"They so clearly tried to make the best game they could make and that sincerity absolutely seeps from every pore of this game. It’s honest, it’s sincere, it’s authentic, it's well-meaning." As the lead writer of this game I can tell you that's exactly what we thought and what we aimed at. You've pinned it down perfectly and I'm glad you get that feeling.
Well my friend, I haven't played the game, but rest assured that I certainly will. I hope you keep on doing what you are doing, as the market really needs you guys to keep standards of honesty and non-corporate bullshit.
Imo it was an incredible idea just imagine if the open world was more interactive and the combat was smooth and a few more things fixed it would have definitely been my game of the year if only they had the budget but i still feel that its a great game for what they had to work with. I'm excited to see what they do next
Solid stuff man, cause that can't be patched in. Most of the complaints filed in this vid are about stuff that can be fixed, but sincerity is pretty much impossible to crowbar in after the fact.
Those moronic modern Ed-Wood-alikes still can have some "soul", even if it is as shabby and tainted as a Cthulhu one. - Actually, a rather rare occasion to happen, for triple A$$ bull.
The feeling Jim describes here is pretty much how I feel whenever I play a Spiders game. Their games are like BioWare-inspired mockbusters, but damn if they aren't good at it.
@@marcelberes469 Indeed ! But it doesn't mean that it's a bad game I personally dislike Red Dead 2, but even if it has issues, I would never say that it's a bad game
@@arenkai That's a mindset I wish more people had. Too many times I hear people saying a game (or book, movie etc) is 'crap' or 'trash', and when questioned about it they'll say 'Well that's just my opinion', but the thing is, to say it's crap or trash implies you believe it to be objectively low quality, as opposed to admitting you just don't like it, and I find saying something is 'crap' just because you don't like it is a rather immature criticism. I don't really like many racing games, but would I say they're crap or that they're bad? No, they just aren't for me.
This impression reminds me of the scene from Star Trek where Data drinks alcohol for the first time. "I hate it, it's absolutely revolting!" "More?" "Please!"
It's sad that good game creators don't have resources to make their games great, and that the AAA studios, with all the resources, have no interest in making good games.
AAA studios do have interest, but most of the time they can't make the game they want to because of the pressure from publishers (like EA). To make a good game, one of the key elements is time, which is not really given since all publishers are impatient and want new games as soon as possible.
Hell yes, especially when how easy it is to long for it these days. A game being made by passionate devs goes a long way to distinguish it from games made by profit algorithms.
so what you're saying is, it's basically an eastern european game from the early to mid 2000s like STALKER, Pathologic or Vampire Bloodlines. It's janky as hell to the point of being near-broken, but something about it is charming and draws you in to the point that you *almost* forgive those shortcomings, but still can't necessarily recommend it to the average consumer. Yea this is a pretty common type of game lol.
Exactly what I thought. Both, Stalker and Bloodlines were god damn broken messes which were just hard to play not because of difficulty but of quirkiness but ... I really, really love them, playing them even today once in a while
There were definitely shades of Pathologic in Sinking City - in Pathologic you only had map markers and no HUD directions so you better go by feel instead of constantly checking the map, you have three families in both games jostling for power and the visions in Sinking City feel more symbolic just like the theatre scenes in Pathologic.
Spent a good 20 hours on this game, but barely touched side quest and those i finished can have cute stories or brutally batshit insane stuff. It's good garbage.
AAA refused most of the time to toch Lovecraftian so indies and amateur takes the pick... sadly next to no budget and in most case not enough skill to make it through. resulting in a game thats bad, questionable to acceptable.
@@Chocolate83Bunny he actually turned around big time in later years, and (publicly i think?) admitted a lot of his beliefs and work were born out of ignorance and paranoia. so i think he'd be smiling at these games trying their best to keep this going but less racist, since he was always encouraging of people taking his work and changing/adding/etc. puts a smile on my face to think that
I wish we could have a real big RPG like The Witcher or Fallout but in an universe inspired by Lovecraft .. all these Lovecraft games are always low budget it's sad
I'll be picking up the Necronomicon edition then, this is exactly what I wanted. Don't even mind the warts. It's a passion project that, while not executed perfectly, show the reverence the devs had to the source material. Can't wait to play it
Played for ten hours. Maybe i have a different game. There are some serious ai pathfinding issues but other then that the game is absolutely wonderful. It looks gorgeous, the atmosphere is somewhere between naked lunch, lovecraft and angel heart, music is great, exploring the big creepy world is motivating and even fighting the monsters is fun. The whole detective thing plays like a well done adventure game and every game element is explained in the main menu ("How to play"). Sinking city is far, far off from being shitty or a bad game. If at all, this thing is pretty unique and could become a cult classic like deadly premonition.
Hmm.. cult classic with a few patches. It has a lot going for it, but the terrible npcs in the open world are really immersion breaking. If they fixed that, I’d forgive a lot of the other janky bits.
I felt the angel heart mood as well, one of my favourite movies and a decent book too ! I just finished the game on the switch and really enjoyed it all the way through, Jim's review is amusing highlighting some of the weird janky elements but I got really immersed in every aspect of this game and was impressed with the choices I faced along the way. Wish I'd played it earlier but I can say one of 2019's strongest games for me, although Pathologic 2 takes the crown.
I absolutely adored this game for some of the tiny details they put in the story. It provided so much more depth to the overarching plot that you find yourself in. The best example I can give is the protagonist himself. The way he holds his hands and nervously shakes them as he talks in a monotone voice that's so clearly exhausted and disconnected from everything due to insomnia. The remarkably sunken red eyes that dart around. It tells a lot about his mental state and reliance on hard drugs to keep himself from breaking completely. As flawed as this game is, I absolutely fell in love with it after being disappointed by Call of Cthulhu earlier this year. But I'm a weirdo.
