Private detective Charles Reed is suffering from terrible nightmares compelling him to visit the stricken town of Oakmont, Massachusetts. An unnatural flood has cut the city off from the mainland. The remaining citizens are going slowly mad as a horror lurking beneath the town begins to manifest.
Inspired by the works of HP Lovecraft, The Sinking City is an open world adventure game that challenges you to solve the mystery of Oakmont and resolve Reed's nightmares. The city itself is being subsumed as relentless rain floods the street. You travel between districts on foot and by boat, meeting townsfolk and investigating crime scenes.
The citizens of Oakmont don't trust strangers, but Reed is able to make use of some of the strange supernatural phenomena in Oakmont to do his investigating. Mysterious blue portals give him glimpses of past events, and he can trace the faint impressions of people to piece together narratives and unlock new clues. Leads are added to Reed's mind palace, which lets you piece together different aspects of the mystery to uncover new lines of enquiry.
There's a lot to enquire about. Monsters are roaming the streets, and on occasion you will have to defend yourself with an arsenal of authentic 1920s weaponry. Where did they come from? On your journey you explore underwater districts, busy streets, and the twisting cave system beneath Oakmont. Sometimes you can don an underwater suit to explore completely drowned sections of the city. This is Frogware's largest and most detailed environment yet, and it's designed to capture the oppressive horror of Lovecraft's infamous fishing villages.
The Sinking City is primarily a game about investigation, but you also need to scavenge from your environment to craft survival gear - you can't depend on much help from Oakmont's strange citizens.
As you move through the city you meet important local figures, each with their own secrets and agendas. The head of the powerful Throgmorton family has eccentric ideas about using the crisis to further human evolution. Scientist Johaness van der Berg is conducting an analysis of Oakmont's strange affliction. The former singer Joy Hayden seems to be a helpful figure, but why is her mouth sewed up? On your journey you meet many more such unconventional characters who can offer clues about the dark secret lurking under the doomed city.
There are few game worlds like Oakmont. It's a grim and gritty place, realised with lavish detail. It's a rich and horrifying place to explore and investigate. You'll need your sidearm and a keen detective's mind to survive. Find out more on The Sinking City site.
