Game completed: The Sinking City

When I picked this game up I thought it'd be like the Sherlock Holmes games, but with a Lovecraftian twist. There are definitely some elements from the Sherlock Holmes games in it, like the clue collecting, information gathering, and even a mind palace, but this game is a lot more RPG than any of the Sherlock Holmes games with levels and skill points and weapons and health and sanity bars to keep track of... I didnt expect to become so enamoured with this game, but even after I stopped playing it and went to bed I continued dreaming about playing it... 

As for the story you're Charles Reed, private investigator and ex Navy Seal from Boston. You've been troubled by visions and nightmares that won't go away no matter how many prescription drugs your doctor gives you. So you start to investigate to find the source of them and get rid of them. The clues lead you to Oakmont, a small town on the east coast that was recently partially flooded. It doesn't take long for Reed to realize that Oakmont isn't quite like other places and there's a reason why this town is so isolated and hard to find, and not even on most maps. There's something coming. From beneath the ocean.

Originally I felt that the combat was kinda wonky. Reed was slow to shoot and it was difficult to aim and he was slow to dodge and react, but it was something I learned to handle and anticipate as I played. You also start the game with only a pistol and a revolver that work really well on small enemies, but doesn't do much on the big ones. The handmade grenades work, but they're expensive in mats and you only have three. Things get easier once you unlock the shotgun. 

There are no traders and there's no in-game currency. Since Oakmont is effectively cut off from the rest of the world they have reverted to bartering. There are a lot of crafting mats to be found in the world, though. And you'll need it. Damn, I've never used so much gunpowder in my life.

There are no quest markers, but you can put map markers on your own based on the clues you're given and they'll show up on the compass as somewhat quest markers. Since half the town is flooded you can't walk everywhere and sometimes you have to take a boat between places. You have to pay attention to dialogue and read everything so you know what clues to connect in the mind palace later.

This game is inspired by the Lovecraftian Mythos but it isn't a horror game. It's an investigative adventure game with some creepy and gross undertones. It's a very grey world. I was always creeped out by the underwater parts. It isn't scary, but it keeps feeding you the sense that there's something lurking, something coming, something watching and biding its time, waiting... And that makes it so creepy sometimes. 

I really enjoyed investigating the town and its people. I went as far as looking up all the sidequests, when they became available, and where to pick them up so I could make sure to do everything. There's a lot to uncover and I had a lot of fun doing all of it! And Reed has a punny and sarcastic sense of humour that shines through every so often. It lightens up the pretty heavy feeling of doom that all the other citizens are having. 

Don't go into this game expecting a horror game, because this isn't that. This is a somewhat creepy and somewhat unsettling adventure game.