Developer Frogwares, best known for the Sherlock Holmes series of games, has revealed the first gameplay from upcoming detective game The Sinking City. Set in an H.P. Lovecraft inspired 1920s Massachusetts, players will step into the shoes of PI Charles.
Investigating a mysterious and almost supernatural flood, Charles and the player will need to use all of their detective skills as The Skinking City isn’t a game that’s going to offer any assistance.
Frogwares has crafted The Sinking City in such a way that it eschews conventional game design. According to Frogwares;
There are no objectives on the map or straightforward quests. No magic waypointmarkers automatically telling you where to go or search.
The Sinking City
In the game, players will be completely on their own. Investigating the city and the flood will be entirely up to the player with no straightforward quests and absolutely no objectives on your map pointing you in any direction.
Frogwares is also keen to stress that it won’t push you into a quest one way or another. How players investigate is entirely at their discretion. Everything you investigate and discover will be logged in Charles’ casebook. Players will need to refer to this constantly throughout the game to ensure they keep everything straight and don’t end up making the wrong assumptions or accusations.
You won’t only have your wits to help you on your investigation though as Charles comes equipped with a few supernatural skills of his own. Using his ‘Mind’s Eye,’ Charles is able to find hidden or obscure clues and by using his special ‘Retrocognition,’ he is able to recreate the events of a crime scene in his mind.
When it comes to the world of the mundane, Charles will have access to the Archives at City Hall, Police Officers at the station and other locations around town to help piece the puzzle together. Using Charles’ Mind Palace, players will be able to put all the pieces together and come up with their conclusions. You’ll need to be careful though because there are no real right or wrong answers in The Sinking City.
According to Frogwares;
If you’re about to destroy someone’s life, make sure you have a damn good reason.
The Sinking City will be available on PC, PS4 and Xbox One in 2019.
