The Sinking City

HP Lovecraft’s Works and Their Influence

HP Lovecraft’s works represented horror and fantasy in strange and unique ways and became one of the main sources of inspiration for ideas in many works of horror, from films, novels and even video games, which brings us to this review after receiving our We have “The Sinking City” and took the time to get to know its world and history, adapted from the works of HP. Lovecraft It’s time to share our experiences with you.

The Story and Setting

The story puts you in the role of Charles W. Reed, a former member of the US Navy and participant in the First World War, who works as a private detective away from the battlefields. The events take place in the 1920s, where Reed finds himself, like many others in the United States of America, making his way to the isolated town of Oakmont. Reed suffers from hallucinations and recurring nightmares that lead him to the sunken Oakmont to see the same huge and terrible monster again. Oakmont was isolated from the mainland several months ago due to a supernatural event called the Flood, which cut it off from the mainland and caused a large portion of it to sink, which is why it is considered supernatural. Monsters and fearsome creatures appear in nature and are believed to be related to the “flood”.

The Strange Town of Oakmont

Oakmont is a strange town and its people vary in appearance and beliefs, but they remain similar in terms of their strangeness and general impression of strangers, in addition to the strange local terminology that may be a mystery as to how they came up with it alone. The story begins with the search for an answer to the reason why hallucinations and nightmares are common and branches out into different aspects to paint the bigger picture. In order to describe what is happening nicely, the development team has made many suggestions. Some are implicit, others clear and relate to many topics that are part of current everyday life. We find mentions of racism, religious or ethnic extremist groups, and many other images that fit well with HP Lovecraft stories in general.

The Design and Atmosphere

The city is well designed and reflects the melancholy and gloom of life within it. The “flood” was able to inundate many buildings and streets to the extent that it overwhelmed the conventional economic system, making lead the only trading currency instead of the dollar, which has become worthless. As you walk through the city you will see thieves trying to break in. To one of the houses while some are hallucinating in the middle of an intersection and others are sleeping in one of the corners. Cars and vehicles have been neglected on the roads after losing their value as boats had to be used to move around areas that were not completely flooded. We think the design was excellent from a graphical perspective, but it does have some issues. Practical Aspects: Many of the houses you will enter are designed with the same size and layout, but with just one change in decor, making you feel like you are entering the same place over and over again, in addition to the streets making movement inconvenient , which we will talk about later.

Technical Issues

As I was walking around with the boat, I saw someone jumping into the water full of dangerous monsters, which made me think about the reason for this miserable man’s suicide. Was he one of those people who had terrible nightmares? Or is he suffering from poverty after the damage caused by the “flood”? Then I noticed that the figure seemed to fall into the water again and I realized that it was just a common technical error, which brings us to the technical side of things. The frame rate is not stable and varies greatly between working with 60 frames in some areas, the speed usually drops to 30 frames or even less in some areas. Sometimes the characters’ movements and the way the lips move are primitive and almost similar to what we sometimes see in some PlayStation 2 games. Character appearances and disappearances while walking around will also become commonplace, and some of these bugs may be fixed in future updates.

As you walk through the city, many details of the environment appear around you, although the graphics are not accurate and detailed enough to warrant this. It’s also annoying that a short loading screen appears when trying to enter a closed building. That was possible undoubtedly represent something better from a technical point of view. As for music and melodies, they are generally not there, but the game is not the type that needs them anyway.

The Investigation Gameplay

The Sinking City is a survival horror detective game. Progression in the story occurs by solving cases. This requires reading many letters, advertisements and reports to understand the history and circumstances of the cases. When you take on a case, you will typically go to a crime scene or investigate an event that… It happened recently. The details of the investigation usually take place in a closed area where you collect various pieces of evidence from your surroundings and conduct personal interrogations. Sometimes you will also find evidence that requires a review of the city newspaper or police station, for example to search the files for old documents and files to reveal further details, similar to an operation. Actually investigate.

The Mind’s Eye and Choices

Sometimes you have to use the mind’s eye, a special ability that Detective Reed has had since he started having nightmares. This ability allows him to see secrets and hidden tools not visible to the human eye. After reviewing the various pieces of evidence, imagine several scenes based on your current information and arrange them in the correct timeline. In the end, you connect the evidence you received to arrive at several conclusions, ending with a final conclusion that determines the course of the case. Typically, you have the option to choose between two ways to handle cases. You also have several options to interpret some of the evidence as you prefer. Some options are to allow one of them to escape. Doing what is morally right in exchange for a bribe or a favor or turning him over to the police seems like a choice between black and white only in the extreme. However, some things are not as clear as they often seem, and sometimes you will find that what you thought was a wrong choice was actually the best solution.

Combat and Survival

Given the presence of monsters and some dangerous groups and gangs, you will have to repeatedly defend yourself by using firearms or hitting your opponent at close range with a small shovel that you use as a hand weapon. The combat system is very simple and lacks any complexity, but unlike games that offer a simple and fun system, The Sinking City suffers from a primitive system that suffers from inaccuracies in aiming. If you need to use a bomb, you have to open the weapon wheel and select it to throw it at the enemy, with no buttons to switch between weapons directly or buttons for bombs and the like, which is one of the features that comes before have become an important feature for a long time. The sight of corpses, monsters and other terrible and violent scenes will stir your thoughts. Health may deteriorate, so you should not look at them for a long time as they cause hallucinations and deterioration of vision. If you are in a dangerous condition, you can inject yourself with medication to increase mental performance, and the same goes for your health if it worsens. .

Moving Around and Exploration

Another part of the gaming experience that can be annoying is moving around the city, as even when running the character doesn’t move at the required speed and you have to open the map repeatedly while moving around the city due to its confusing design the lack of a minimap, in cases where you need to move between several locations. To collect information you will get bored as you will waste your time moving around, especially if you run and then have to take the boat for a short distance, then check the map and go back to running. Although there are areas where you can move quickly, they are not optimally distributed.

Conclusion

The game does not require any prior knowledge of HP Lovecraft’s works to enjoy the story and its details. The investigation part is very entertaining and the details you discover in this part, be it hallucinations and nightmares or the history and culture of Oakmont, keep the experience interesting, with many changes and surprises occurring in the story and you can say the development managed to capture the essence of the experience, but failed to live up to its luxuries. If you are a fan of investigations and gathering evidence and don’t mind the disadvantages mentioned, you will find that “The Sinking City” offers those who are looking for it a very entertaining experience with a complex story and many more provides details.