SUNLESS SEA

I found the writing a bit frivolous, the storylines a bit meaningless, the grind a bit slow and the UI a bit awkward. It's a neat game, and some people obviously like it a lot, but i guess i expected more from the writing after reading other reviews.

I've tried this game twice several years apart, and unfortunately my verdict is still that I hate playing it. The travel/mechanics are really slow and tedious, it's extremely easy to die or run out of money for essential resources if you didn't follow a guide from the get-go, and every death resets you to the beginning, so a) you can't actually finish any of the randomized quest lines to find out where they're going and b) due to death resetting everything, are forced to repeat the extremely slow, tedious travel to the non-randomized quests/plot points you've already seen. Just b) alone was enough for me to decide I wasn't going to spend any more time on this, since I would've had to rely on a Reddit guide to optimize money vs. travel so as to not to run out of fuel and doing so would have required me to rerun a lengthy quest / delivery run I'd already done. Honestly, when the game is an *RPG* I really find being able to actually finish plot threads and see where the stories are going a must. Having everything you were starting to get interested in evaporate because you didn't take the most profitable possible route your very first time out the gate isn't fun. If you're an extremely patient person who's willing to redo a lot of content + are fine with not getting to see where any of the stories are going, this game might be for you. If you, like me, are impatient and unwilling to beat your head against the same content unless it's a dynamic skill and/or reflex check, give this a miss.

One of my favorite games of all time. Over 900 hours in and have finished multiple times with lots of different Ambitions and endings. For ambience and a setting that is completely immersive at all times, it has no equal. The Zubmariner DLC is also excellent and adds an enormous amount of new content as well as the underwater "layer" of the map. If I could only have 5 video games on my computer to play from now on, this would be one.

the best lovecraftian game ever, every location and character is very well written, atmosphere and lore is way better than any other same type of game by miles, I agree that the gameplay have some flaws but it doesn't change how this game is a masterpiece

[h2] Вітаю Вас, мої смачні друзі) [/h2] Sunless Sea — це похмура, атмосферна гра від студії Failbetter Games, яка поєднує в собі елементи roguelike, survival та глибоке оповідання в унікальному сеттингу Fallen London. Вона переносить гравця у світ темної, готичної фантастики та стімпанку, де ви виступаєте в ролі капітана корабля, який досліджує безкраї води підземного моря — Зі, у печері Ніт. Атмосфера і сюжет Одним із найсильніших аспектів гри є її світобудова. Замість звичних океанів — чорнильне підземне море, населене жахами, таємницями й дивацтвами. Величезний гриб, на котрому є поселення маленьких грибів; острів морських свинок та щурів; Пекельне місто, де панує хаос; Місто зі снів, де ти хоча б раз вже побував(котре знаходиться поза часом та простором; Острів, де панує свято маскараду. кожне нове місце має свою історію, свої страхи і свої секрети. І кожне нове місце щось дає та забирає, і ти ніколи не знаєш, чи варто це було стільки жертв. Тексти в грі — справжня літературна насолода. Вони стилістично витончені, просякнуті поезією й божевіллям, з нотками Лавкрафта, Дікенса та Едґара Аллана По, бо текст написаний старим літературною мовою, що нині залишилась на сторінках вище згаданих авторів. Поглиблення в сюжет, вибір долі капітана, спілкування з екіпажем — усе створює відчуття глибокої причетності і провини за всі подвиги та злочини. Ігровий процес Геймплей поділяється на два основні шари: дослідження карти на кораблі, що є доволі аркадним елементом та текстові інтерактивні історії. Під час плавання вам слід стежити за паливом, провізією, страхом екіпажу та загрозами, що підстерігають у темряві. Будь-яке рішення може мати серйозні наслідки — від бунту до смерті, а може й навіть гіршого. Смерть, до речі, тут невід’ємна частина гри. Вона неминуча і часто обов'язково, якщо ти хочеш краще зрозуміти гру, бо елементи гри відкриваються з наступними проходженнями. КОЖНА ВАША СМЕРТЬ РОБИТЬ ВАС СИЛЬНІШИМИ ТА ОБІЗНАНІШИМИ. Графіка і звук Візуальний стиль мінімалістичний, але атмосферний. Темні води, приглушене світло ліхтаря, силуети дивних островів — усе працює на створення відчуття самотності й невідомості. Саундтрек — меланхолійний, стриманий, злегка тривожний. Він чудово підкреслює загальний настрій гри: суміш краси, загрози й очікування. Висновок Sunless Sea — не для всіх. Її повільний темп, акцент на текст і постійна небезпека можуть здатися надто вимогливими. Але для тих, хто шукає незвичний досвід, літературну глибину та світ, який хочеться досліджувати попри страх — ця гра стане справжнім відкриттям. Оцінка: 9/10 І пам'ятайте ніколи не закохуйтесь!

