The Drowned World

The second part of the Sara Kingdom trilogy. They struck actual gold last time. But can they do it again?

 

We have an interesting start. The detective from last time, Robert, is back in the house, and he wants to prove to the world that the house should remain. So, to prove the house has a conscience, he records it while it tells another story. Another adventure.

 

The party lands in a dank cave. As they get out of the ship, it falls into a lake and sinks to the bottom. After some exploring, it turns they’ve landed on an asteroid that was being used in mining operations. The mine collapsed, however, leaving the mining crew stuck. Awaiting their rescued.

 

While the situation may seem dire, the crew is not actually scared in the slightest. They have all the faith in the world that it will turn out all right. Which, while unique, can be a little distracting at times.

 

The party hopes to speed up rescue efforts by getting the Tardis back, but while they’re fishing for it, they get attacked by a mysterious monster made of living water tentacles.

 

After this the main story becomes a bit of a mess. It’s now a generic runaround with the water tentacles. Big monster, run away. You know the drill.

Eventually, Sara relates to the feelings of the water tentacle, and it retreats. Like the last story, this leads to some modern-day reflection. Although this time it feels way more disconnected and generic.

 

Instead, the real interesting stuff happens in the house. Robert interviews House Sara and leaves when she’s about halfway done. It turns out the tapes were empty. House Sara wiped them. Robert, furious with this, wishes for the personality of the house to go, and leaves. Just before he does, House Sara grants him one last wish. His wife is pregnant with his child. As he always wanted.

 

Many, many years later, Robert returns, and wishes the house to be alive again. House Sara returns. This time, Robert is not alone, as he has his daughter with him, who is suffering from a plague. Tensions are high, and, since the daughter requested it, Sara finishes the water story.

 

When she’s done, she grants Roberts wish and heals his daughter, however, in return he must live in the house for the rest of his life. He accepts this request. Leaving us with a bittersweet ultimatum.

 

Clearly the stuff on the house side is a bit more of a highlight in this one. Meanwhile, the water story takes more of a back seat. It is worth noting that, even though the focus has shifted more to one side, the sound design is still top notch. Shifts between stories are incredibly atmospheric. Very well done.

 

Character wise this story also shines. Sara is the obvious highlight, but we now also have some real insight in Robert. A man who wants the best, but doesn’t always know how to get it. It’s great stuff.

 

But sadly, the water tale is just incredibly generic. It has an interesting setting of its own, but the events are meager and cliché. We turned from the exploration of a mysterious house to a random monster of the week. But even then, the house sections manage to carry it. They’re all absolute, edge of your seat moments worth experiencing. Which leads to the story being both a 6 and a 10. Long live averages.