The horror genre is in a great spot right now and in many ways, that makes this the best time for a game like The Sinking City 2.
Resident Evil Requiem was a smash hit. The Silent Hill 2 remake exceeded all expectations. Live-service titles including Dead by Daylight are chugging along. Most importantly, an enormous crop of memorable indie titles, including Who’s Lila? and Mouthwashing.
There’s a huge appetite for the genre and plenty of innovation occurring within the genre, which means it should be a great opportunity to acquaint fans with the janky-but-memorable The Sinking City. Alas, its sequel will go down as a generally decent, but mostly derivative, action shooter.
The Good:
- A generally solid imitation of modern Resident Evil games
- Solid mix of combat, puzzles, and story
- Lower price tag than most games
The Bad:
- Drops its predecessor’s unique detective angle
- Spotty checkpoint system
- Uneven performance on PS5
Review Details:
- What Platform Did the Reviewer Play On?: PlayStation 5
- Platforms Available: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
- Official Release Date: August 18, 2026
The Sinking City 2 paradoxically got worse by getting better
Objectively speaking, The Sinking City 2 is better than the original title.
On its own merits, it’s a generally solid over-the-shoulder action-horror game in the same mold as the Resident Evil remakes. Ammo is scarcer and healing items are more precious, but it’s nothing that fans won’t be familiar with. Action sequences are spaced out by both puzzles and intriguing cutscenes that feature the eldritch monsters that players would expect from a Lovecraft-inspired game.
The game is combat-centric even beyond the point of some of its competitors. Opinions on whether that’s good will vary, but the important thing is that the game has tighter gunplay than the original by a significant margin.
While that’s fine and dandy, the game doesn’t perfect the REmake formula. There are many less-than-endearing rough edges in the game’s foundational mechanics. The checkpoint system can be extremely frustrating, sending players a bit too far back and forcing them to relive cutscenes again and again. Softlocks are actually on the menu too, as it’s possible to be caught in a spot where there are just too many enemies for the ammunition on-hand. There’s a workaround in dropping the difficulty down to the point where enemies don’t actually deal damage, but there’s no way around the shame that follows.
For the PlayStation 5 specifically, the game struggles to perform at times. Waterlogged indoor environments have the console chugging to render the area, which can drop further when the action heats up.
The Sinking City 2 lacks charm, but gets away with it
The core of a generally strong game is there for The Sinking City 2. Its biggest issues are ultimately a patch or two away from being fixed, which Frogwares may be down to deliver. Its reasonable price tag ($50 USD) also definitely helps matters.
Still, The Sinking City 2 struggles to really stand out in any particular area. Its gameplay mostly stands as an homage to recent Resident Evil games, and unfortunately that bleeds into the overall feel of the game. While the original was a unique experience, The Sinking City 2 mostly just feels like a diet REmake. Despite boasting a very different setting and dealing with a very different type of horror, the game just doesn’t feel distinct from its AAA competitors.
The Sinking City 2 takes place in the early 20th century, in the titular sinking city that has come under the influence of eldritch horrors. The protagonist is effectively an occult-focused Indiana Jones, looking to revive his wife who has become psychically trapped in a dream world.
It’s an intriguing combination that should feel unique. Unfortunately, that’s lost through the process of shooting standard-issue zombies and some less-than-terrifying creepy crawlies.
There’s enough there to have a solid off-brand Resident Evil, but it’s hard not to think about what could’ve been.
The Bottom Line: Solid gameplay and a discounted price tag make this a reasonably good value, but The Sinking City 2 struggles to offer anything truly unique.
Score: 7.0/10
