The Sinking City 2

This is a quality product. Better execution than any modern RE Remakes and better than Silent Hill 2 Remake. Did I stutter? About the game, I hear parrots singing Resident Evil. I say Alone In The Dark with some bits of Alan Wake. While not having the much appreciated and enjoyed exploration and detective activities from the first game, it shines for what it delivers. Impressive and detailed characters and environments, moody and immersive ambiences. Enemies are aggressive in a positive way, with the mechanics of avoid to be hit in weak spot from RE4 (there i t is but that's it) better applied. They are also not sponges and can be killed with two or three well put shots in weak spots even in the highest difficulty. This also applies to elites, on a average of eight shots, except the last boss. The puzzles even in the high difficult are nothing too much that blocks the player from progression but yet have its purpose. The combat it's well put and the feedback is right. You have dodge to spacing in fights and some skills to try adapt the survivability to your style of play. Ammunition is limited, as it should, but not so as it is in The Evil Within. Each weapon has its utility with some upgrades to reward exploration. The maps are well put and makes navigation easy to monitor things. You can also light on or off the flashlight at will. My complaints with the game lies in some key points: - Enemies have its movements limited in certain areas so they got stuck in some immersive breaking paths instead of relentless pursuit the player, while avoiding being killed of course. But it is not exclusive from this game as all other mentioned also have it. But they could do different and better here. - The partner in some moments, even though in the context makes sense it pressing you to move forward, more than two or three reminders becomes a annoying feature that makes me to care less for the character. - Unreal is used, so in some open areas occurs micro stutters while streaming assets. But overall it runs well. - No shoulder aim swap. I think would be much appreciated if pressing L3 while aiming could do that. - In the highest difficulty some obligatory arenas becomes frustrating because the numbers of enemies compared to the space given, that's it is reduced because constant acid bombs. But I would say this only happens in two or three moments. The game has a good replay factor. I finished both main campaign and DLC in Sleep Demon difficulty. After that two more times in lower ones. Overall I give a 8.5. If some things are changed it can reach a 9.0 or even above, imho. It's a must play. I hope Sinking City 3 can have the exploration and mysteries from 1 with the combat of 2. That would be a easy winner.

[h1]Resident Evil Meets Lovecraft[/h1] "That is not dead which can eternal lie, And with strange aeons even death may die." You probably will too. It's a survival horror game, after all. The Sinking City 2's plot goes like this- the protagonist, Calvin and their obvious romantic interest and partner in things bizarre and better left buried, Faye, try to wake up a god. As this game is very clearly based off the Cthulhu mythos, one can tell this is a Very Bad Thing to do that will end very badly for everyone in the solar system, and generally speaking when dealing with elder gods or spooky aliens, you leave the strange artifacts alone and hope you get to live out your natural life before someone else is dumb enough to do the ritual instead. But a game where rational, sane choices are made regarding such things would be very short, so you get the city of Arkham being flooded both literally with water and metaphorically with monsters that start with 'unholy worms using corpses as puppets' and get steady worse from there. Fortunately Calvin has both means natural and supernatural to give him a fighting chance- or as much of a fighting chance as one can have against things who were around before such newfangled concepts like 'time' and 'matter'. Calvin can find various weapons that do a good job of dispatching eldritch horrors, enhancing modifications for them that give them that little extra bit of stopping power, and craft ammo and medicine because that's apparently a required course for any survival horror protagonist nowadays. In addition, his investigations will gain him dream essence he can use to unlock skills that will make him unnaturally tougher, more resourceful, hit harder, etc. These skills must be equipped, with Calvin getting a max of four slots if you invest wisely, and so a player is advised to choose skills that fit their methods or skill level best- people like me, who manage to dodge into every attack, are better off selecting skills that boost medicines and reduce incoming damage, for example. Calvin's goal in the midst of a city-wide disaster is fairly simple on paper- the ritual he and Faye were conducting went Horribly Right, and now to wake her from a perpetual out of body experience, he seeks out the lore and relics need it to try and break even when dealing with Lovecraftian entities. Naturally, as is almost always the case with Lovecraft stories, Things Get Worse. giving the player ample time to solve puzzles and learn disturbing lore while trying to kill things that should not be- a game that boils down to either 'shoot it in the glowing, bulging pustule' or 'blow it up with nearby flammables or grenades'. While Calvin and Faye don't descend into the gibbering madness of most doomed characters in Eldritch Horror, they do act human, even when it's irrational. Calvin wants to save his lover, costs to himself be damned, and the feeling is clearly mutual with Faye. SPOILERS AHEAD. [spoiler]Unfortunately, as anyone familiar with the mythos can reasonably guess, at the end of the day Calvin and Faye are still humans trying to deal with something that is so far beyond their mortal keen to influence in any meaningful matter that it ultimate becomes not a question of winning, but losing on your own terms. Calvin and Faye's development as a romantic couple is heartfelt and genuine. But that means absolutely nothing to an old one.[/spoiler] Exploration is convenient enough- areas that still have something to get are marked in red, whereas areas you've picked clean are marked in blue. The Sinking City 2 doesn't try to reinvent the wheel, but it does make it roll cleanly and effectively. Item management and knowing when to retreat are critical, but deaths feel fair. Newer players may balk at key items taking up precious inventory space, but older players will appreciate the balance of carrying ammo, healing, and needed keys as an exercise in measuring how much you can afford to spend fighting versus running, with every expansion to your inventory space giving you just a little more breathing room. Definitely recommended.

