Darkness. Terror. Nightmares. A curse waiting for sunrise, but the night knows no end. London has fallen and the uninviting sea is the only hope of survival. Beyond pirates, twisted creatures and sick tales lies hope – your only chance of living to see another day.
London’s glorious past is mere memory for players as they take on a more sombre Victorian city in Failbetter Games’ Sunless Sea. Pit into a hostile, unwelcoming sea, the character’s only hope of survival is that same sea. Life as you know it is over, and through an immersive seafaring journey, players discover the haunted reality of Fallen London.
It’s hard to say what makes this 2D role-playing game so immersive – whether it’s the copious amount of content or the world which breathes life into a mysterious dark tale, yet the game’s fictitious and enthralling narratives do their part fantastically. The detailed lore introduces a facet not unlike that of a graphical novel to Sunless Sea. With the number of content set to more than double, players will be able to discover a new aspect to the game – away from the murky waters of Fallen London, delving deeply into London’s past and present.
The lore is presented as snippets from stories, as are called the game’s quests, layman conversations and exploration. The storyline is rather personal for each player, yet the snippets of of fiction, scattered around the Fallen London Universe breathe life into Sunless Sea.
The role-playing mechanisms are evident right from the start. Players can either choose to experience the game through the eyes of a number of different profiles and their associated aspirations, or start the game as a stranger shrouded in a mysterious past. From then on, the players face very few obstacles in the way of choosing their own adventure.
True to the core elements of role-playing games, players are faced with a myriad of options. In Fallen London, gamers can hunt down pirates, scavenge ominous creatures, explore an overwhelming map or complete the game’s stories, with a single factor governing the player’s choices – survival. Furthermore, the game is receiving weekly updates which add more content to the game, fix bugs and tweak the game.
Key to survival is the players’ ability to keep an eye on their ship crew’s terror, the fuel and supplies, and the ship’s overall condition. Regrettably, the game’s tutorials are half-baked and players have to discover most of the game’s mechanisms on their own. Although still in early-access, Sunless Sea excels in the content and freedom, it offers, yet it lacks in one department – balance.
Boasting a vast sea awaiting the players, the game’s balance is monumental. Saving echoes, the game’s currency, to buy a new ship can be time-consuming and the multitude of fights against lesser foes is often unrewarding. Keeping terror at bay too seems like a momentous task at the moment, particularly since it can spiral out of control whenever the ship is far from shore.
Players plying their trade in commerce will also discover that making a living out of this is exhausting, yet Failbetter Games have already expressed their desire to improve the game’s overall balance. Thankfully, the game’s challenging nature is still rather enjoyable, yet if players deem it too much, Sunless Sea offers the option of neutering this by enabling manual saving.
Sunless Sea’s graphical side does justice to the game’s overall concept by reinforcing the storytelling side. The special effects add subtle touches hand-painted textures. The game’s somber looks describe the different ports, regions and settings in a unique manner, and as a result perfectly complement the game’s fiction. Meanwhile the polished and seamless animations help bring Fallen London to life. The hand-drawn cards, representing enemies, ports and individuals, among others, add a simple yet effective finishing touch to Sunless Sea.
On the downside, the game’s user interface still begs for some polishing touches. At lower resolutions the text can sometimes be unclear, rendering bodies of text indecipherable. Thankfully, this is an exception to the norm, and mostly players can savor the game’s storyline with relative ease.
Sunless Sea’s music and sound are a couple of the most developed aspects of the game, and it shows. The game’s soundtrack is perfectly crafted and suits the game’s nautical theme admirably. Other subtleties, such as the rush-inducing scores played when leaving port, are the cherry on the cake. Coupled with delicate sound effects, the soundtrack enriches the gameplay and complements the game’s graphics.
Although still in early-access, Sunless Sea offers abundant content, and with the long-awaited procedurally-generated maps set to be released very soon, replayability should be no issue. Nevertheless, early-access gamers will have to contend with the lack of balance and a number of locked options, although the developers do respond positively to constructive criticism. With weekly updates, adding plenty of content and neutralizing the game’s balance, Sunless Sea is in already in a playable state, justifying its 19.99€ price tag and allowing role-playing gamers to brave the seas.
You see London’s lights shrouded in fog as you moor your ship after days of exploration, terror and combat. The damp city offers little solace, but it’s home. You may rest – you deserve that much.
Sunless Sea is an Early Access release, so some stuff is missing, unpolished or unfinished. See our roadmap for details: http://sunlessseagame.com/progress
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