That's the cool thing about a game based in Lovecraftian mythos as well - sometimes people acting in unnatural ways, the thousand yard stare, strange vocal inflections, and other stuff that could just be part of the jank fits in with the way people living in the presence of eldritch horrors would act. I understand that you're praising the game for what was deliberately added to the character movements, but sometimes even the mistakes can work in a games' favour.
@@Zombiewithabowtie Oh yeah for sure. The weird jank provided for some rather intense moments at times. The combat for example not being really good actually made for some tense moments when the enemies just keep dodging my damn shovel. It was frustrating but also intense.
I havnt heard this since my childhood. I always remember the episode where one of them spends the night in the old public toilets and that spider comes out the toilet :S
This sounds like a Troika Games game - broken, buggy, glitchy mess that is somehow better than the majority of Ax3 titles when it comes to actually having fun and enjoying the game. Sign me up.
The lead narrative designer for this is now working at GSC, the felluhs who developed the STALKER series and are now developing its sequel. This comparison may end up being even more apt when the sequel releases.
"This game is buggy in a way that I'd hate any other game for, but for some reason I like this one!" Hello Jim, welcome to the life of an Elder Scrolls fan ^_^
Sadly, not all B level games can be like A Plague Tale Innocence, Jim, but glad you're finding some enjoyment out of the game. I'm gonna wait for a deep discount myself. Need to see that $19.99 price tag.
It comes down to resource management too and not biting off more than you can chew. A Plague Tale is a very linear, structured game made by over 140 staff. Sinking City is a non-linear open world game made by 80 staff. Frogwares just went way beyond their scope and skill level in attempting Sinking City, they're used to making Sherlock games with a focus on writing and puzzle solving.
You used a term that I loved. "The sincerity in the game development". Usually I love terrible games because they honestly tried, compared to the crap AAA cash grabs we have
I'll probably end up getting it for Switch (hopefully there's a physical release) I look forward to dealing with old school headaches from an honest developer with an artistic vision rather than a soulless AAA studio that puts out perfectly functional games that seem more interested in monetizing me further than actually creating an engaging and interesting experience
Frogwares Sherlock games are great fun if you want to feel like an actual detective. So the writing and detective stuff in Sinking City is actually really good at times, but everything else with the open world and action is just shite.
@@Highwind452 Hopefully someone can mod the ammo situation so the player only has to deal with the jank rather than also never having enough bullets for the job. Restricted ammo can be done well (Metro series for example), but if everything else is janky then that can be the extra annoyance that sinks a game.
I like it when the devs of a game really wanted it to be how it was in their heads but just didn't have the skill or experience for it. If you put your heart into something, even it is not that good, it can be quite enjoyable. I also hope that those kind of studios get a chance to keep fixing it, get enough experience to make their remaster or learned everything they could from that project and make something else that they can actually realise that time. I'd say to the devs of the sinking city: don't stop now, we've seen your ideas and intentions and we see potential!
To anyone watching this today, I will let you know about the current state of the game. And no, this isn't any of that "sell now, fix later" games as a service bullshit. After Frogware won their copyright battle with their old publisher who tried to steal the game (look up "Sinking City What Happened" or something like that). They completely re-released the game on console, bugs, and glitches are fixed, combat is better but still simplistic and a little wonky but nothing hard to control. There's also a skill tree element to the game now that can expand your inventory, improve accuracy on weapons, and improve your chances of not using materials when crafting so you use up fewer resources over time. This game is all about exploration and you need to be able to run around for awhile, NPC's also interact weirdly with each other but it's nothing distracting of game-breaking this is a detective game through and through and it's the 1920's, you're a newcomer, you don't know the place and this is a time when written addresses weren't standard, especially in a place on it's last legs like Oakmont. However, important locations will be marked and you have the option of labeling anything on the map with whatever you decide from the choices given. This game will not hold your hand, on the easiest difficulty you can die quickly if you're not careful and run out of ammo if you don't aim sparingly and search everywhere you go. Clues are hidden behind illusions in almost every case, evidence can be anywhere inside a building and finding it can be frustrating, but when you put the pieces together you'll feel like a true detective. This game had a set goal in mind and it stuck to it, if you're the kind of person who can't handle reading a map and doing the most basic cartography in the world and don't have an attention span greater than thirty seconds then this probably isn't for you. On that note though, I wasn't sure about buying it given the mixed reviews from years ago when it first came out, but I decided to go through with it since I love H.P. Lovecraft's work and heard enough good to buy it on sale. I haven't played anything else for two weeks! This game pulls you in and makes you want to finish it and see everything, as I played, I noticed that building interiors were reused and there weren't new monsters being introduced after the first three hours and in my head I'm thinking: "This should be repetitive." and an hour later: "Huh, I could see how this would be repetitive." and it was just that until I blanked it out completely because despite facing the same enemies and entering basically the same buildings, it never really felt repetitive because you're never doing the same case in these buildings. Overall, if investigation and cosmic horrors interest you even slightly, i'd pick this game up it's a culture shock when there's no automatic wavepoints or path finding but that'll hardly be a problem. Also there's fast travel points in the form of phonebooths so don't worry you aren't running absolutely everywhere. And I found that singing shanties (character you play as is a Navy veteran) makes the time fly faster and keeps you in pace with what you're doing.
If its anywhere as glorious as Deadly Premonotion I will eat it any day. Deadly Premonition TOP 10 ever made material as far as im concerned. Though, being Call of Cthulhu mythos I expect it to be "slightly" more serious.
I've gotten far more enjoyment out of AP, than from most games produced these days. It's buggy, wonky, and with some pretty weak RPG elements (A big problem in my mind) - yet still it's so much fun! KOTOR 2 and AP are both products of the same flawed, insane and great mess.
Their Creative/Creativity department is beyond the average TripleA game. Their mechanic/ implementing department is sorta lacking. Like they knew they wanted to keep the resources low but not unplayable and they unfortunately made it exploitable but still... Still there are the marking of a development that did everything it could in the gameplay department that the story department asked them for even if not great!
