The Sinking City 2 Arkham Map: Districts and Boat Routes

How the map is organised

The first game gave you the whole city at once. The sequel gives you one district at a time, sized to a chapter, and the change is what makes the sequel feel like survival horror rather than detective work: a small space you learn thoroughly is scarier than a large one you skim.

Boat traversal

Half of Arkham is under water, and the boat is how you cross it. It is not fast travel — you steer it, it takes damage, and the canals have their own hazards and encounters.

One piece of official guidance is worth repeating: do not ram piers or structures. Frogwares' own known-issues post lists boat collisions as a cause of a black screen that requires reloading your last save. If it happens, reloading is the studio's recommended fix.

Watergates and routing

Watergates decide which canals are passable. The chapter 1 watergate — code 1672 — is the first, and opening it visibly re-routes the district. If you feel like you have run out of things to do in an area, an unopened gate is a common reason.

Is there fast travel?

There is no traditional fast-travel network. Districts are small enough that this rarely bites, and safe rooms act as the practical anchor points — they are where you save, stash loot and spend Dream Essence at the Talent Table.

The design consequence is worth planning around: a trip back to a safe room mid-level is a real journey through respawned space, which is the strongest argument for chasing inventory upgrades early.

Reading the map screen

The in-game map marks active tasks, and Frogwares' answer to "I am stuck in the story" is exactly that: check the map for active tasks. It is a genuinely useful habit in a game this dark, where a door you have not tried can look identical to a wall.

What the map does not do is mark collectibles. That is why the missable checklist is organised by chapter rather than by map marker.