The horrors penned by the iconic H.P. Lovecraft are the types of stories and images that have really stuck with many consumers, firmly establishing a wealth of cosmic horror in pop-culture. Cthulhu can be found everywhere from recreations of the idol depicted in the short story that started it all to an adorable plush. For a character that is public domain, it’s pretty weird that the cosmic being hasn’t been featured in as many video games as one would expect. Games featuring the Great Old One have been hit or miss, rarely catching wide-spread critical praise. The Sinking City, developed by Kyiv, Ukraine based Frogwares, launches on most platforms this week, seeking to capture the Cthulhu mythos in a third-person horror game.
Really, not much is known about The Sinking City as the details released are typically vague, at least comparing to other marketing in games. Instead, we got lots of visually stunning and intriguing trailers showing off the game’s main town Oakmont, Massachusets, shots of the main character falling victim to trippy scenarios, and out-in-the-open, tentacle-abundant monster design. The shot of the sky being a large body of water and then slowly falling into the city is such a cool moment that reminds me of the visuals in the film “Inception.”
While being reserved in showing the monsters would feel more like the signature Lovecraft style, I’ve always looked for something to be more obvious in video games. An ideal Cthulhu game for me would combine the gameplay elements of games like Resident Evil 1, 4, or 7 with the psychological angle of games like Silent Hill 2 or The Evil Within. About a month prior to the game’s release, we finally got a gameplay trailer that does show elements of the type of game I am personally hoping for.
The Sinking City stars Charles W. Reed, appropriately a private investigator, who considers Oakmont to be the source of the encroaching madness that haunts his mind. Judging from the trailer, it looks as if Reed will explore the city’s structures and maybe townsfolk, solve mysteries and puzzles by examining and taking pictures, and occasionally blasting a shotgun load into the twisted bodies of monsters. There are also twelve outfits for Reed to wear, which is something I always appreciate in horror games.
Understandably, The Sinking City will be compared to another game that was revealed around the same time, Call of Cthulhu by Cyanide Studio. Admittedly, I haven’t played Call of Cthulhu, but the comparison would be interesting to study. Honestly, the more stealth-focused and dialogue gameplay offerings turned me away at launch in favor of other games. This is why I’m looking forward to The Sinking City more; my favorite horror games are more like action thrillers with horror elements, although I see the appeal of something more deliberate or games that lack action elements.
The concept art is full of interesting designs that I hope made it into the game. Monsters coming out of paintings is something that would definitely scare the pants off of me.
Truthfully, my gold standard of games with Lovecraft inspirations falls on From Software’s incredible Bloodborne. The creatures of Bloodborne and the story of the dangers of forbidden knowledge really carry those elements in a way that is obviously a tribute while being strikingly unique. If The Sinking City can get anywhere near Bloodborne levels of using Lovecraft as a launch point for something new, it could really be an awesome title for Cthulhu fans.
It won’t be long until players get The Sinking City in their hands as the game launches digitally and physically on June 27th. The game will be available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC through the Epic Store exclusively for at least one year. It was also recently announced to be headed to the Nintendo Switch. More information can be found on the official website.
