The Sinking City
The Sinking City is a game of investigation genre taking place in a fictional open world inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft. The player incarnates a private investigator in 1920s, who finds himself in a city of New England, Oakmont Massachusetts. It's currently suffering from extensive waterflood, and its cause is clearly supernatural.
What it feels like
Cosmic horror and the investigation of incomprehensible supernatural phenomena create slow-building anticipatory fear. The central mystery of the city's flooding and its supernatural cause pulls the player forward through enigma and secrets. The flooded city and cosmic horror setting create a pervasive crushing atmosphere pressing onto the player.
What it's about
The game is explicitly inspired by H.P. Lovecraft's works and centers on investigating supernatural phenomena in a flooded city, making cosmic horror the definitional thematic core. The player takes on the role of a private investigator gathering clues and solving the mystery at the heart of the narrative. Playing a private investigator unraveling the cause of the city's supernatural flooding is the central structural and narrative driver.
How it plays
Detective work inherently involves searching environments for clues, examining scenes, and finding hidden details. Investigation-driven gameplay involves conversations with NPCs to gather clues, as indicated by user tags mentioning conversation and choices matter. Investigation gameplay requires deductive reasoning to piece together clues and unravel the mystery's central truth.
How it looks and sounds
Explicitly a third-person shooter experience, with the camera following the protagonist. The 1920s New England setting with flooded city aesthetics, decay, and macabre atmosphere evokes gothic visual identity. The oppressive, waterlogged atmosphere and supernatural dread typically employ desaturated, subdued color palettes.
How it's structured
Explicitly single-player experience with no multiplayer component. The game features a fictional open-world city of Oakmont that players explore non-linearly during investigations. The open world is a deliberately authored environment of Oakmont with designed locations and narrative beats.
Kindred games
Shares Cosmic Horror, Detective, Dread, Psychological Horror.
Both lean into Cosmic Horror, Detective, Dread, Psychological Horror.
Shares Detective, Mystery, Third-Person, Mysterious.
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Shares Detective, Mystery, Mysterious, Open World.
Both lean into Single-Player, Mystery, Detective, Mysterious.
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