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Deep Sixed is a single player survival simulation game. It was developed by Little Red Dog Games and was released on February 12, 2018. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and positive reviews from players.

Deep Sixed is a narrative-driven space exploration game where you play as a disgraced spaceship pilot forced to work for an unscrupulous corporation. As you complete dangerous missions, you'll uncover a conspiracy that threatens the entire galaxy. Your choices and actions will impact the story and determine your ultimate fate.

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82%
Audience ScoreBased on 90 reviews
story12 positive mentions
stability11 negative mentions

  • Unique gameplay that combines frantic repairs with space exploration, creating a chaotic yet engaging experience.
  • The game features a humorous narrative and well-voiced characters, adding depth to the gameplay.
  • Players report a satisfying learning curve as they become more adept at managing the ship's numerous systems and repairs.
  • The steep learning curve and complex mechanics can be frustrating for new players, leading to frequent failures and restarts.
  • The user interface is clunky, making navigation and management of tasks cumbersome, especially under pressure.
  • Bugs and crashes have been reported, which can disrupt gameplay and lead to loss of progress.
  • story
    113 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story is a mix of entertaining narrative elements and procedural missions, set in a challenging roguelike environment where players must manage a constantly malfunctioning spaceship while completing various tasks. While the initial plot and world-building are engaging, repetitive mission structures and the lack of manual saves can lead to frustration, especially as players encounter bugs and permadeath mechanics that force them to replay content. Overall, the story serves as a backdrop to the gameplay, but its impact diminishes with repeated attempts and the game's inherent difficulty.

    • “The world building - the narrative story - is why I really like this game.”
    • “That quest for knowledge about this interesting place is what motivates me to keep fixing all the problems.”
    • “A story that is filled with great voice acting and humor that I enjoyed very much.”
    • “The game's story is incredibly hard to complete without cheating, and less than 10% of owners obtained the achievement of making it halfway through.”
    • “Story/narrative driven games and permadeath just don't suit each other well.”
    • “And to make matters worse, you have to sit through the same dialogues, emails, and missions again and again and again...”
  • gameplay
    47 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay is characterized by a steep learning curve and complex mechanics that can lead to frustration rather than strategic enjoyment, with issues like random breakdowns and limited resources. While the core loop of managing ship systems and resolving emergencies is engaging and unique, many players find the experience marred by bugs, a lack of depth after initial hours, and a user interface that complicates gameplay. Despite these drawbacks, the game offers a compelling challenge for those who appreciate intricate mechanics and immersive environments.

    • “The gameplay loop seems to be enjoyable but hard so far.”
    • “An original and fun concept with a creative art style and great gameplay is what makes this game worth every penny.”
    • “The core gameplay involves allocating limited power from your ship's battery to key systems: scanning, hyperdrive, weapons targeting, and weapons in each of the five observation bays.”
    • “It has a very steep learning curve and overcomplicated gameplay.”
    • “The tension could be compelling, but right now it mostly feels unfair: random simultaneous breakdowns, scarce resources, and no meaningful way to recover make the gameplay more annoying than strategic.”
    • “After maybe 2 hours, there are no longer any gameplay challenges left, and the tedium starts setting in.”
  • graphics
    19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game are characterized by a charming, cartoonish art style that enhances its unique atmosphere, despite not being cutting-edge or AAA quality. While some players find the visuals simple and serviceable, others appreciate the indie charm and immersive quality they bring to the gameplay. Overall, the graphics effectively complement the game's themes and contribute to its creative appeal.

    • “The game has graphics that fit the atmosphere.”
    • “It has quality graphics that have the indie charm.”
    • “The cartoonish graphics may seem out of place, but do a wonderful job of portraying the clutter and chaos hiding around every inch of the ship.”
    • “Simple graphics, simple game.”
    • “While the game is far from 4K crazy graphics that AAA developers are slowly working their way towards.”
    • “If this game had AAA quality graphics, it would honestly feel different.”
  • humor
    14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is widely praised for its cleverness and absurdity, often blending dark comedy with challenging gameplay. Players appreciate the witty writing, engaging voice acting, and the humorous interactions between characters, which enhance the overall experience. The game's ability to balance fun and frustration, along with its satirical take on dire situations, contributes to its unique charm and appeal.

    • “This game is hilarious, and it's fun trying to learn how to do all of the things you need to do in the game, and see all the layers of absurd complexity in even the most simple tasks.”
    • “The game has a good sense of humor about the hopelessness of the situation, and I enjoy the relationship that develops between the player character and the AI companion.”
    • “The writing, voiceover work, and general level of polish are remarkable for a game at this price point, and there is plenty of humor (and classic sci-fi references) to keep the mood light even as you're ever more frantically trying to stay on top of this sinking ship.”
  • stability
    12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's stability is a mixed bag; while some players report a solid experience with minimal bugs, others face frequent crashes and frustrating breakdowns that detract from gameplay. The troubleshooting mechanics can be engaging, but the arbitrary failures and inconsistent interfaces can lead to a sense of instability. Overall, players who enjoy managing chaos may find it rewarding, but those seeking a smoother experience might be disappointed.

