The Sinking City – PAX East Preview
The Sinking City is an open world investigation game set in the 1920s. You play as a private eye exploring the strange happenings of a city called Oakmont. It seems as though this sinking town has not only affected your mind, but the minds of others too. Crazy and unexplainable things are happening and you are tasked to get to the bottom of them.
The game is heavily inspired by H.P. Lovecraft and it shows. The atmosphere was dingy and ominous. The sinking town seems to be filled with strange monsters and gruff locals around every bend.
Our playthrough had us helping a being that strongly resembled a monkey find someone who had gone missing. We got some very heavy L.A. Noire vibes at this point. That is not only very much a compliment, but I think The Sinking City takes the investigation a step further. While uncovering clues you started to piece together a scene that becomes animated right in front of your eyes. By the end, you practically watch the whole thing unfold as if you were there at the time of the incident. Furthering your investigation fills in parts of your menu that you then can piece together with other bits of evidence to help uncover the truth.
The NPCs in this game were not only interesting to look at but their interactions were engaging. The dialogue actual made me want to hear more. I suspect that, like other similar games, some of your dialogue chooses will affect the outcome of your investigations.
The combat was minimal but felt up to standard. Bullets were scarce and seemed to be more of a last resort. Knowing I had a pistol put my mind at ease, if only slightly.
The game will come with a standard $60 price tag but we don’t think it will have any issues being considered a value. The developers said there was easily 30 hours of content.
The Sinking City has a lot to offer and I will eagerly be awaiting the June 2019 release date.
