidden dimension of the mind. human health, whose health is continually tested by an increasingly surreal progression of events. A long journey, to be experienced by doing the favor of exploring the surrounding stories, capable not only of increasing the quantity of things to do (already more than discreet), but also the overall quality of a title that in this respect does not have many recriminations.
Investigation and Deduction
Apart from the narrative factor, of the highest level, as we have already said, flexing its muscles is the investigative component of production, mechanics abundantly tested by the development team in previous works (the titles dedicated to the detective par excellence Sherlock Holmes), which returns here with an even more decisive attitude. The investigative mechanics, in fact, are of the highest level and, albeit repetitive in the long run, offer the title that right dose of adrenaline poetry in going to explore every single ravine in search of the key clues. The latter, then, are collected inside the "Mental Palace" which serves, essentially, to put together the pieces of the mosaic in order to give the case in question the right turn. This mechanic also requires the player a lot of dedication and a decent reflexive ability in general.
In many cases, in fact, to proceed with the plot we must necessarily go to the correct building, whether it is the police station or the library, to be able to access their records and find fundamental clues through a system of combinations, in which we should put together correctly a series of predefined settings. On the field, then, exploration is also based on what are Charles Reed's metaphysical powers: the investigator is equipped with the so-called Eye of the Mind, capable of showing what the naked eye cannot see. Even this feature will often be fundamental to continue, both in the main cases and in the ancillary activities, in truth very often well connected to the main plot.
In general, however, the game is very solid in terms of difficulty and progression. Reconstructing - in the true sense of the word - the events of the various cases will never be easy, in truth also due to a map that is sometimes difficult to follow and for the presence of some game menus that are all in all clear, of course, but often uncomfortable to to consult. The level of challenge is always calibrated discreetly on good levels: discovering the truth will therefore always be difficult, but it will also prove to be extraordinarily pleasant and capable of giving great satisfaction.
Inarticulate deeds
We have told you how good and satisfying the system linked to field exploration and investigation is; but now we must inevitably counterbalance everything. Yes, because, unfortunately, The Sinking City has a double face that is constantly revealed on the scene, almost like a real curse (whether there is the hand or the tentacle, better to say, of Cthulhu?) That continuously undermines the quality overall product. Well, the worst thing about the Frogwares boys is definitely the combat system, honestly very difficult even to explain. What we have been faced with is, in other words, an incomprehensible job. Leaving aside the far from stellar budget of the production, which is breathed deeply and repeatedly, the combat system of The Sinking City is of an incredible rigidity, both weapons in hand and close combat. We have often found ourselves dying under enemy shots, very harmful indeed, due to the almost perpetual impossibility of hitting them with a direct hit and the slowness in aiming with ranged weapons. Just the weapons, actually few, return such a null feedback, that we seriously think that we too are involved in the loop of illusions that has strongly embraced the city.
A very unenviable situation, which is in no way balanced by another guessed idea and, above all, only half managed well: the skill tree. Now inevitable for every self-respecting open world, even in The Sinking City we have one; but it is a pity that it is decidedly limited both from the point of view of the improvements it offers and, above all, on their actual value pad in hand.
Lovecraftian inspiration to the nth degree
Going back to playing the game of equivalences, even from an artistic, technical and thematic point of view in general, the game shows itself with the same alternating qualitative characteristics. Let's face it right away: if you are passionate about Lovecraft's work, on the artistic front and general inspiration, you will immediately find yourself at home. The healthy madness that has always been the trademark of the American writer's works is clearly perceived here at every step, between a monstrosity and the other that will attack your feeble existence, the inevitable hallucinations and a macabre and endless decomposition of the city itself and its - incredibly - almost completely disinterested inhabitants. To this is added that inevitable border veil between reality and illusion in which the game will transport you all the time, thus also attacking your mental clarity, a bit like Lovecraft's works, which have always upset the mind and soul of readers, with those same themes always on the edge. The whole, then, embraces a wise re-presentation of the America of the 20s in which the main themes of everyday life range "happily" between prohibition, racial discrimination and the inevitable fear of the unknown which, however, often transformed itself - in some pioneering individuals - in that insatiable desire to discover more and more, to never stop at appearances.
In The Sinking City all of this is shown repeatedly, with a particularly acute emphasis on the racial question. In the game, in fact, we constantly witness an impressive division of social classes, in which the so-called Innsmouth, humanoid creatures (half man half fish) continually pointed out and targeted by the crowd, but which in reality hide, in most cases, a harmless nature, at times excessively permissive and passive. To give a strong push from the point of view (and pardon the pun) of general immersion, there is also a top level soundtrack, capable of making every moment even more exciting and at times solemn.
A commendable work? Certainly, however, if we exclude a more unjustifiable technical sector than the already quite obscene combat system: The Sinking City is in fact devastated in an almost tragic way by an incredibly old visual rendering, comparable not only to the older generation, perhaps even more, and demonstrates it from practically all points of view. From the simple polygonal modeling, through the animations, to the rendering of the environments - all heavily recycled - up to the actual graphic quality, the title shows an impressive amount of limits that, to be honest, we just wouldn't have expected to find. .
The fun is not only undermined by a visual rendering completely to be forgotten, but also by a high-sounding level of bugs of all kinds, which appear on the scene continuously. At least on PlayStation 4 Slim, The Sinking City presents a disastrous situation that heavily disappoints expectations, also due to the narrative goodness that the title enjoys. What left us most badly in the mouth is linked to perhaps the most important aspect of a self-respecting open world: population density. The Sinking City is not only empty in graphic / technical terms but also in terms of interaction. The environments are bare beyond belief and talking with the various NPCs is a simple utopia. An element difficult to ignore in the total calculation of the title, which further aggravates even a graphic modeling already reduced to the bone.
Conclusion
The Sinking City is the classic wasted opportunity, that work that could have represented everything but which, instead, is content with being a simple element of passage. Let's be clear, we had a lot of fun exploring Oakmont in search of its grave mysteries and investigating here and there made us feel a bit like the good curly-headed Baker Street detective, but we couldn't ignore the incredible limitations of production. Starting from an open world only on the facade, up to a graphic rendering bordering on obscene, Frogwares' work is in some ways indefensible, saved only by the excellent artistic and narrative style that miraculously manages to honor in the best way the work of HP Lovecraft. Too bad, however, that, in representing those same themes dear to the Providence writer, the development team has put in the player's hands a product that seems to have on it - as big as a house - the words "Work in progress" and which, probably, not even another flood could have revived. In any case, if you are willing to turn a blind eye (including that of the mind, of course) to its many limitations, you will find a splendid story by the hand, to be gutted in the torrid nights of this summer that has now arrived strongly, perhaps in the company of someone who reminds you that you are still in the real world and not in the arms - or rather tentacles - of the most famous sea monster in the world.
► The Sinking City is an Adventure-type game developed and published by Bigben Interactive for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, the video game was released on 27/06/2019 The version for Nintendo Switch came out on 12/09/2019