I agree, their Sherlock games are really good. I could see hints of them trying action in the last one - Devil's Daughter and the result wasn't great. The feedback was for them to go back and do what they do grea2. Unfortunately they didn't lol
Hmm... learning that it's a regular thing they do with detective games makes me dislike them a bit but still their city design and some other things make the game passable if not likeable. Also Reidy i kinda know that like most companies everyone does everything on smaller companies and there aren't even "departments" but i chose to label them as such to point out that some aspects of the game are way cooler that they deserved for a game with generally bad gameplay
Releasing a good, but ultimately broken & buggy version of the game on Epic only to (potentially) have everything fixed for the Steam release.... Clever!
The video reminded me of the game, I decided to add it to Steam wishlist, got confused that it's not released yet (add it anyway), go back to this tab, scroll down to see your comment, confusion ended.
wait wait wait... you're saying a game that developers actually *cared* about was released? AND you LIKED it?! the year is 2019 still, right?... I'm confused.
The games that are shitty I can't recommend it, but I can't stop playing it. - Silent Hill Homecoming & Downpour - Darksiders 3 If it falls under any of those levels, I think I'm gonna be fine with Sinking City. Unless it's shittier than that.
I wrote a design document about a game similar to this one for my game design class. I dropped combat in favour of stealth takedowns (where sanity is your main ressource since being too close to mythos creatures drains it very fast) and very few, but powerful, ranged weapons because in my sense combat is at odds with Lovecraft's idea of horror. Funny to compare a game that's been made to my designs and see what I wouldn't have done and what I didn't think of.
Yeah I'm a big fan of the Call of Cthulhu tabletop RPG, and even in that system, which is a lot more conducive to heroism than the original novels, if you're in combat with a monster, you've pretty much already lost. Bring a handgun in case you run afoul of cultists, but other than that, your only truly effective weapons are education and preparation. And ambushes. And occasionally dynamite. Long story short, not toe-to-toe fisticuffs.
I feel almost the same way about Vampyr. There was something about that game that kept me playing, and I can honestly say I enjoyed it. The good for me, at least, outweighed everything else.
I’m playing The Sinking City now. “The Worst Game I’ve Ever Liked” is the best way to describe it. There really is something about this game that shines from the BS it’s surrounded by. The combat is SUPER ANNOYING. Died so many times and got tired of limited resources, I switched to Easy just to let things move along(and to stop having to travel such long, boring distances to give it another go) I miss Normal mode- the mood of Normal mode really made the monsters spawning have that feeling of dread and suspense to it
I’m really enjoying this game so far. It’s super tough to fight all the enemies. Clearly it’s a little rough around the edges but I love how it doesn’t hold your hand.
I need 'percentage of sale' rating. Like "buy 50% or more off", "wouldn't even pick up for free because time isn't free to play it". Because Steam sales always make me reevaluate some games I initially wishlist, saw iffy reviews, but when it's like 50% or more I reconsider.
Honestly: A mediocre experience with partially good and innovative ideas, partially old tropes, built with objectively not good craftsmenship, that still manages to stay in your mind and you kinda like it very much but you't really tell why is the essence of everything Lovecraft ever wrote. So yeah. it might be the perfect Lovecraft game.
You had me at plucked Jimmy boy. Will give the game a try. It seems this is typical of frogware games, technical difficulties but adept at creating suspense. Could not stop laughing at the guy smoking happy as Larry, while the Woman is in full tear mode.
Absolutely love this game in all honesty, it's amazing! I'd rather play a B rated game that has flaws like this over the shit big companies like Bethesda are shitting out these days
I like a good bit of Cthulu Mythos media but I hate how on-the-nose these things tend to be. It's not insidious, creeping horror when you have billboards shouting "embrace the tentacle" and your local soccer team is the "Miskatonic Fighting Cthulu's." It's like they've been created by a Lovecraft superfan who's totally missed a major part of the fun.
I'm going to buy it on Switch ... aren't I? Edit ... *FEEL THE GENTLE TOUCH OF TENTACLES* Protagonist: Can I ask you a question? Person: Mouth? Protagonist: Yeah.
GOOD NEWS! This just had an Upgrade on PS5 and now plays way faster and smoother now! Lot less glitchy, better lighting, six times faster to load, map loads seemlessly, etc so I'm actually enjoying it now! 😃
Reminds me of the B-games I used to buy in my teens when money was tight. They were often the same - buggy, glitchy but still gripping. I miss those days.
This was basically released in Early Access. Everyone wait for the Steam version, most of the overly-egregious jank will probably be fixed by then. With that said, however, I'm definitely getting a Deadly Premonition vibe from the jank, which lends it some odd charm. Plus, given the Lovecraftian bent, you could probably write off most of the jank as your own character, and most of the townsfolk, being mad as a ferret sausage on account of the eldritch horror happening in the city. There is a lot of good in this jankfest, but I'd say give it a year to iron out the worst of it. There'll probably be a degree of jank left once it hits its Steam release, but it'll hopefully be more manageable to the point of being quite endearing. Plus, you won't have to deal with Epic's shitty launcher, uncompetitive business ethos, and flat-out deceitfulness. Though even with all that said, I can't see Yahtzee being as charitable or as patiently understanding as Jim is being to this game, and especially not as much as I am. (I am a patient soul when it comes to game releases, which is good since The Sinking City technically isn't even out for another year)
"They so clearly tried to make the best game they could make and that sincerity absolutely seeps from every pore of this game. It’s honest, it’s sincere, it’s authentic, it's well-meaning."
As the lead writer of this game I can tell you that's exactly what we thought and what we aimed at. You've pinned it down perfectly and I'm glad you get that feeling.
Well my friend, I haven't played the game, but rest assured that I certainly will. I hope you keep on doing what you are doing, as the market really needs you guys to keep standards of honesty and non-corporate bullshit.
Wow! Really awesome to hear from someone who worked on the game!
