The Sinking City Remastered Full Review: A Dive into Madness with Next-Gen Power

The Sinking City Remastered is an upgraded version of the original 2019 game developed by Frogwares, a team known for psychological horror and investigation games inspired by H.P. Lovecraft. This remaster doesn’t just improve visuals, it also boosts overall performance and brings real support for next-gen consoles. In this review, we’ll dive deep into everything: story, gameplay, investigation system, and our final verdict.

🧠 Story: Oakmont… a City Drowned in Madness

You play as Charles Reed, a former U.S. Navy detective, who is called to the fictional semi-flooded city of Oakmont in the 1920s to investigate a wave of strange phenomena and madness spreading among the locals. Reed isn’t just solving local cases—he also faces terrifying visions tied to his own past. The story blends psychological horror with deep investigation, and even touches on themes about the human mind, fear, and the unknown.

🕹️ Gameplay: Free Investigations in a Nightmare World

The game focuses on exploration and evidence gathering. There are no direct quest markers, so you need to use your skills to uncover the truth. You’ll explore crime scenes, collect clues, and use Charles’ Mind Palace to connect the dots. There’s no right or wrong answer in investigations, which makes your choices truly matter. The game also includes light RPG elements like weapon upgrades and improving investigative skills.

🗺️ Game World: Oakmont’s Divided Open World

Oakmont is a large open world divided into neighborhoods like Grimhaven Bay and Salvation Harbor. Each district has its own mood, from flooded poor zones to hidden rich mansions. You move through the city by boat or on foot, wandering empty and dangerous streets. You’ll take on both main investigations and eerie side quests revealing more of the city’s lore.

🎨 Graphics and Technical Enhancements

The remastered version makes great use of Unreal Engine 4 with major improvements:

• Better textures and more detailed environments.
• Dynamic lighting and improved reflections for a darker atmosphere.
• Stable 60FPS on next-gen consoles (PS5 / Xbox Series X).
• DualSense support on PS5 for immersive haptics.
• Ultra-fast loading thanks to SSDs, almost no wait times.
• New sound effects that boost the horror and tension.

📷 Original vs Remastered Comparison

Here are the main differences between the original and remastered versions:

• Original: Inconsistent performance, low FPS, long loading times, weak AI.
• Remastered: Smoother performance, fast load times, stable FPS, smarter AI, more realistic visuals.
• Photo Mode: A new photo mode lets you capture the horror in high quality.

✅ Pros and Cons

Pros

• Unique investigation style based on thinking, not memorizing.
• Atmospheric world filled with mystery and creativity.
• Excellent visual and performance upgrades overall.
• Freedom of choice with real story consequences.
• Replayability with multiple endings.

Cons

• Combat system is basic and a bit outdated.
• Enemy AI sometimes feels too simple.
• Some side quests feel repetitive.

🔚 Final Verdict

The Sinking City Remastered delivers a rare investigative horror experience full of deep psychological and environmental storytelling. The technical upgrades raise the entire quality of the game and make it worth playing—even if you’ve already played the original version.

🏆 Final Rating

Score: 8.5 / 10 ⭐
A well-designed investigative horror game that offers a true psychological thrill in an open-world setting. A must-play for mystery and detective fans.