The Sinking City Reviews

The Sinking City is ranked in the 40th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Andy Kelly
Top Critic
66 / 100
Jun 25, 2019

An occasionally entertaining detective game blighted by poor writing, rote combat, and a dreary open world.

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No Recommendation / Blank
Jun 25, 2019

Frogware's most ambitious title to date sees it take on the Cthulu mythos, but unfortunately it makes for one of its most flawed games too.

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IGN
Top Critic
7.8 / 10.0
Jun 25, 2019

While occasionally frustrating, The Sinking City's compelling stories, exciting environments, and memorable characters make for one of the better Cthulhu lore games around.

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Jun 26, 2019

The Sinking City is yet another Lovecraftian horror game that fails to live up to expectations, largely thanks to a flood of technical issues and tedious gameplay.

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Fextralife
Yuria
Top Critic
8 / 10
Jun 26, 2019

The Sinking City invites all the horror of a lovecraftian tale, with the balance to know more of what is happening in the city of Oakmont, all the while as you struggle to keep your sanity. There are quite a few places to explore, cases to take on, and discovering all its secrets could take you a while. If you're looking for a game that doesn't spoon feed you the answers and are looking to challenge your investigative abilities, this one could be for you. While not perfect visually, with bugs here and there, gameplay is enjoyable and brings a mix of combat and deduction. Definitely worth the price tag.

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Jun 25, 2019

The Sinking City's engrossing premise is ultimately betrayed by counterintuitive systems and bleak monotony.

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7.5 / 10.0
Jun 28, 2019

The Sinking City succeeds at creating a memorable world and twisting narrative that pulls players beyond its mediocre gameplay

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Unscored
Jun 25, 2019

Great investigations and ancient horrors are hidden by frustrating action

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GameSpot
Top Critic
3 / 10
Jun 26, 2019

Clumsy design, tedious storytelling, and often game-breaking technical limitations sap The Sinking City of any real terror or intrigue.

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Unscored
Jun 25, 2019

Goodness, I was very interested in The Sinking City. I really wanted to love it. But I’m afraid rain may have stopped play this time.

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7 / 10
Sep 13, 2019

While it's carried over its fair share of clunky elements in the transition to Nintendo's console, The Sinking City on Nintendo Switch is a fully-featured and mostly well-optimised port. The mixture of psychological horror and detective skills is a positive step beyond the developer's previous work on Sherlock Holmes titles, and while its sanity mechanic doesn't quite hold up to the likes of Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem, and it's not without bugs, it offers an enjoyable if not particularly scary descent into madness and delirium.

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7 / 10.0
Jun 25, 2019

If you can ignore The Sinking City's technical failings, set the combat difficulty to easy and stick to getting embroiled in the story

7.5 / 10.0
Mar 1, 2021

If you're looking for something action-packed you'll be better served elsewhere, but for fans of Lovecraft's universe or head-scratching detectathons, The Sinking City is more than worth a shot.

5 / 10
Jun 25, 2019

The Sinking City is well worth playing for the initial rhythm of its casework and the freshness of its setting, but its mechanics, like its mystery, end up flooded.

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6.5 / 10.0
Jun 25, 2019

Despite featuring elements from many video games that I love, The Sinking City still fell flat for me.

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7 / 10.0
Jun 25, 2019

Despite the technical disaster that it is, The Sinking City knows how to capture the essence of H.P. Lovecraft's work to create their own story in an interesting place like Oakmont, full of details and mysteries to discover.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

8.5 / 10.0
Jun 25, 2019

Overall, as much as I adore the story and atmosphere of The Sinking City, it definitely feels like a budget title at times. If you can get past the weak combat, harmless jank, and enjoy a solid detective experience that won't hold your hand and throw tough choices your way, you shouldn't pass up on it. Even more so if you're a fan of Lovecraft. Because as the Old Ones were, the Old Ones are, and the Old Ones shall be and that's a good enough reason for me!

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7 / 10
Jun 25, 2019

If you’ve ever been a fan of Lovecraftian horror or just mystery stories in general, The Sinking City is one stop you’ll want to make a little time for on your trip down the rabbit hole.

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71 / 100
Jun 25, 2019

The Sinking City is a faithful adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft´s universe, and has some interesting mechanics, but the game has many technical flaws and the open world structure feels "empty".

Review in Spanish | Read full review

Jun 25, 2019

The enjoyable Cthulhu detective story is enough to be worth seeing through, but it’s a mystery why the other parts of the game couldn’t be as strong.

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