Imo it was an incredible idea just imagine if the open world was more interactive and the combat was smooth and a few more things fixed it would have definitely been my game of the year if only they had the budget but i still feel that its a great game for what they had to work with. I'm excited to see what they do next
Solid stuff man, cause that can't be patched in. Most of the complaints filed in this vid are about stuff that can be fixed, but sincerity is pretty much impossible to crowbar in after the fact.
Well you guys did good a few patches and its well on its way.
"The writing is good sometimes"
Can't get more lovecraftian than that.
True
Flawed b-games > live service AAA games
Do you incline that "aaa" games are flawless?
@@HerrHoppenstedt I thought live service is the definition of flawed. xD
Those moronic modern Ed-Wood-alikes still can have some "soul", even if it is as shabby and tainted as a Cthulhu one. - Actually, a rather rare occasion to happen, for triple A$$ bull.
The feeling Jim describes here is pretty much how I feel whenever I play a Spiders game. Their games are like BioWare-inspired mockbusters, but damn if they aren't good at it.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU.
"I cannot in good conscience recommend this game I've been playing nonstop" is my most common gaming feel tbh.
my feelings on anime.
It's great whenever you see reviews where people don't recommend games they've spent 2000+ hours playing.
Problem of this game , less enemy , questionable monster ,tons of garbage quest , waste open world space , turn it to rubbish 🤣
Remember kids, you can like bad games and dislike good games.
Appreciation and quality are two different conversations
So, it is okay for me to dislike Witcher 3? :D
@@marcelberes469
Indeed !
But it doesn't mean that it's a bad game
I personally dislike Red Dead 2, but even if it has issues, I would never say that it's a bad game
That's BotW for me.
arenkai i dislike the GTA series despite everyone hating me for it back in the days
@@arenkai That's a mindset I wish more people had. Too many times I hear people saying a game (or book, movie etc) is 'crap' or 'trash', and when questioned about it they'll say 'Well that's just my opinion', but the thing is, to say it's crap or trash implies you believe it to be objectively low quality, as opposed to admitting you just don't like it, and I find saying something is 'crap' just because you don't like it is a rather immature criticism.
I don't really like many racing games, but would I say they're crap or that they're bad? No, they just aren't for me.
This impression reminds me of the scene from Star Trek where Data drinks alcohol for the first time.
"I hate it, it's absolutely revolting!"
"More?"
"Please!"
"Holy Moses, it DOES taste like grandma!"
"I want more!"
That's totally it! XD
the sinking city wouldn't have happened if we'd only sold our homes to aquaman and moved somewhere else
Hall Sobek
SELL THEIR HOUSES TO WHOM, BEN?
Fucking AQUAMAN?
Is that an Hbomberguy reference?
@@DrIvoRobotnick yep.
The clip of the lady crying while the other npc just watched and smoked, now that's gaming gold right there.
"Can i ask you a question?"
"Mouth?"
"Yea..."
sold. jim should make game trailers.
I love her she's so nonchalant about it
That scene in the first gameplay videos...and this is basically a "reality" where lovercraftian people (like the fish people) are "normal"...
It's sad that good game creators don't have resources to make their games great, and that the AAA studios, with all the resources, have no interest in making good games.
AAA studios do have interest, but most of the time they can't make the game they want to because of the pressure from publishers (like EA). To make a good game, one of the key elements is time, which is not really given since all publishers are impatient and want new games as soon as possible.
@Joshua Kierstead Or if they are extra lazy, leave modders to fix the game for them. *Bethesda* Hahahaha
@@domagojrimac4870 true and not to mention randomly cutting half the development team
@@jjoe7078 And now this game is no longer for sale...
@@expendableindigo9639 What do you mean? I literally just bought it.
I can see how "They actually cared" can be so good to play.
Hell yes, especially when how easy it is to long for it these days. A game being made by passionate devs goes a long way to distinguish it from games made by profit algorithms.
@@MartialArtzz Profit algorithms that don't even work, mind you, given how those games usually suck ass.
I just wish they'd cared for QA too...
Better than "We ticked a box on the factory line" games.
I'm still laughing about the guy just standing there smoking casually watching the woman crying profusely directly infront of him lmao
I'm telling you, these anti-smoke campaigns are getting *weird*.
so what you're saying is, it's basically an eastern european game from the early to mid 2000s like STALKER, Pathologic or Vampire Bloodlines. It's janky as hell to the point of being near-broken, but something about it is charming and draws you in to the point that you *almost* forgive those shortcomings, but still can't necessarily recommend it to the average consumer.
Yea this is a pretty common type of game lol.
Exactly what I thought. Both, Stalker and Bloodlines were god damn broken messes which were just hard to play not because of difficulty but of quirkiness but ... I really, really love them, playing them even today once in a while
Foot God The Stalker series are some of my favorite games ever.
God bless the Stalker games.
There were definitely shades of Pathologic in Sinking City - in Pathologic you only had map markers and no HUD directions so you better go by feel instead of constantly checking the map, you have three families in both games jostling for power and the visions in Sinking City feel more symbolic just like the theatre scenes in Pathologic.
God, I love all of these games. But to be fair, I only started playing them for real, when the first patches made them playable ;-)
"Worst game I've ever liked" is a very strong accolade from the man who gave Deadly Premonition a 10/10
Twin peaks the game is great
This looks like it's cut from the same cloth as Deadly Premonition, in just about every sense.
That is a very good sign.
Did you hear that, Zach?
@@YouSoSpice Clear as a crisp spring morning
Typically I refer to it as: "I keep trying to like this game, but..."
Spent a good 20 hours on this game, but barely touched side quest and those i finished can have cute stories or brutally batshit insane stuff. It's good garbage.
Did u like it and would you recommend it? It's on sale now for switch
Honestly I like it when a reviewer comes out and says yeah the games crap but im having a blast.
Cause it does in fact happen all to often.
What is it with all these janky yet sort-of charming lovecraft games?
AAA refused most of the time to toch Lovecraftian so indies and amateur takes the pick... sadly next to no budget and in most case not enough skill to make it through. resulting in a game thats bad, questionable to acceptable.
