The Sinking City 2 Is Worth It — Safe Code

The Sinking City 2 is worth it if you want a compact, tense survival horror game and you are not expecting a detective adventure. It scores 79 on Metacritic and 81 on OpenCritic according to the ResetEra review thread, and the recurring verdict is that a small studio built a convincing Resident Evil style game on a smaller budget. If you wanted the first game's investigation-first structure, that is the part it drops.

What reviewers agree on

Almost every review praises the atmosphere, the sound design and the Calvin and Faye relationship. Analog Stick Gaming calls the shooting rock solid and the atmosphere genuinely eerie, and GameLuster says the pair's dynamic is the hook that actually lingers, delivered through the Night Shade mask that Faye speaks through. The hub locations, particularly the hotel, hospital and fish market, are repeatedly described as well-built and free of the original's repetition.

Outlet	Score
DualShockers	9/10
Console Creatures	9/10
WCCFTech	8.5/10
Worth Playing	8/10
COGConnected	8/10
Push Square	7/10
PC Gamer	70/100
The Guardian	3/5

Where the game is weak

The complaints cluster in the same places. PC Gamer liked the first fifteen hours but found the finale thin, asking whether that was all there was. Analog Stick Gaming says the shooting improved but the detective identity was sacrificed, and singles out the puzzle design as shallow: the safe code clues are simple enough that you can guess the digits before you find them all. GameLuster reports camera problems when cornered, late-game gauntlets that become circle-strafing chores, and inconsistent lighting.

None of those reviews call the game bad. The consistent framing is that it is an excellent survival horror game and a disappointing sequel, and those are two different questions.

Who should buy it

Buy it if you like Resident Evil style resource management, you want a ten to fifteen hour game rather than a hundred hour one, and Lovecraftian horror appeals to you. Wait or skip it if the first game's open-world investigation was the reason you were interested, or if you need the polish level of a first-party horror release.

• Buy: survival horror fans, Lovecraft readers, players who want a focused campaign.
• Buy at a discount: players who liked the first game's detective work and want to see what changed.
• Skip: players who dislike ammo scarcity, backtracking and inventory limits.
• Note: the safe code puzzles are frequent but easy, so they will not carry the game for puzzle-first players.

For the systems behind the verdict, read the review, and for the ending discussion see the endings page.