The Sinking City 2

I personally don't recommend the game, it seems like it tried being a RE clone, but I'll go more in depth below. The story isn't that interesting, you get some more details/revelations somewhere at the end, but for 95% the game you just run around getting some useless dialogue and cinematics that could have been a note that you randomly read. I didn't expect anything from the combat because the first game had one of the worst combat I've ever seen. They introduced some type of runes that have almost no impact and until you finish the game you can't even unlock half of them. Enemies are just spongy, the dodge mechanic is buggy and overall the game doesn't want you to fight all the time anyway. At some point at the end, if it wasn't necessary I was avoiding every fight because it was very repetitive and didn't offer me anything at all. The investigation mechanics are almost inexistent. There are a lot of niche puzzle, for example one of them revolves around number 13 (that usually is known to be a bad number), but if it's not part of your 'common knowledge' you'll just resort to google and be frustrated because you don't understand how you could have known that. There are decent puzzles there, but a lot of them revolve around wording which for some people can be annoying. The audio is whatever, nothing impressive. The audio is there so you don't play in complete silence but there is nothing memorable with it. Performance is a bit bad, but that's most likely because of the UE. Pretty much every time I was around 60FPS on 2K with High+Ultra settings with drops here and there, but, there was only one area that it was like a Cold/Frozen storage, like a very small area where you go for a few minutes where the FPS went to 30 and I have no idea why because it literally had only ice and fog there. The game is very different from the first one, which is why the negative review. What was very good about the first one: the investigation mechanics, talking to NPC's, doing quests and side quests and a good story - all of it removed for a RE wannabe clone and it fails pretty much on everything they wanted to take from RE. If you buy it thinking that it will be like the first one, you'll get the opposite. But if you like the RE gameplay loop, I suggest to buy it at least when it's half of the current price (if not lower). This is like a 20-25€ game max. You get 7-8 hours with very unpolished mechanics and underperforming story and gameplay.

If you expect this to be a same setting,. vibe and game as TSC1 you are mistaken. Does this make it a bad game? NO It is more of a resident evil survaval esque game with some puzzle and investigation sprinkled over it than the other way around like the first game was. Is has plenty of challenges and achievements to chase too.

I think this game is a substantial improvement over their first and there are plenty of things I found appealing: The license, the sound design, and some of the characters were fun. That being said, the combat encounter system has serious issues. Toward the end of the game the pacing of combat got too frantic for a survival horror game. It felt like every other room was a huge battle, which works fine for an FPS, but in Survival Horror games with less than optimal controls, this gets tedious. I feel like the enemy design wasn't amazing either. The bog standard enemies are okay as they're basically zombies. But the Stygans, these small creatures are too easy, requiring a juke and stomp. Another creature, the Lethian, was irksome to fight as it would run away and come back. This would be fine in an action game, but for Survival Horror it was tedious. The fights themselves were incredibly repetitive. By the time I got toward the end, I felt like I was getting into the same horde fights over and over again and rather than enjoying it, I hated it. I ended up uninstalling the game just prior to the end. I feel like the developers understand the aesthetics and direct mechanics of survival horror, but they don't quite grasp the underlying reasons for why certain mechanics express themselves.

