★★★☆☆ – Worth a Playthrough!
Take the helm of your customised steamship and set sail for the unknown. A 2D top-down game of discovery, survival and loneliness set in the Victorian Gothic universe of Fallen London.
Platforms: Windows, OS X and Linux
Playtime: 30-60 Hours
Genre: Survival/ Exploration Roleplaying
‘Sunless Sea’ is an excellent idea, just not as well implemented as I would have preferred. It relies on the player’s ability to read and imagine the majority of its narrative. That being said there is a ton of reading involved. The only actual gameplay events are in the form of exploring the seas, fighting enemies and customization of your vessel’s abilities. This creates a frustratingly slow gaming experience. The game does a poor job of integrating and explaining its mechanics progressively. Instead, it floods the player with an overwhelming amount of information. It took a few attempts for me to even get into the game.
I did, however, thoroughly enjoy the writing, characters, and world which are all rather unique. This is where ‘Sunless Sea’ really shines. It should also be commended for its innovation. For people who want a slow, immersive, strategic and narrative heavy world this title is a no brainer. Just make sure you watch a few ‘let’s play’ videos to see if this is really your cup of tea.
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