Even as it not up to the quality of Good AAA games they do try to let you enjoy it with no strings attached.
Because while it lacks in skill it is still made by people who like the material and that passion shows.
Lovecraft curses the games from his grave for being not racist
@@Chocolate83Bunny he actually turned around big time in later years, and (publicly i think?) admitted a lot of his beliefs and work were born out of ignorance and paranoia. so i think he'd be smiling at these games trying their best to keep this going but less racist, since he was always encouraging of people taking his work and changing/adding/etc. puts a smile on my face to think that
I wish we could have a real big RPG like The Witcher or Fallout but in an universe inspired by Lovecraft .. all these Lovecraft games are always low budget it's sad
Bloodborne is probably the closest we'll ever get to that
Here's my money.
@@caleb_popham Bloodborne may be Lovecraftian, but not a Lovecraft mythos game. In Lovecraft mythos game one just doesn't kill the monsters.
It’s a shoddy game that’s got great Lovecraft elements, so I’m still playing it based on that.
How would you have a big RPG in a Lovecraft inspired universe? That's model is pretty anti Lovecraft
Ah, Eurojank. I honestly do appreciate games like this that aren't good but interesting more than I do big AAA blockbusters.
Refers back to an earlier jimquisition where he said we need more b tier games
It's something Bethesda could have made if they just had put some more effort in.
I'll be picking up the Necronomicon edition then, this is exactly what I wanted. Don't even mind the warts. It's a passion project that, while not executed perfectly, show the reverence the devs had to the source material. Can't wait to play it
Played for ten hours. Maybe i have a different game. There are some serious ai pathfinding issues but other then that the game is absolutely wonderful. It looks gorgeous, the atmosphere is somewhere between naked lunch, lovecraft and angel heart, music is great, exploring the big creepy world is motivating and even fighting the monsters is fun.
The whole detective thing plays like a well done adventure game and every game element is explained in the main menu ("How to play").
Sinking city is far, far off from being shitty or a bad game.
If at all, this thing is pretty unique and could become a cult classic like deadly premonition.
Hmm.. cult classic with a few patches. It has a lot going for it, but the terrible npcs in the open world are really immersion breaking. If they fixed that, I’d forgive a lot of the other janky bits.
Bought it for £13, no complaints. It’s very atmospheric and I’m enjoying the ride.
I felt the angel heart mood as well, one of my favourite movies and a decent book too ! I just finished the game on the switch and really enjoyed it all the way through, Jim's review is amusing highlighting some of the weird janky elements but I got really immersed in every aspect of this game and was impressed with the choices I faced along the way. Wish I'd played it earlier but I can say one of 2019's strongest games for me, although Pathologic 2 takes the crown.
Your bar for gorgeous is hella low lmao
I absolutely adored this game for some of the tiny details they put in the story. It provided so much more depth to the overarching plot that you find yourself in. The best example I can give is the protagonist himself. The way he holds his hands and nervously shakes them as he talks in a monotone voice that's so clearly exhausted and disconnected from everything due to insomnia. The remarkably sunken red eyes that dart around. It tells a lot about his mental state and reliance on hard drugs to keep himself from breaking completely. As flawed as this game is, I absolutely fell in love with it after being disappointed by Call of Cthulhu earlier this year.
But I'm a weirdo.
That's the cool thing about a game based in Lovecraftian mythos as well - sometimes people acting in unnatural ways, the thousand yard stare, strange vocal inflections, and other stuff that could just be part of the jank fits in with the way people living in the presence of eldritch horrors would act.
I understand that you're praising the game for what was deliberately added to the character movements, but sometimes even the mistakes can work in a games' favour.
@@Zombiewithabowtie Oh yeah for sure. The weird jank provided for some rather intense moments at times. The combat for example not being really good actually made for some tense moments when the enemies just keep dodging my damn shovel. It was frustrating but also intense.
(Round The Twist theme plays)
Entire Aussie family: “HeY WhAt YoU wAtChInG”
It was popular in the UK too!
Had a total nostalgia hit when that started playing!
Yeah, that made me happy, without my pants
It aired in the US as well. Part of the whole goosebumps eerie Indiana spooky shows for kids lineup.
@@InvAltDM Wait.... Is this a.. miracle of sound? (sorry)
A poorly executed game with a soul will ALWAYS be superior to a soulless "AAA" title. Diamond in the rough > polished turd.
Getting those real Round the Twist nostalgia feels right now.
The TV-shows from the early 90s were so good! I also remember The Odyssey from the same time.
Surprised to see round the twist being referenced by someone outside of Australia but i aint complaining.
I havnt heard this since my childhood. I always remember the episode where one of them spends the night in the old public toilets and that spider comes out the toilet :S
Shivers down my fucking spine.
@@macdaddy2330 It was aired in the UK on the BBC
This sounds like a Troika Games game - broken, buggy, glitchy mess that is somehow better than the majority of Ax3 titles when it comes to actually having fun and enjoying the game. Sign me up.
It's Deadly Premonition all over for you, isn't it?
Or Ride to Hell: Retribution for Yathzee
Deadly Premonition was absolute rubbish.
@@TiagoMorbusSa glorious rubbish.
@@TiagoMorbusSa DP was great, it was absolute jank, but the good kind of jank you can laugh at the whole way through
@@cypher1419 Fair.
So the devs accurately replicated the experience of captivating madness?
A broken, janky mess that is very alluring somehow? Sounds like S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
Sounds like Elder Scrolls Oblivion to me 😆
Reminds me of The Witcher (the first one).
@@hpdre7437 I thought the camera perspective looked like the first Witcher.
The lead narrative designer for this is now working at GSC, the felluhs who developed the STALKER series and are now developing its sequel. This comparison may end up being even more apt when the sequel releases.
I can hear the developers say....
Wait Jimsterlin didn't totally hate our game???
Really?? 🤔
Yeah, we kinda do :))) It's cool to see that hard work we put in is actually felt by players, despite all technical and design issues
@@simplysviat5338 If you can address these issues, I think you'll have a sleeper hit on your hands.
