Sinking City 2 Developer Reveals New Survival Mechanics and Exploration Features

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In contrast to its predecessor, The Sinking City 2 shifts gears to become a semi-open world survival horror game, offering a fresh take on the original. Players will delve into the intriguing realm of Arkham as they gather clues and confront various creatures inspired by Lovecraft’s Cthulhu mythology. New elements abound for players to savor, including an overhauled combat system with a unique ‘wound-body’ feature that grants insight into the damage inflicted upon enemies.

In a chat with Game Rant, Frogwares’ publishing director Sergiy Oganesyan shares insights about the fan involvement in making The Sinking City 2, brainstorming fresh beasts, the game’s environment and its hidden mysteries, among other topics. For your convenience, this interview has been shortened and made clearer.

Taking The Series In A New Direction

Why did you choose to switch the genre from detective adventure to survival horror for The Sinking City 2?

For more than two decades, we’ve been recognized as an autonomous game studio specializing in detective games. However, this recognition has also limited us somewhat. The gaming world and player preferences are constantly changing, and they will continue to do so. To adapt and thrive, we aim to broaden our creative horizons and reach a wider audience. Our goal is to ensure the longevity of our studio for another 20 years or more, and to achieve this, we must take risks and venture into new territories.

Question: How do the battle and survival systems in The Sinking City 2 compare to those in the original game? Could you elaborate on the differences between them?

For The Sinking City 2, we’re designing both the combat and survival systems completely anew as these elements have become crucial gameplay features in the upcoming sequel.

In terms of combat, our aim is to ensure it feels authentic and rewarding. This encompasses common elements like realistic recoil, sound effects, visual cues showing hits on targets, enemies reacting realistically (such as being pushed or knocked away based on the weapon used), and so forth. These are the typical aspects you’d expect, but if any detail is lacking, it will stand out noticeably.

To enhance the gaming experience, we’re introducing a “wound-body” system that vividly demonstrates the specific location and type of damage inflicted by a weapon on an opponent. Unlike conventional games where enemy impacts are marked with blood decals or similar visuals, our enemies will have a detailed secondary layer of bones and muscle tissue that reveals when a bullet pierces their skin. This additional layer encompasses the entire body, ensuring that you’ll always witness those lifelike (and graphic) impact effects regardless of your aiming position. This feature aims to amplify the sense of satisfaction we strive for in our gameplay.

We’re equally dedicated to creating various types of adversaries that demand unique tactics for defeating them. As for the bosses, they’re intricately designed Lovecraftian creatures that are captivatingly bizarre.

In terms of survival mechanics, we’ve dedicated considerable effort to refining aspects like inventory management, crafting, and resource allocation. Players will need to strategically gather and utilize resources as levels won’t be abundant with items. We aim for a delicate equilibrium: ensuring players don’t feel deprived but also avoiding an overabundance. Additionally, we’ll offer various difficulty settings to cater to different playstyles.

As a passionate fan of The Sinking City, I can’t help but wonder how my fellow enthusiasts will react to the updates and enhancements in The Sinking City 2. The original game captured our hearts with its immersive world and captivating storyline, so it’ll be intriguing to see how these changes resonate within our community.

To date, the response has been predominantly positive. However, we do have queries regarding the aspect of investigation. What truly matters is that we’re continuing to deliver elements distinctly Frogwares, such as the investigative tools and gameplay. For those less interested in combat, you can reduce its complexity and concentrate on the investigation and puzzle-solving aspects, similar to TSC1. The original game featured more combat, but it’s been improved significantly in the sequel.

As a gamer, delving into the world of TSC2 has been an exhilarating experience! There’s no shortage of hints – anywhere from 20 to 40 – hidden throughout each map, each one unraveling its own little mystery. What makes it even better is that most of these clues are optional. That means you can crack cases without feeling the pressure to find every last one of them. Remember TSC1? If you missed a single clue, it could leave you stumped and stuck. But not anymore! Now, you can reach the correct conclusion just by following a few key clues, no need to connect all the dots this time around.

On the very first day, The Sinking City 2’s Kickstarter campaign exceeded its initial goal. I wanted to express my heartfelt gratitude to our devoted fans and backers who made this remarkable achievement possible.

I’d like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who chose to support us. To be honest, words seem inadequate to fully convey the depth of our humility. We had a sense that we might reach our target, given the impressive backing we received on our previous Kickstarter campaign, “Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened”. However, achieving our goal so promptly and seeing it continue to expand is truly amazing and beyond what we expected.

Q: Are there any stretch goals that you are excited about?

As a fan myself, I must confess that what’s really got me pumped are the first two stretch goals we’ve successfully hit so far! The first one was all about expanding our game with additional missions or content, giving players the chance to delve deeper into more investigations. And the second one focused on enhancing the visual diversity of our primary enemy, those creepy Slithers, making them even more intriguing and challenging!

Initially, these ideas were thoroughly sketched out on paper, yet our team was uncertain about having the necessary resources for execution and whether there was genuine interest in them. However, due to the backing from our community, we now have approval to proceed with bringing these concepts to life.

Check Out The Sinking City 2’s Kickstarter

Goals, Features, And Expanding Cthulhu Mythos For The Sinking City 2

Inquiry: The upcoming game titled “The Sinking City 2” is planned to introduce fresh creatures that build upon the mythology of Cthulhu. Could you explain the process of transforming the Cthulhu Mythos into video game creatures?

