Explore ‘The Sinking City’, a video game inspired by H.P. Lovecraft

It may surprise you to learn that many video games released over the years have been inspired by books. The Witcher games are based upon the Polish fantasy series written by Andrzej Sapkowski, Spec Ops: The Line is a modern retelling of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, and BioShock takes cues from the likes of Ayn Rand, George Orwell, and Aldous Huxley.

Those of you who enjoy video games and books will want to check out The Sinking City, an upcoming game from Frogwares. Inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft, The Sinking City sees players exploring an open city where things aren’t all they seem.

The game takes place in the 1920’s in a factional city called Oakmont in Massachusetts. The 20’s may have been a time of jazz, consumerism, and gangsters, but Oakmont has remained secluded from the rest of the US since it was founded in the 17th century. The residents distrust outsiders and the city is full of dark secrets, including shocking religious rituals that were passed down from the Vikings and Natives who first settled in these lands. As if this weren’t bad enough, much of Oakmont’s streets are submerged due to a mysterious flood that seemed to arrive from nowhere.

The flood brought with it strange and horrifying creatures which prowl the streets, but that’s not all. The locals claim to feel the presence of something much bigger and more alarming, a presence which is slowly but surely driving them mad.

Players will step into the boots of a private investigator who has travelled to the city to locate a missing person. The entire city will be open to explore and players will have to rely on their own cunning to progress through the story. There will be no hand holding, you are given a name and from there you’re on your own. Explore the city and speak with locals to find new clues that will spur your investigation onwards.

Insanity and incomprehensible creatures are a staple of Lovecraftian horror and these themes will be present in The Sinking City. Encountering supernatural occurrences or distressing situations will take a serious toll on the player character and gamers should be careful to ensure the same madness that’s engulfing the city doesn’t put an end to their investigation.

The sinking City is set to be released on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. An exact release date is yet to be announced but we’ll no doubt hear more on it over the next few months. You can follow the game on YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook.