I've unwisely let my inventory fill up, even as The Sinking City 2 bleeds my ammunition. I'm back-tracking, but the road back to the safe room is long, and more writhing, water-logged, bloated undead lunge at me through half-flooded spaces than were there previously. Before I can make it to safety and combine resources from my item box to concoct more ammunition or healing items, a new enemy type unceremoniously appears and throws me across the room. Screaming, I unload any remaining bullets into whichever part of its fishy skin looks to be a weak spot. The Sinking City 2 truly has the survival horror juice to be in conversation with modern Resident Evil and Silent Hill entries.
The Sinking City 2 is clearly influenced by both those horror series. At times, it feels like a love letter to iconic survival horror moments, and it wisely lifts some of their best features – from Resident Evil 2 remake's color-coded maps for the item-hungry, to an early section set in the flooded streets of Arkham that reminds me of wandering through Silent Hill 2 remake's urban early hours. Inventory management, safe rooms, and item boxes are present – including crafting recipes that share resources between ammo and health, meaning you have to make agonizing decisions about what you most need to press further into the unknown. Yet, The Sinking City 2 uses its Lovecraftian, cosmic horror theming to push beyond its contemporaries.