    • “Though Deep Sixed is a fairly solidly built product with high production values for its chosen medium, and is pretty much bug-free, I have encountered at least one real bug where the retrieval probe gets stuck.”
    • “The core idea is interesting - managing a ship that constantly breaks down - but the execution is frustrating and feels buggy.”
    • “It's also buggy as hell, crashing on launch about 25% of the time and then occasional in-game crashes.”
    • “You don't fail because you don't manage to follow a complicated troubleshooting procedure, or keep up with cascading failures, or deal with multiple simultaneous issues - you fail because you simply fail a die roll when the game decides to crash the wrong system at the wrong time.”
  • music
    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game has received high praise for its captivating quality, described as a blend of various genres that creates an immersive atmosphere. Players appreciate the excellent soundtrack and voice acting, noting that it enhances the overall experience without being intrusive. Many express a desire to purchase the soundtrack, highlighting its standout role in the game.

    • “I was just in a trance by the fantastic music.”
    • “On top of the music, the audio throughout the game is great and the voice acting is fantastic!”
    • “Music is excellent throughout, like an instrumental cross between Massive Attack, Air, and a late-night piano bar.”
    • “General sound effects and soundtrack might not be anything special, yet they fulfill their roles without forcing me to mute them.”
    • “I had first heard the music and audio while watching someone play it.”
    • “There are no performance options or graphics settings apart from a full-screen/windowed toggle, but sound effects, music, and speech all have separately adjustable volumes.”
  • atmosphere
    9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's atmosphere is characterized by a palpable sense of tension and urgency, as players navigate crises like breaches and dwindling resources. The minimalistic graphics effectively enhance this feeling, creating an engaging environment where players constantly feel on edge, unsure of when the next challenge will arise. Overall, the combination of frantic problem-solving and the looming threat of failure contributes to a compelling and immersive atmosphere.

    • “There's a good sense of tension, and as others have pointed out, the game does well at creating atmosphere with just a few minimal ingredients.”
    • “The game has graphics that fit the atmosphere.”
    • “Rush to breach area - atmosphere dropping fast - precious seconds used to figure out how to apply duct tape.”
    • “Strip by duct tape strip, I cover the breach, a race against time as the atmosphere in the room is nearly depleted... just as I did one last desperate fast duct tape action and figured I was safe, my vision blackens around the corners and I pass out.”
    • “As a beginner, not knowing everything gives the game a certain atmosphere of always being on the verge of wondering when the next malfunction or fight will be, and if you'll be able to handle it.”
  • replayability
    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game offers a solid replayability factor, initially driven by its rogue-like mechanics and the challenge of mastering various malfunctions. However, as players become more skilled, the replay value may diminish, though the upcoming endless mode is expected to enhance replayability by allowing players to challenge themselves and improve their high scores. Overall, the combination of gameplay mechanics and future updates contributes to a fun and engaging experience.

    • “The developers are also going to be adding an endless mode here in the very near future, that will give the game a little more replayability too.”
    • “The endless mode also provides more replayability to the game as you can challenge yourself to survive as long as you can as difficulty increases, and attempt to beat your own high scores.”
    • “Great game, simple premise of single-handedly running a constantly-breaking spaceship made into a very fun and replayable experience.”
    • “It has a rogue-like vibe in that you will die many times; the main difference is that I can see mastering the different malfunctions eventually making the game's replayability less significant once you have been through it a few times because you will know how to do everything.”
    • “The endless mode also provides more replayability to the game as you can challenge yourself to survive as long as you can as difficulty increases and attempt to beat your own high scores.”
    • “Now that I've finished the game, I can talk about story and replayability.”
  • optimization
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, users express a desire for improved optimization in the game, noting the lack of performance options and graphics settings beyond basic toggles. However, many report no significant performance issues, indicating that the game runs well even on budget laptops.

    • “I would love to see some more optimization, is all.”
    • “There are no performance options or graphics settings apart from a full-screen/windowed toggle, but sound effects, music, and speech all have separately adjustable volumes.”
    • “Naturally, I didn’t have any performance issues, and I’m certain that Deep Sixed can be played even on a budget laptop.”
  • grinding
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, with some tasks intentionally designed to be monotonous. While the game has promising ideas, the reliance on random number generation can make progress feel arbitrary and unsatisfying.

    • “This game is both tedious and frustrating, and it is perfect.”
    • “It's got some good ideas, but it quickly becomes tedious and frustrating, and victory is at the mercy of the random number generator.”
    • “Some of the tasks are deliberately tedious to begin with.”
  • emotional
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players report a strong emotional connection to the game, particularly when overcoming challenges, leading to a profound sense of satisfaction. However, some feel that it lacks the social excitement and emotional depth found in other titles, such as "Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes" and "Papers, Please."

    • “I managed to beat the game on my first 'run' (this is a bit of a misnomer, that just means I haven't died a single time), and while the experience was harrowing, it was also an explosion of emotional satisfaction - my stakes and the main character's stakes were equally high.”
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72%Critics’ scoreBased on 1 critic reviews
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Frequently Asked Questions

Deep Sixed is a survival simulation game.

Deep Sixed is available on PC, Mac OS, Windows and Linux.

Deep Sixed was released on February 12, 2018.

Deep Sixed was developed by Little Red Dog Games.

Deep Sixed has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its stability.

Deep Sixed is a single player game.

Similar games include Uncle Chop's Rocket Shop, Tin Can, Duskers, Battlevoid: Harbinger, Ostranauts and others.