The Microsoft 2024 Spring Showcase has just brought us our first look at Frogware’s follow-up to The Sinking City, The Sinking City 2. A game that according to the developers will take the studio in a whole new direction. As a big fan of anything even vaguely Lovecraftian, I can’t wait to see how this turns out. Check out the utterly horrifying reveal trailerhere.
What We Know So Far
Just like its predecessor, The Sinking City 2 will be a survival horror game with branching narratives and a 1920s New England setting. This time around, the action takes place in Arkham, a fictional Massachusetts town that appears frequently in the works of H. P. Lovecraft. Again, like the previous game, the sequel will feature a semi-open world to explore, with the additional caveat that floodwaters will rise periodically, changing the layout of the city. I don’t know what you’ll find off the beaten path, but we do know the game will include optional puzzles that reward the player with “secrets” and extra lore stuff.
Even more interesting, while you will get the option to play a detective, that’s exactly what it is: an option. Frogwares has stated outright that “This time around the feature will be entirely optional. Players can decide when and where to put on their sleuthing caps to unveil new secrets, lore, ways to progress etc.” It’s unclear what exactly that means, but it sounds intriguing. Detective work was a big part of the last game, so this is a surprising move.
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The combat from The Sinking City sounds like it will make the transition largely unscathed, with an arsenal of era-appropriate weapons at the player’s disposal, but other big changes are coming. According to the developers, “With the Sinking City 2, Frogwares hopes to pivot the studio to a “horror-first” focus.” That could mean a lot of things (we know that Frogwares want to move away from making detective games), but more horror is always good. A lot of games, especially those that invoke Lovecraft, forget to be scary. Hopefully, this is a sign that The Sinking City 2 is going to buck that trend.
It’s also worth noting that The Sinking City 2 marks Frogwares transition to Unreal Engine 5. This will mean a big step-up graphically and should give the developers the tools they need to fully realize their vision.
Why Kickstarter?
Finally, let’s briefly address the elephant in the room. Frogwares is a Ukrainian developer, and we all know just how desperate the situation there is at the moment. The war means uncertainty and instability for all Ukrainians and game developers are no exception. As a result, Frogwares has decided to use Kickstarter to provide an additional safety net for funding. It’s a totally understandable decision, and here’s a full statement on it from Frogwares CEO Wael Amr.
“At this stage, we have learned and adapted to our reality but the ongoing war adds an ominous layer of uncertainty, and the additional funds will help us deal with potential disruptions on top of helping fund various extra features we would love to implement. Our previous game, Sherlock Holmes The Awakened, was fully developed and released during the war. Through Kickstarter and our supporters, we built ourselves a safety net that saved us more than once. From power cuts as our electrical infrastructure was targeted for months to the need for team members to relocate at very short notice, this financial safety net proved invaluable to us. So we need to do the same now with The Sinking City 2 as this game is vastly bigger and more complex.“- Wael Amr, CEO, Frogwares
Of course, it’s a shame that any of this has to happen, but it’s heartening to see that the studio has found a way to keep the doors open and continue making games. The Kickstarter hasn’t officially begun yet, but you’re able to check out the upcoming project pagehere.
We don’t know when the game is expected to be released, so stay tuned for more information.