In order to create a consistent and authentic Lovecraftian atmosphere for our project, it’s essential that we meticulously study and adhere to the descriptions penned by H.P. Lovecraft. The narrative serves as the glue that binds all aspects together. It’s crucial for our team to grasp the fundamental elements employed by Lovecraft so that our creatures seamlessly fit within a Lovecraftian universe. We aim to determine where this fresh creature can slot into Lovecraft’s “monster hierarchy” and also its function in the game. For instance, certain creatures may serve as adversaries (like the Deep One and Shoggoth), some as bosses, others as characters, and so on.

After receiving input from game designers, tech artists, optimization specialists, animators, and others, our concept artists will visualize the idea. Keep in mind that there are numerous guidelines and limitations to consider! We rely on a multitude of factors during development – like room dimensions, main character speed, and so forth. Every monster is designed with these considerations in place. Once we’ve gathered all necessary information, we proceed to create a 3D model, optimized for the game, which is then sent over for test animations. If everything checks out, the model is finalized. The real challenge lies ahead – crafting the gameplay.

Q: Likewise, what’s it like working with the Cthulhu Mythos when fleshing out the narrative?

B: The Cthulhu Mythos is more than just strange creatures and eerie aesthetics; it embodies a profound philosophical concept of cosmic dread and our role in the universe. It also encompasses feelings of loneliness and isolation, which are crucial elements in shaping our storytelling and game design.

Working with Lovecraft’s writings offers immense satisfaction due to the wealth of inspiration they provide. Unlike some other works, there is no sense of being confined by a rigid storyline or fixed characters. While there are certain dark and ominous themes that must be maintained, the flexibility is quite remarkable. Much of what Lovecraft penned leaves room for personal interpretation, making it an exciting and open-ended creative journey.

In some fictional works, certain creatures are subtly suggested or only briefly alluded to. Online discussions often revolve around attempting to organize a “creature pecking order,” yet there’s much ambiguity due to conflicting interpretations of the available information. The mythology contains a significant moral ambiguity, as these creatures aren’t inherently evil but neither are they adorable or friendly. This ambiguity offers us, as a studio, an exciting opportunity for storytelling – we have a guiding principle, but there are numerous paths to explore. As long as the stories remain faithful to the source material, we can create unique works that are well-received by fans who are deeply familiar with the Cthulhu Mythos.

As a devoted fan, I’d be happy to discuss the role of player freedom in “The Sinking City 2.” Although it may not be an open-world game per se, it still offers a significant degree of liberty to its players. This freedom is pivotal to the overall experience as it allows us to explore and interact with the game’s unique environment at our own pace, making each playthrough distinctively ours.

In “The Sinking City 2,” this freedom manifests in various ways, such as the ability to choose how we approach challenges, make decisions that impact the story, and even customize our character. This autonomy not only enhances immersion but also encourages replayability, as we can experiment with different strategies or choices to see their consequences.

In essence, player freedom in “The Sinking City 2” is like being a detective in a flooded city where every corner holds secrets waiting to be uncovered. It’s our journey, our discoveries, and our decisions that shape the world around us, making each adventure unique and engaging.

In The Sinking City 2, we’ve emphasized player autonomy through an optional investigation system that complements our semi-open world setting. This means players can pick and choose which clues they wish to explore, with rewards such as additional lore, supplies, new paths, hidden secrets, and more being unlocked. Our map will be filled with numerous spots where taking the time to delve deeper could uncover extra content for those who are curious.

A: It appears that there are numerous weapons available for you to discover as you traverse the ruins of Arkham. Can you share how your process of designing weapons has evolved in this instance?

As an enthusiast, I’d say the abundance of weapons we offer largely depends on your personal perspective. So far, we’ve got approximately a dozen firearms at our disposal, but what truly sets us apart from the original is our commitment to ensuring each gun provides a unique experience. Our primary objective is to ensure that each weapon feels distinct and offers its own set of advantages and challenges.

In line with classic gaming traditions, we’re also incorporating weapon upgrades. These enhancements can be discovered throughout your journey as you unravel mysteries, solve cases, and conquer puzzles.

As a passionate fan, I can’t help but wonder about the journey of transitioning from the engine of “The Sinking City” to the cutting-edge Unreal Engine 5 for its sequel. How has this leap forward affected the development process so far?

Transitioning from Unreal 4 to Unreal 5 indeed brought about a learning challenge, but once you grasp the new set of tools, you can truly admire their power. The creation of games is a time-consuming endeavor as every action necessitates optimization – it’s usually a tedious and prolonged process that demands manual attention.

In simpler terms, before Nanite technology was introduced, creating a realistic rock in a game involved a tedious process. You’d first design a highly detailed version of the rock (high-poly), then a less detailed one (low poly). The intricate details from the high-poly model were transferred to the low-poly using normal maps, which simulate micro details through shading. To make sure the game ran smoothly at different distances, multiple versions of the rock (LODs) had to be created, with each version having a lower level of detail as it got farther away. This process had to be repeated for every model requiring such an approach, making it quite laborious.

As a gamer, I’m thrilled about how Unreal simplifies many of the behind-the-scenes optimizations. It’s not all smooth sailing, though; every tool has its quirks, and there’s an initial investment required for these resources. Still, considering the long run, it’s a deal I’d happily make again and again.

Q: Is there anything that you’d like to add about The Sinking City 2?

For the first time, we’re fully incorporating community feedback during early development stages, and it has already been incredibly helpful. We recognize that this game represents a daring move for us, as it ventures into a genre we haven’t delved deeply into before. It’s heartening to witness such strong support from the community, and we’re eager to see where our work strikes a chord with fans and where we can make improvements. This journey is all about learning, growing, and we’re delighted to keep our community along for the ride as we progress.

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2025-03-30 15:26