Ukrainian developer Frogwares has a new cosmic horror game in the water. After surviving Russia's 2022 invasion, the studio announced The Sinking City 2 last year, funded a Kickstarter campaign in 2025, and now has a playable demo making the rounds. The sequel ditches the open-world structure of the original for something more focused and survival-horror oriented, trading Oakmont for Arkham as it swaps protagonists entirely.
Calvin Rafferty is no Charles Reed. Where the first game's detective carried psychological baggage, Rafferty lugs around something far more literal: a mask containing the spirit of his lover Faye, separated from her body by forces he doesn't yet understand. His mission to restore her to the mortal world gives the sequel a more compelling emotional core than its predecessor managed. Early glimpses suggest this pairing has genuine depth, and Rafferty already feels more likable than the fedora-wearing Reed ever did.
The shift away from sprawling open zones matters. The demo showcased two distinct mission areas with tighter design and denser environments, cutting down on the first game's tedious backtracking. Both segments felt more intentional in their pacing, though the short hands-on time made direct comparison difficult. What was immediately clear is that Frogwares is leaning harder into the science fiction elements of the Lovecraft formula. Facial scan doors in an abandoned hospital, futuristic technology scattered throughout a 1920s setting, world-building that shouts its weirdness rather than whispering it. The approach creates something genuinely distinct within an increasingly crowded cosmic horror space.
Investigation Gets A Much-Needed Overhaul
The first Sinking City's investigation system was a slog. Hauling clues to specific locations for hours of trial-and-error puzzle solving burned goodwill fast. The sequel's expanded Mind Palace, now called Investigation Space, lets players pin evidence and draw connections from anywhere, functioning like a digital evidence board. It strips away some flavor, sure, but ditches the busywork that made detective work feel like homework. A standard pylon puzzle requiring symbol sequencing showed that the core sleuthing still engages the brain without overcomplicating things.
What didn't show up in the demo were the morally complex choices that made the original stand out. That's a concerning omission. The gunplay, however, was there in full janky glory. Enemies move in staggered waves at first, manageable if you target their pulsating weak points. But combat devolves quickly as numbers increase. Third-person aiming feels loose and imprecise. Spider-like creatures that scurry and leap prove particularly frustrating to track. Damage registration is barely noticeable: no flinch, no feedback, no audio cue to confirm you've landed a shot. Running away often feels smarter than fighting, which sometimes undercuts the horror entirely when enemies casually wander off after you vault through a window.
There are moments where retreat works brilliantly. A hospital sequence with zombies bursting through walls to tear you apart nails the desperation. But those moments are the exception rather than the rule. Weapon feedback varies wildly. The shotgun satisfies with a proper boom. Pistols and submachine guns feel anemic. A new talents system promises damage synergies and buffs that could rebalance things, but nothing clicked during the preview.
Frogwares clearly learned from the first game's weaknesses. Better protagonist, cleaner investigation mechanics, intentional mission design. Whether those improvements can carry a sequel weighed down by uninspired combat remains the real question. The Sinking City 2 arrives on PC and consoles this summer, and it'll need tighter gunplay to justify another dive into Lovecraftian waters.
Author Emily Chen: "Frogwares has built something that could finally unlock the series' potential, but only if they tighten up that combat before launch."
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