Or at the least a more successful follow up.
@@hpdre7437 rest assured, all feedback is collected by our amazing marketing team and will be studied by the team closely.
@@simplysviat5338 If No Man's Sky can patch its way out of disaster, y'all certainly can.
So basically, D for execution, but A for effort?
i like D
Obligatory that's what she said.
D in execution but A in effort is basically everything i make
"This game is buggy in a way that I'd hate any other game for, but for some reason I like this one!"
Hello Jim, welcome to the life of an Elder Scrolls fan ^_^
This is the best Jim Sterling video I've ever watched without my pants!
Same here.
Genuinely, same.
Damn, the joke has already been used, i'm 26 minutes late
hmmm, and i thought it was some fancy brand. do you have your name sewn into all your pants?
anyway, you can have them back...
I'm wearing my Wunderpants!
*clicks on Jim's video*
*hears the Round the Twist theme*
"Oh, this is the weirdest ad."
*realizes it's not an ad*
*sings along*
Sadly, not all B level games can be like A Plague Tale Innocence, Jim, but glad you're finding some enjoyment out of the game. I'm gonna wait for a deep discount myself. Need to see that $19.99 price tag.
It comes down to resource management too and not biting off more than you can chew. A Plague Tale is a very linear, structured game made by over 140 staff. Sinking City is a non-linear open world game made by 80 staff.
Frogwares just went way beyond their scope and skill level in attempting Sinking City, they're used to making Sherlock games with a focus on writing and puzzle solving.
@@Highwind452 I want to see a sequel (in spirit at least) with more time, manpower and experience. They could be the same CD projekt red, I think.
Na, free on play station plus
It's only $16.24 for the deluxe
edition on Switch right
now. Should I buy this? 🤔💬
It's only $16.24 for the deluxe
edition on Switch right
now. Should I buy this? 🤔💬
I get that it’s lovable trash but GODDAMMIT ALL I WANT IS A QUALITY LOVECRAFT GAME.
I can’t keep replaying Bloodborne and Darkest Dungeon forever!
300-I.Q. Prower I made peace with that fate long ago.
This is a step in the right direction. Perhaps they can make another with a better budget, but perfect it. Maybe.
There is Sundered.
It's basically a combination of Hollow Knight, Cuphead, and Lovecraftian Horror
Have you tried Darkwood?
Looks like a Bethesda game with amazing graphics for Bethesda
The Innsmouthers still look better than Skyrim's kids.
>_>
I was actually thinking the same thing.
@@michaelmooney5246 have you heard of the high elves. Hugh huaggh dead
You're not wrong.
You used a term that I loved. "The sincerity in the game development". Usually I love terrible games because they honestly tried, compared to the crap AAA cash grabs we have
I'll probably end up getting it for Switch (hopefully there's a physical release)
I look forward to dealing with old school headaches from an honest developer with an artistic vision rather than a soulless AAA studio that puts out perfectly functional games that seem more interested in monetizing me further than actually creating an engaging and interesting experience
AAA? Perfectly functional?
*laughs in 76, anthem and syndicate*
I think you're being too generous when you generally refer to recent AAA games as being "Perfectly Functional".
Marik Zilberman fallout bad
@@trevors2077 I'm aware.
@@Mernom assassins creed syndicate?
Watch_Dogs is probably the worst game I've ever liked.
I feel like everyone probably has at least one guilty pleasure game.
Have you ever? Ever felt like this.
Like Jim wants to rage on this.
But is kinda impressed about it.
Frogwares Sherlock games are great fun if you want to feel like an actual detective. So the writing and detective stuff in Sinking City is actually really good at times, but everything else with the open world and action is just shite.
@@Highwind452 Hopefully someone can mod the ammo situation so the player only has to deal with the jank rather than also never having enough bullets for the job. Restricted ammo can be done well (Metro series for example), but if everything else is janky then that can be the extra annoyance that sinks a game.
I like it when the devs of a game really wanted it to be how it was in their heads but just didn't have the skill or experience for it. If you put your heart into something, even it is not that good, it can be quite enjoyable.
I also hope that those kind of studios get a chance to keep fixing it, get enough experience to make their remaster or learned everything they could from that project and make something else that they can actually realise that time.
I'd say to the devs of the sinking city: don't stop now, we've seen your ideas and intentions and we see potential!
Hopefully some of the rough edges are smoothed out by the time it makes it to Steam. Epic exclusives may be the new Early Access.
Epic Access!
To anyone watching this today, I will let you know about the current state of the game. And no, this isn't any of that "sell now, fix later" games as a service bullshit. After Frogware won their copyright battle with their old publisher who tried to steal the game (look up "Sinking City What Happened" or something like that). They completely re-released the game on console, bugs, and glitches are fixed, combat is better but still simplistic and a little wonky but nothing hard to control. There's also a skill tree element to the game now that can expand your inventory, improve accuracy on weapons, and improve your chances of not using materials when crafting so you use up fewer resources over time. This game is all about exploration and you need to be able to run around for awhile, NPC's also interact weirdly with each other but it's nothing distracting of game-breaking this is a detective game through and through and it's the 1920's, you're a newcomer, you don't know the place and this is a time when written addresses weren't standard, especially in a place on it's last legs like Oakmont. However, important locations will be marked and you have the option of labeling anything on the map with whatever you decide from the choices given. This game will not hold your hand, on the easiest difficulty you can die quickly if you're not careful and run out of ammo if you don't aim sparingly and search everywhere you go. Clues are hidden behind illusions in almost every case, evidence can be anywhere inside a building and finding it can be frustrating, but when you put the pieces together you'll feel like a true detective. This game had a set goal in mind and it stuck to it, if you're the kind of person who can't handle reading a map and doing the most basic cartography in the world and don't have an attention span greater than thirty seconds then this probably isn't for you. On that note though, I wasn't sure about buying it given the mixed reviews from years ago when it first came out, but I decided to go through with it since I love H.P. Lovecraft's work and heard enough good to buy it on sale. I haven't played anything else for two weeks! This game pulls you in and makes you want to finish it and see everything, as I played, I noticed that building interiors were reused and there weren't new monsters being introduced after the first three hours and in my head I'm thinking: "This should be repetitive." and an hour later: "Huh, I could see how this would be repetitive." and it was just that until I blanked it out completely because despite facing the same enemies and entering basically the same buildings, it never really felt repetitive because you're never doing the same case in these buildings. Overall, if investigation and cosmic horrors interest you even slightly, i'd pick this game up it's a culture shock when there's no automatic wavepoints or path finding but that'll hardly be a problem. Also there's fast travel points in the form of phonebooths so don't worry you aren't running absolutely everywhere. And I found that singing shanties (character you play as is a Navy veteran) makes the time fly faster and keeps you in pace with what you're doing.
