The Sinking City Reviews

The Sinking City is ranked in the 40th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Jun 25, 2019

The Sinking City provides top-tier gameplay in the psychological horror genre, and brilliantly blends beautiful surroundings with a terrifyingly haunting and mysterious presence. Horror fans, especially, will want to pick this up at their earliest convenience.

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4.5 / 5.0
Jun 27, 2019

It's great to finally have a game that seems to put you right in the middle of one of H. P. Lovecraft's worlds… that sense of strangeness that lies over everything like a fog that draws you in and embraces you in the oddness of it all is quite compelling. Best played at night with the lights off to truly become immersed in the world of The Sinking City.

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GameSkinny
Top Critic
Jun 18, 2019

With a distinct lack of hand holding, in-depth investigative mechanics, and a solid mix of open world design with mythos monsters, The Sinking City is the standard for Lovecraftian games.

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86 / 100
Mar 5, 2021

The Sinking City arriving on next-gen is a surprising yet greatly welcome arrival. With such a rich world and narrative, compelling investigative segments, and some truly horrifying features like experiencing hallucinations when your sanity meter drops, this was a title classic horror fans simply must try. The graphical upgrades are monumental in elevating the eerie, unsettling world which is already dripping with atmosphere into a new level, and the haptic triggers heighten the tension with every bullet. There are still some texture issues – particularly with the hair and teeth – that don’t fit in with the rest of the next-gen polish, and the strange NPC programming can definitely detract from the moment-to-moment situation. Beyond those minor gripes, this is still an exemplary outing into the world of H.P. Lovecraft and a beautiful horror experience well worth your time.

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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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8.5 / 10.0
Jun 26, 2019

The Sinking City is an amazing experience, portraying a great interpretation of the pieces of H. P. Lovecraft. Adding together L.A. Noire with Sherlock Holmes, Frogwares gives us a game that blends private investigation, shooting and narrative into a believable world that is immersive and molded by our decisions, making us feel the true protagonist of the adventure.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

85 / 100
Feb 25, 2021

There's a lot to like in The Sinking City on PlayStation 5. With updated textures, 4K/60 FPS support, faster loading times, and activities support, it's a solid detective story. While the combat may be shallow, and it has enough havok bugs to make a Deep One scared, it represents some of the best work Frogwares Studio has made. If you are an H.P. Lovecraft fan, don't let this one sail past you.

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Generación Xbox
Top Critic
8.5 / 10.0
Jun 24, 2019

The ambitious, fascinating yet flawed The Sinking City stablish itself as the new Lovecraftian title to look at. A joyful horror theme park that encourages you to fall in love with the gentle touch of the tentacle.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

8.5 / 10.0
Jun 25, 2019

The mystery of what is really going on in Oakmont, and with lead character Charles Reed, kept drawing me in and often kept me playing far longer then I intended to.

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8.5 / 10.0
Jul 14, 2019

The Sinking City is deeply evocative in its oppressive dourness, and stays true to the investigative backbone of Cthulhu. We are presented an open world of horror and suspense that HP Lovecraft surely would have enjoyed investigating.

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8.5 / 10.0
Jun 25, 2019

The Sinking City is everything that any detetive fan wants.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

8.5 / 10.0
Feb 21, 2021

The Sinking City on the PS5 is the definitive way to play this awesome Lovecraft-themed exploration and investigation game. Despite a handful of disappointing enhancements (the DS triggers, content moved to DLC, and limited info in the Activities), there are far more positive enhancements within the actual gameplay that counter these. The game looks a lot cleaner, the atmosphere is much thicker, the gameplay is smoother, and the loading times are so short, you can’t even take a sip of your drink before it’s completed. If you overlooked this game on launch, in 2019, don’t make the same mistake – pick it up on the PS5 and experience the best version as you easily sink over 40 hours into it.

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8.4 / 10.0
Jun 25, 2019

Even with its (few) flaws, The Sinking City manages to shine right where other games of the same genre have failed to impress. It doesn't abuse jumpscare and useless boss fights, but instead Frogwares focused on a well thought out and engaging investigative system and on pleasant action parts, which naturally lead the player to discover the monstrosities of the abyss and to bitterly repent of their own curiosity.

Review in Italian | Read full review

8.4 / 10.0
Dec 4, 2020

What is fortunate though is that The Sinking City is available again, and this freshly enhanced version for the PS5 is by far the best way to play the game. The changes that Frogwares made are impactful and make this a significantly better experience than it was at original release. It still has its quirks, but the positives far outweigh the negatives and it’s easy to recommend this game to anyone who has yet to check it out.

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8.4 / 10.0
Jun 25, 2019

The Sinking City is the best game inspired by lovecraft's works that has been ever made. An exciting story, lot of mysteries, amazing atmosphere and many unique detective abilities, are waiting for you in Oakmont city. If you love games like detective based games like L.A Noire, you must not miss The Sinking City.

Review in Persian | Read full review

8.4 / 10.0
May 16, 2021

‎The Sinking City Xbox Series X|S is a failed next-generation update, but thanks to its history, the excellent recreation of the Lovecraft universe, and the feeling of being a detective, make the game a remarkable play.‎

Review in Spanish | Read full review

8.4 / 10.0
Jun 25, 2019

Playing The Sinking City feels oppressive, as it should. Oakmont is a terrible, rotten, half destroyed place where lawlessness abounds. Half the city believes in racial purity and the others believe in the long-dormant Elder Gods beneath the ocean. Even with the sometimes clunky dialogue and stiff animations, The Sinking City is a fascinating study of the human condition.

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8.1 / 10.0
Jun 25, 2019

A good example of how to craft a Mythos game. Not for the faint of heart. Cool fact: a gamer who knows nothing about the mythos will make probably all the wrong choices in the game.

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ZTGD
Top Critic
8 / 10.0
Aug 8, 2019

The Sinking City is a great game that I am sure will become a cult hit, especially when it makes its way to Steam next yea

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4 / 5.0
Jun 25, 2019

It would be nice to see the world and combat tightened up a bit, but its incredibly rewarding mystery-solving makes it a stellar investigation game that succeeds at such a naturally mystifying genre where many others fail.

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