8/10

[b]The Sinking City 2 Review[/b] This time, we're taking a look at another horror game. The Sinking City 2 is a third-person survival horror game focused on action, exploration and puzzles, with a strong Lovecraftian horror theme. If you haven't played the first game, don't worry, because you don't need to. The Sinking City 2 tells a standalone story. This time you also don't play as Charles Reed, but as a new main character called Calvin Raffety. The game takes place in Arkham, another flooded city. [b]What is Lovecraftian horror?[/b] Lovecraftian horror is a type of horror where much of the fear comes from things you can't really explain. It often involves strange forces and events that are completely outside your control. You can see that throughout the game with creepy cults, worm-like monsters and disturbing rituals. So rather than being a standard horror game where you're simply afraid of whatever monster appears in front of you, there's always something more going on. You constantly get the feeling that there's a much bigger mystery behind everything. When it comes to horror games, I might be called Big Mike, but that definitely doesn't mean I don't scream when something scares me. Even though these games can make me pretty tense, I still really enjoy the genre. I've also had a lot of fun with games such as Resident Evil in the past. [b]Resident Evil meets Alan Wake[/b] While playing The Sinking City 2, it regularly felt like a combination of Alan Wake 2 and Resident Evil. I got used to the controls fairly quickly and the game generally felt smooth to play. There are also puzzles that reminded me a lot of Resident Evil, and sometimes you'll need to combine different items. I really enjoyed the atmosphere as well. It's dark without becoming annoyingly difficult to see, and the environments are incredibly filthy. Expect plenty of blood, worms and other disgusting things. Wherever you go, there's always an uncomfortable feeling. Not in a frustrating way, but everything constantly feels slightly wrong. You notice this especially when walking through narrow hallways or entering rooms that feel a little too crowded. During combat I occasionally got stuck somewhere and started panicking. It never really felt like the game itself was glitching, though. Most of the time it was simply the result of me making a bad decision and panicking afterwards. In smaller rooms, that can get you into trouble pretty quickly. [b]Every Bullet Counts[/b] I also really enjoyed exploring the world. Whenever I moved away from the main path, I usually found additional ammunition, supplies or upgrades. You can, for example, discover upgrades for your pistol. Just like in Resident Evil, you need to be careful about wasting ammo. It constantly feels like you're only a few bullets away from running out, and because aiming can occasionally be a little tricky, you'll sometimes use more ammunition than you'd like. In certain situations, avoiding a fight and returning later is actually the smarter option. The combat itself isn't always perfect. Shooting generally works fine, but some enemies require a surprising number of bullets before they finally go down. When several enemies attack you at the same time, combat can quickly become messy. Dodging in particular doesn't always feel as good as it should. [b]Puzzles and not enough variety[/b] I enjoyed most of the puzzles as well. You'll regularly need to carefully search the environment, read documents or find codes somewhere nearby. They were all fairly manageable. I didn't need to use a walkthrough this time, which is always a good sign. They're not puzzles that will leave you stuck for hours, but they fit the game very well. Unfortunately, after playing for a while, you'll start encountering the same enemies fairly often. The further you progress, the more noticeable the limited number of different monster types becomes. That's a shame, because the monsters that are actually in the game look pretty damn cool. [b]Small inventory, lots of backtracking[/b] One thing that started bothering me quite a bit was the small inventory, especially near the beginning of the game. On one hand, it makes sense for a survival horror game because you're forced to think carefully about what you carry. On the other hand, it's frustrating when your inventory is full again and you're forced to either leave something behind or walk all the way back. I even found myself using or combining items that I didn't really need at that moment just to create some extra space. And speaking of walking back, you'll be doing plenty of that anyway. Sometimes I didn't mind the backtracking because returning to an area allowed me to open new doors or discover different routes. At other times, however, it simply felt like I was walking through exactly the same place again. I especially noticed this with one particular chest. I had to travel so far back just to reach it that it started interrupting the flow of the game. Moments like that slow everything down unnecessarily. [b]Conclusion[/b] The Sinking City 2 does plenty of things right. I especially enjoyed its atmosphere, exploration and puzzles. The combat works well enough, although it isn't quite as polished as something like Resident Evil. I also would've liked to see more variety when it comes to the enemies. Despite that, I constantly wanted to continue exploring and see what else Arkham had waiting for me, and for a game like this, that's probably one of the most important things it can achieve.