クトゥルフを題材としたゲームとしては素晴らしいです。 王道クリーチャーも出てくる、ジャンプスケア多めだがホラー要素もある。 ファンにとっても、クトゥルフ神話初心者にもおすすめできる作品です。 グラフィックも昨今のゲームよろしく出来がいいですね。 それはそれとして、前作にあったTRPG的な探索サブクエスト要素は失われました。 オープンワールドではなくなったことが起因しているのだろうけど、一本道感は否めないか。 ゲーム性はバイオライク、戦闘システムはややストレスが溜まりやすいのがネックです。 人型は多少怯んでくれるが、怪物系はほぼ怯みも無く、ショットガンで撃とうが構わず攻撃続行してきます。 戦闘中は一定時間で習得アイテムが復活する仕様のため、弾数の心配をあまりしなくてよいのは優しいですね。 クトゥルフ神話を題材として、ここまで映像として起こしてしてくれるのは貴重です。 アーカムと聞いて「おや？聞き覚えがあるぞ？」となるお店も出てくる、良いですね。

Excellent jeu, le gameplay est bien meilleur que sur le premier

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[h1]🐙 The Sinking City 2: Arkham se ahoga en Unreal Engine 5 ★★★★☆ (7.5/10)[/h1] [i]Frogwares deja atrás el tedioso mundo abierto de la primera entrega para abrazar el survival horror sin complejos. Se acabaron los paseos interminables buscando direcciones; esto es terror de supervivencia clásico con tentáculos, y funciona mucho mejor, aunque arrastra los fantasmas técnicos habituales del estudio.[/i] [h3]🎮 Jugabilidad[/h3] El cambio de rumbo le ha sentado de maravilla. Al centrarse en mapas semiabiertos interconectados (la decadente ciudad de Arkham en los años 20), la tensión por fin hace acto de presencia. El combate y la gestión de recursos son ahora los protagonistas indiscutibles. Disparar a las aberraciones tiene mucho más peso y castigo que en el primer juego, pero la inteligencia artificial de los enemigos sigue siendo algo torpe, limitándose la mayoría de las veces a embestir en línea recta. Las mecánicas de deducción e investigación se mantienen, pero están mucho mejor integradas en la exploración de los escenarios y no se sienten como un trámite burocrático de rellenar menús. [h3]🖥️ Experiencia de Usuario[/h3] La interfaz es limpia y el inventario, claramente inspirado en los pilares del género, te obliga a tomar decisiones difíciles sobre qué equipo llevar contigo. A nivel de [b]QoL[/b], se agradece enormemente el abandono de aquel infame sistema de navegación por calles sin marcadores del título original. Aquí el mapa es útil, el avance se siente mucho más orgánico y el diseño de niveles te guía de forma sutil. Eso sí, manejar el bote por las calles inundadas sigue siendo una experiencia algo tosca que entorpece el ritmo. [h3]🎨 Apartado Técnico/Visual[/h3] El salto a Unreal Engine 5 es evidente desde el primer chapoteo en el barro. La recreación de Arkham, podrida, húmeda y devorada por el océano, es un triunfo de la dirección artística. La iluminación y los reflejos consiguen una atmósfera opresiva de manual. Sin embargo, estamos hablando de Frogwares: prepárate para animaciones faciales de cera en las cinemáticas, rascadas de frames (tirones) injustificadas al cargar nuevas zonas y unos cuantos bugs menores de colisión que rompen la inmersión más de lo que deberían en un lanzamiento actual. [h3]🏆 Desafío y Logros[/h3] La economía de recursos es dura, obligándote a esquivar y correr más que a disparar, especialmente en dificultades altas. Alcanzar el [b]100% de los logros[/b] te pedirá pasarte la campaña administrando cada bala, resolviendo todos los casos secundarios y encontrando los documentos de lore esparcidos por la ciudad. Es un platino exigente que te obligará a volver sobre tus pasos a zonas infestadas que preferirías dejar atrás. [h3]⏱️ Análisis de Tiempo (HLTB)[/h3] [list] [*] ⏳ [b]Historia Principal:[/b] 12 Horas [*] 📖 [b]Historia + Casos Secundarios:[/b] 16 Horas [*] 💯 [b]Completacionista (100%):[/b] 25 Horas [/list] [table] [tr] [th]🟢 Lo mejor[/th] [th]🔴 A mejorar[/th] [/tr] [tr] [td]✔️ Arkham en UE5 es una pesadilla visualmente deslumbrante.[/td] [td]❌ Las animaciones faciales y corporales siguen sintiéndose muy robóticas.[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]✔️ El enfoque hacia el survival horror puro le sienta mil veces mejor.[/td] [td]❌ La IA enemiga es bastante básica, limitando el reto del combate.[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]✔️ La gestión de inventario y la escasez de munición generan tensión real.[/td] [td]❌ Problemas de rendimiento y tirones al transicionar entre zonas.[/td] [/tr] [/table] [h3]⚖️ Conclusión Final[/h3] Mi recomendación se decanta por la [b]COMPRA[/b]. Frogwares ha sabido leer las críticas de su primera obra y ha cortado por lo sano la grasa del mundo abierto para darnos una aventura de terror mucho más compacta, tensa y dirigida. Si estás dispuesto a perdonar sus ya clásicas asperezas técnicas y buscas una buena dosis de horror cósmico que bebe directamente de los clásicos del género, las calles inundadas de Arkham son un destino turístico muy apetecible que justifica tu inversión.

It's a great spin on the Survival Horror Genre. It feels and plays like Resident Evil 2 Remake and is heavily inspired by its mechanics, so Resident Evil fans will definitely love this!