Here is my review after a couple of hours of playtime: [h3]The Pace Is Glacial[/h3] The game's pacing is incredibly slow, both in terms of ship movement and overall progress. The starting ship’s speed feels agonizingly sluggish, making even short trips between nearby ports feel like a chore. While this slow pace is presumably intended to build tension and immerse players in the haunting atmosphere of the Unterzee, it often crosses the line into tedium. There’s an option to use "Full Power!" for temporary speed boosts, but this consumes extra fuel and comes with risks, making it more of a short-term band-aid than a solution. For players who value efficiency or faster-paced gameplay, this can make the early game feel like a slog, which is unfortunate as first impressions are crucial. [h3]Lore Feels Disconnected and Simplistic[/h3] I appreciate games with deep lore, and Sunless Sea clearly has a vast and detailed world to offer. However, the way this lore is presented left me underwhelmed. The storytelling relies heavily on text-heavy descriptions and storylets, which can feel disconnected from the actual gameplay. Each port offers a new snippet of lore or a small event, but the loop quickly becomes repetitive: dock, read some text, collect “stuff,” and repeat. Rather than feeling like I was unraveling a grand mystery or actively shaping my captain’s story, the game felt more like a series of loosely connected errands. The lore, while rich, feels like it’s bolted on rather than seamlessly integrated into the gameplay. It doesn’t help that the writing, while detailed, can be difficult to follow at times, making it hard to fully engage with the world. [h3]Final Thoughts[/h3] Sunless Sea has an undeniably unique premise and atmosphere, but its slow pacing and simplistic gameplay loop hinder its ability to truly captivate. Players who have the patience for its deliberate pace and enjoy piecing together lore-heavy games may find something to love. However, for those who prefer a smoother balance between immersion, mechanics, and progression, Sunless Sea might feel like more effort than it’s worth.

Beautiful, addictive, cruel, featuring writing both playful and blood-curdling. Been playing this for many years and still come back. 10/10 would lose my mind and eat my crew again.

I don't hesitate to say that this game is my favorite game of all time. Fair warning, there is a LOT of reading (which I love!), and even with all that text it still manages to put incredible amount of care into every single word, with each new paragraph you read subtly helping you uncover some new layer of its weird eldritch universe. It's quite a punishing game (though it doesn't have to be if you don't play on Unforgiving Mode, even if it's not the recommended (by the devs) way to play), which I really like! You might die a few times, but eventually you learn how to navigate the Unterzee with confidence and it really makes you feel like a veteran captain! And you can rather quickly secure a house and an inheritance for your next of kin, so dying ultimately becomes much less of an inconvenience. Imo, the slowness of your ship (which can be overcome with upgraded engines anyways) contributes to the atmosphere, along with the music. Your boat rocking side to side, slowly making its way from island to island across a windless, submerged cavern, no sound but that of your engine (and the amazing atmospheric tracks.) There's so much to do and so much to explore, it's addicting. It's imo basically infinitely replayable, with all the different ambitions and endings to chase, and all the things you could have done differently. There will be consequences to your actions, but you can try something different on the next run. It's kind of like a long-paced roguelike in that way! Please please do yourself a favor and get this if you like story-rich games, it's a treasure trove honestly.

This game has it's charms but it personally is not for me. I like the concept and what it is trying to do, but everything feels purposefully sluggish and impersonal. This intentional slowness that feels like it would take tens of hours to complete the main story, alongside the UI that I would call old school but uncharming, and the resource management that feels like the actual point of the game rather than the horror or the story, makes this one a no go for me. I want to get in a game, and start playing it. Not be met with a wall of "you have to spend X amount of hours farming to get to a playable state in the game"