[h1]先人への丁寧なリスペクトを感じる良作。[/h1] [b]REシリーズを踏襲したゲームシステム。というかほぼバイオハザード[/b] ゲームを起動すると襟を正したくなる文章が出てくる。キックスターターで資金を集め、尚且つ戦火の中でゲームを制作する執念に脱帽。 [h3]・ゲームプレイ [/h3] オープンワールドを自由に探索しながら能動的に謎を解いていく前作の「シンキングシティ」とは異なり、今作はリニアで探索していく形式。それらの代償として一般市民はほぼ消滅し、変人との会話シーンもほぼ削られた。 REシリーズでよくある暗い場所を探索するワクワク感は健在。街並みや風景はかなり独自的でこのゲームのみの味が得られる。 ちなみに前作をプレイしなくても楽しめます。[spoiler]黄衣おじさんはいないしリードさんは手紙でしか出てこない[/spoiler] 戦闘については若干粗削り。こちらの能動的な手段は「弱点を撃つ」ことと「追撃」を兼ねた「近接戦闘」。戦闘をしないという選択を迫られるが、何度か訪れる場所の敵は倒しておきたい。 基本的に一対一ならば弱点部位を撃ち、跪いたところをストンプでとどめを刺せば良い。弾の節約にもなる。 しかし、細かい部分のモーションやレスポンスが悪く相手の起き上がりに射撃をしても転ばないしダメージリアクションも無い。部位の欠損も少な目。近接戦闘においてはあまり怯みもしないので積極的に狙うべきではない。 意味があるかは定かではないが、死体に湧くスリザーを踏みつぶした方がいいかもしれない。(スリザーが残ってると敵が復活するので) 複数の敵が襲い掛かって来るシーンはショットガンで雑に転ばせて無視するのが序盤～中盤の定石となる。 また、前作から続投したエネミーのほとんどがクソみたいな挙動をしてくる。前作の悪い部分をそのまま持ってきた感じ。 終盤は所謂ハンター枠が出没し、コイツがかなり強い　すばやい上にこちらの走りに追いついて背中を抉ってくる　しかも再探索する場所にどんどん湧く！殺意高杉！ 探索については何度も行き来しながらメモを集めて謎を解くRE2に近い感じのプレイフィール。ちゃんと探索して金庫を開けて行けば強い武器も手に入る。 RE2に慣れた人ならアイテムやリソース管理を理解して進められるだろうが、こういうタイプのゲームが初めての人は難易度を下げた方が良いと思う。実績も易しい部類で、難易度についての実績はなかった。 [h3]ストーリーとキャラクター[/h3] [b]プレイヤーを置き去りにしない配慮は感じるが、少し没入感が薄い[/b] シンキングシティの魅力は、様々な奇人変人が登場することにあるのだが今作は主人公とパートナー以外の印象が薄い。序盤の顔がすごいことになってるおじさんとなんか変な人魚と顔面鍵と… 物語の背景などはゲーム内で拾えるテキストで補完をしている。それらはしっかり翻訳されており、遠回りな翻訳で読みにくいとかは特にない。 インパクトが強い見た目のキャラがいても、リニア形式のせいで役割を終えたらもう会えなくなってしまうのである。 前作のやつれて病んだ見た目の主人公からダンディな見た目の主人公になり、レオンのような渋い独り言をブツブツと喋るのはリスペクトというより若干くどさを感じた。嫌いではないけど。 個人的にかなり残念だったのは[spoiler]エンディング分岐が皆無だったこと。前作では3つのエンディングを楽しめたのだが、今作は2週目の追加要素をコンプリートしても特に変わらない。[/spoiler] [h3]問題点 [/h3] [u][b]2週目をプレイする必要性。[/b][/u] [spoiler]いかにも何か変化が起きそうなクリア後セーブをさせてくるが、サイレントヒルFのように展開が変わるとかは一切ない。数か所だけ真実に迫った手紙が置かれるだけであとは無限武器で無双するか、実績に関係ないゲーム内実績を集めるのみ。[/spoiler] 戦闘が雑なだけで光る部分があった前作から、REシリ―ズライクに舵を切った今作。 私見ではあるけどじっくり街を探索したり、変人奇人に会って謎を解くゲームをまたプレイしたいのでフロッグウェアの次回作に期待しています。

Highly recommend.

Повне переосмислення першої частини. Тепер це повністю Residen Evil. Більше тут не відкритий світ, а набір розділів, в кожному з яких заплутані не-лінійні локації. На мій погляд, ця зміна зробила сиквел на голову краще - локації правильним чином заплутані, з купою коротких шляхів, що потрібно відкривати. Звірятись з мапою доведеться постійно. Ходити по цих локаціях дуже цікаво, бо там неймовірна купа дрібних і не дуже деталей. Дуже багато вражаюче гарних місць. Також є десь 5 справді класно режисованих моментів, що запам'ятовуються. Баланс, хоч не ідеальний, таки робить гравця цінувати ресурси і змушує їх економити, якісно відтворюючи відчуття, що викликають найкращі RE. Так що тут теж плюс. Загадки мені здаються вище середнього по якості. Мені було вельми цікаво їх розгадувати. Вони не дуже складні в цілому, але гра не тримає гравця за ідіота, як це зараз прийнято робити. Але при цьому на папері класна ідея з механікою поєднання здогадок працює так собі - дуже рідко про це треба хоч трохи думати. Достатньо просто поєднувати підказки, що розказують про ту саму річ. Сюжет же... Присутній. Одна кінцівка і вельми посередні сюжетні ходи. Записочки, що в першій частині розповідали короткі, але кріпові історії тепер стали просто грубим інструментом опису історії локації. Дуже часто повторюють одна одну, або те, що і так гарно комунікує оточення. Є 10 радіо-історій, що розкидані по всій грі. І всі одні до болю дурнуваті. Напевне і задумано що вони і мають бути cheesy, але вони не достатньо cheesy щоб бути смішними і не достатньо якісні, щоб бути страшними. Тому мені вони були просто відверто нудними. Ще додам спірну тезу, що хоч в грі є український відбиток (вишиванка, історії реальних українців з ампутованими кінцівками в госпіталі), це знову зроблено за межами наративу. Історичні реалії цілком могли дозволити мати буквального персонажа-українця, що відігравав би роль у сюжеті. Я думаю, це була б значно ефективніша культурна експансія, ніж оці "пасхалочки", що колізіюють з історією гри. Але, звісно, краще хоч так... В підсумку скажу, що це дуже достойний представник survival horror, що дещо слабкий нарративно, але неймовірно виглядаючий, з хорошою режисурою і геймплеєм. Мені однозначно сподобався напрям що обрали розробники. Гру рекомендую.