Investigations
The Sinking City 2 investigations guide — how Frogwares' detective system works, reading ritual residues, decoding journals, and solving optional cases for real rewards.
Introduction
The Investigations hub is your guide to the detective mechanics that define Frogwares' take on survival horror in The Sinking City 2. Where other games let you shoot your way through mysteries, this one asks you to read them — ritual residues left behind by arcane disasters, grisly clues hidden in flooded buildings, and journals that should not exist. Investigations are the heart of the game's identity: optional cases never block the main story, but they unlock safer routes, hard supplies, and upgrades that change how you endure the next encounter. This category explains how the deduction system works, walks you through solving each type of puzzle, and highlights which optional cases are worth your limited time and resources — including the Holloway Manor ritual investigation that rewards the powerful Bucking Bronco revolver.
Case Reward Overview
| Case Type | Focus | Key Reward |
|---|---|---|
| Ritual Residues | Reading arcane aftermath | Clues & progression |
| Journal Decoding | Translating impossible text | Hidden locations |
| Optional Cases | Side investigations | Safer routes & supplies |
| Holloway Manor | Premium ritual case | Bucking Bronco revolver |
Case Types
Ritual Residues
The arcane aftermath of disasters — read them to learn what happened and where to look next.
Journal Decoding
Decode impossible journals line by line to uncover hidden locations and story context.
Optional Cases
Side investigations that never gate the story but unlock safer routes, supplies, and upgrades.
Holloway Manor
The Premium-edition ritual case — a two-hour commitment that rewards the Bucking Bronco revolver.
Core Mechanics
The investigation system in The Sinking City 2 is built around reading the environment rather than following a marker. Ritual residues left by arcane disasters must be examined carefully — they tell you what happened, who was involved, and where to look next. Clues must be sifted from flooded rooms and grisly scenes, and journals that should not exist must be decoded line by line. The deduction comes together when you link these pieces: a residue here, a journal entry there, and a mask that will not come off until you understand the pattern behind it. Some cases have alternate solutions that only appear when you examine the scene from the right angle, and optional investigations reward you with safer routes between districts, hard supplies, and upgrade materials that reshape your survival strategy for the rest of the game.
Advantages
Mastering investigations turns The Sinking City 2 from a pure survival grind into a richer, more rewarding experience. Optional cases never gate the story, but their rewards are consistently excellent: safer routes let you move between districts without burning ammunition on ambushes, hard supplies refill your scarce inventory, and upgrades make the next encounter significantly more survivable. The Holloway Manor ritual investigation is the standout — completing it rewards the Bucking Bronco revolver, one of the most powerful weapons in the game. Beyond the mechanical payoff, the investigations are where Frogwares' storytelling shines, weaving the Lovecraftian dread and the fate of the trapped soul into the puzzles themselves. Players who engage with the detective system see more of the city, understand more of the story, and arrive at the ending better armed.
Challenges
The investigation system demands patience, and not every player wants to read the environment that closely. Puzzles can be obtuse — a residue or journal entry that does not immediately connect to a next step can stall progress for a while, especially in a tense survival horror where every moment spent scratching your head is a moment resources could be draining. Some optional cases are substantial time commitments, and the rewards, while useful, are not always obvious until later. Players who want pure action may find the detective work slows the pace, and the game's semi-open structure means you can wander past a clue without realizing it matters. Guides like ours are designed to bridge that gap — showing you where to look and what the case rewards — without spoiling the story beats that make the investigations memorable.
FAQ
How does the investigation system work?+
Are optional investigations worth the time?+
How do I solve the Holloway Manor case?+
Quick Tips
Read everything before you commit to a route. Residues, journals, and notes each hold a piece of the pattern, and a case you solve from the evidence takes a fraction of the time of a case you brute-force by wandering the flooded streets. Every case you solve makes the next one faster, because the skills of reading residues and connecting evidence carry directly between investigations.
Do optional cases as soon as they feel safe. The safer routes they unlock pay for themselves immediately — a shortcut that skips an ambush saves more ammunition than any single supply crate you might find by pressing forward. The rewards from optional cases are the game's quiet payoff for curiosity, and the players who follow every thread arrive at the ending armed and informed.
If you own the Premium edition, gear up for Holloway Manor early. Two hours of close-quarters horror is a real commitment, but the Bucking Bronco you earn there is the single best weapon upgrade available before the endgame. A methodical approach to each scene — examine everything, revisit with new evidence, let the pattern build — is the fastest route through any puzzle.
Do not expect a marker to guide you. The investigation system trusts you to read the scene, so examine every angle, revisit cases when you find new evidence, and let the pattern build — the mask always comes off when you understand what is behind it. Do not rush the deduction; the game rewards patience with alternate solutions and hidden details that a hurried scan will always miss.
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