Its like... Deadly Premonition?
Not well made but somehow good?
not sure it is at the caliber of DP
When I started it my first impressions were Deadly Premonition of this generation. Except Deadly Premonition has better combat.
If its anywhere as glorious as Deadly Premonotion I will eat it any day. Deadly Premonition TOP 10 ever made material as far as im concerned. Though, being Call of Cthulhu mythos I expect it to be "slightly" more serious.
John Wolfe is doing a playthrough of this. I might still check it out.
"It's good... sometimes." Now THERE'S a pull quote for the box art.
😂😂😂
If deadly premonition is your “The Room” I’m guessing this is like your “Birdemic” then?
WHEN STRANGE THINGS HAPPEN I GO AROUND THE TWIST
Heard the word?
Bird?
Spider?
The Sinking City, the Alpha Protocol of Lovecraft
I've gotten far more enjoyment out of AP, than from most games produced these days. It's buggy, wonky, and with some pretty weak RPG elements (A big problem in my mind) - yet still it's so much fun! KOTOR 2 and AP are both products of the same flawed, insane and great mess.
Their Creative/Creativity department is beyond the average TripleA game. Their mechanic/ implementing department is sorta lacking. Like they knew they wanted to keep the resources low but not unplayable and they unfortunately made it exploitable but still... Still there are the marking of a development that did everything it could in the gameplay department that the story department asked them for even if not great!
I agree, their Sherlock games are really good. I could see hints of them trying action in the last one - Devil's Daughter and the result wasn't great. The feedback was for them to go back and do what they do grea2. Unfortunately they didn't lol
Their creativity and gameplay department are probably the same people
Hmm... learning that it's a regular thing they do with detective games makes me dislike them a bit but still their city design and some other things make the game passable if not likeable. Also Reidy i kinda know that like most companies everyone does everything on smaller companies and there aren't even "departments" but i chose to label them as such to point out that some aspects of the game are way cooler that they deserved for a game with generally bad gameplay
"Round the twist"? Crikey, must be 30 years since I've heard that. Classic!
Anyone remember "Girl from Tomorrow". Another Australian kids show from the 90s?
Niko Bellic yes!!
Releasing a good, but ultimately broken & buggy version of the game on Epic only to (potentially) have everything fixed for the Steam release....
Clever!
At least you're being positive about it. Lol
The video reminded me of the game, I decided to add it to Steam wishlist, got confused that it's not released yet (add it anyway), go back to this tab, scroll down to see your comment, confusion ended.
Well, now the game is gone...
@@expendableindigo9639 twitter.com/thesinkingcity/status/1298246196180455424 Oh me oh my.
Oooh.. sounds like a game that could do well with more production and a re-release.
Drop-kicked some Nostalgia in my head with that 'Round the Twist theme.
Sometimes objective trash is subjective gold.
The last game in that category I liked was Dark Void.
Fucking loved Dark Void. Glad I'm not the only one.
As an Australian I got instant nostalgia flashbacks from that intro, around the twist was a fantastic show
Waited so long for this, passed on Call of Cthulhu, passed on Vampyr, scerw it, bought!
wait wait wait...
you're saying a game that developers actually *cared* about was released? AND you LIKED it?!
the year is 2019 still, right?... I'm confused.
Is that a dig at Jim, or the Industry?
Or both?
Dude what do you mean characters do weird things. You have a fish dude in this game.
0:29
The games that are shitty I can't recommend it, but I can't stop playing it.
- Silent Hill Homecoming & Downpour
- Darksiders 3
If it falls under any of those levels, I think I'm gonna be fine with Sinking City.
Unless it's shittier than that.
My exact feelings on it too. Super Janky, but I like it, oddly enough.
Sounds to me like it's tolerable in the same way classic Bethesda once was.
Yeah I explain it to my friends as being shite but I like it... And I wouldn't recommend it to anyone lol
As an Australian, the intro made me experience a nostalgic moment about a certain Aussie TV series...
It was shown in here in the UK too!
I wrote a design document about a game similar to this one for my game design class.
I dropped combat in favour of stealth takedowns (where sanity is your main ressource since being too close to mythos creatures drains it very fast) and very few, but powerful, ranged weapons because in my sense combat is at odds with Lovecraft's idea of horror.
Funny to compare a game that's been made to my designs and see what I wouldn't have done and what I didn't think of.
Yeah I'm a big fan of the Call of Cthulhu tabletop RPG, and even in that system, which is a lot more conducive to heroism than the original novels, if you're in combat with a monster, you've pretty much already lost. Bring a handgun in case you run afoul of cultists, but other than that, your only truly effective weapons are education and preparation. And ambushes. And occasionally dynamite. Long story short, not toe-to-toe fisticuffs.
I fucking love how the background is out of focus but the sparks flying are CRISP
Jim's thoughts on the game itself: "It's alright, I guess."
Jim's thoughts on getting the doctor's plague mask: "GOTY 2019"
Where's that tune from? I remember playing a game with that theme but I can't get a grip on which was...
@@neveridle dynasty warriors 4 victory theme. yw
@@Errzman tHANK YOU KIND SIR
I feel almost the same way about Vampyr. There was something about that game that kept me playing, and I can honestly say I enjoyed it. The good for me, at least, outweighed everything else.
The Round the Twist theme should be used for every spooky film and game opening credits always.
That series was my childhood.
The first 30 seconds of this video nearly got me kicked off the bus for laughing bloody loudly.
I’m playing The Sinking City now.
“The Worst Game I’ve Ever Liked” is the best way to describe it. There really is something about this game that shines from the BS it’s surrounded by. The combat is SUPER ANNOYING. Died so many times and got tired of limited resources, I switched to Easy just to let things move along(and to stop having to travel such long, boring distances to give it another go)
I miss Normal mode- the mood of Normal mode really made the monsters spawning have that feeling of dread and suspense to it
I’m really enjoying this game so far. It’s super tough to fight all the enemies. Clearly it’s a little rough around the edges but I love how it doesn’t hold your hand.
The Round the Twist music gave me PTSD flashbacks to having to watch the three videos my primary school owned that were ALL Round the Twist.
Australian Childhoods UNITE!!! Round the Twist, 90s kids remember!
I need 'percentage of sale' rating. Like "buy 50% or more off", "wouldn't even pick up for free because time isn't free to play it". Because Steam sales always make me reevaluate some games I initially wishlist, saw iffy reviews, but when it's like 50% or more I reconsider.
Love the Lovecraft. Seen some gameplay on other channels. Looks pretty good.
Jim: Very much a Lovecraft inspired game.
Everyone else: Well duuuhhh.
Honestly: A mediocre experience with partially good and innovative ideas, partially old tropes, built with objectively not good craftsmenship, that still manages to stay in your mind and you kinda like it very much but you't really tell why is the essence of everything Lovecraft ever wrote. So yeah. it might be the perfect Lovecraft game.
Oh! Around the twist. Man, I really liked this song, and the show. Nice blend of weirdness.
Despite its flaws, Its a fun game to play, definitely try it, people! it's a shoddier Lovecraftident Evil 4 sort of
(Makes game super survival-horror heavy, allows small carrying capacity.)
(Also makes every container in the game relootable upon reentry.)
>>;;
0:40 This man *exhaling cigarette smoke into Crying Grandma's face* is a metaphor for 2019
Just started on console. The physical version comes with a big map of the city. I feel this will help with the vague address issue.
Cool to see that all the hard work the Frogwares team put in is actually felt by the players!
As an Australian, thank you for starting with my national anthem.
Streuth!
strewth
You had me at plucked Jimmy boy. Will give the game a try. It seems this is typical of frogware games, technical difficulties but adept at creating suspense.
Could not stop laughing at the guy smoking happy as Larry, while the Woman is in full tear mode.
Absolutely love this game in all honesty, it's amazing! I'd rather play a B rated game that has flaws like this over the shit big companies like Bethesda are shitting out these days
I like a good bit of Cthulu Mythos media but I hate how on-the-nose these things tend to be. It's not insidious, creeping horror when you have billboards shouting "embrace the tentacle" and your local soccer team is the "Miskatonic Fighting Cthulu's." It's like they've been created by a Lovecraft superfan who's totally missed a major part of the fun.
I'm going to buy it on Switch ... aren't I?
Edit ...
*FEEL THE GENTLE TOUCH OF TENTACLES*
Protagonist: Can I ask you a question?
Person: Mouth?
Protagonist: Yeah.
it doesn't appear to be on...switch?
I can grit my teeth and deal with the endless stream of bullshit, because there's something in it.
So kinda like you Jim!
So, Deadly Premonition?
Deadly Premonition is way better in my opinion. Played both.
GOOD NEWS! This just had an Upgrade on PS5 and now plays way faster and smoother now! Lot less glitchy, better lighting, six times faster to load, map loads seemlessly, etc so I'm actually enjoying it now! 😃
Sadly not a free upgrade though and the save game from the ps4 is not compatible with the PS5 version
Holy moly I haven't listed to around the twist in years.
Such a good show
Thanks for reminding me of "Round the Twist" that takes me back like 20 years.
So this is basically Deadly Premonition but with Cthulhu. No wonder he likes it:)
I honestly had no idea Round the Twist existed outside of Australia.
I'm going to buy this game next year when it's released on Steam. I think that's plenty of time for the developers to fix the game 🤣
Reminds me of the B-games I used to buy in my teens when money was tight. They were often the same - buggy, glitchy but still gripping. I miss those days.
This was basically released in Early Access. Everyone wait for the Steam version, most of the overly-egregious jank will probably be fixed by then.
With that said, however, I'm definitely getting a Deadly Premonition vibe from the jank, which lends it some odd charm. Plus, given the Lovecraftian bent, you could probably write off most of the jank as your own character, and most of the townsfolk, being mad as a ferret sausage on account of the eldritch horror happening in the city.
There is a lot of good in this jankfest, but I'd say give it a year to iron out the worst of it. There'll probably be a degree of jank left once it hits its Steam release, but it'll hopefully be more manageable to the point of being quite endearing. Plus, you won't have to deal with Epic's shitty launcher, uncompetitive business ethos, and flat-out deceitfulness.
Though even with all that said, I can't see Yahtzee being as charitable or as patiently understanding as Jim is being to this game, and especially not as much as I am. (I am a patient soul when it comes to game releases, which is good since The Sinking City technically isn't even out for another year)
tbh your description of the writing sounds pretty accurate to Lovecraft "good sometimes, a lot of good mystery, lore well presented"
As an aussie, you sir receive an instant thumbs up for the Round the Twist theme 👍👍👍
It was shown in the UK too. Nostalgia overload.
@@nathaniliescu4597 Oh sweet. I didn't know that 😀👍
@@Blood4Baphomet nice name I love cthulhu stuff.
That intro Music, just made my head explode with pictures from the tv series it's from... Nostalgia explosion. 🤯