Deep Sky Derelicts

73%
Game Brain Score Based on 1,541 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Deep Sky Derelicts Game Cover
It would be easy, but incorrect, to dismiss Deep Sky Derelicts from Snowhound Games as a Darkest Dungeon clone.
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Deep Sky Derelicts is a strategic, turn-based RPG set in a grim, dieselpunk universe. Scavenge for resources, explore derelict spaceships, and engage in tactical combat with pirates and factions. Manage your crew, equip them with upgrades, and level up their skills to survive in this unforgiving, procedurally generated world.

  • Mac OS
  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Linux
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

73%
Audience ScoreBased on 1,541 reviews
story94 positive mentions
grinding90 negative mentions
  • Unique deck-building mechanics that allow for diverse character customization and strategies.
  • Great art style and atmosphere, reminiscent of classic sci-fi comics.
  • Engaging combat system that combines turn-based strategy with card play.
  • Repetitive gameplay and missions that can become tedious over time.
  • Numerous bugs and UI issues that can disrupt the gaming experience.
  • Difficulty spikes that can feel unbalanced, especially in the late game.
  • story536 mentions

    The story in "Deep Sky Derelicts" is generally considered weak and simplistic, serving primarily as a backdrop for gameplay rather than a driving force. While there are some interesting lore elements and humorous side quests, most missions boil down to repetitive fetch quests with minimal narrative depth. Players often find the overarching plot uninspiring, with many wishing for a more substantial and engaging storyline to enhance the overall experience.

    • “Deep Sky Derelicts is a compelling blend of rogue-like elements, strategic gameplay, and immersive storytelling, set in a richly detailed sci-fi universe.”
    • “The story is interesting but shallow; to give an example, the ending consists of three slides.”
    • “The writing and story are interesting and thoughtful as well.”
    • “The story is non-existent, even though it has some scattered plots that are sometimes cool.”
    • “The plot has no direction, the characters don't have any level of consistency and behave as if they're reading a wiki; it comes across as 'oh wow, that's interesting.'”
    • “The story is very basic but that was fine with me as I saw it was just an excuse to wander from one tactical encounter to the next, with a few puzzle sidequests thrown in for variety.”
  • gameplay532 mentions

    The gameplay of "Deep Sky Derelicts" is characterized by a blend of turn-based combat and deck-building mechanics, offering a unique experience reminiscent of games like "Darkest Dungeon." While the combat mechanics are generally praised for their depth and strategic potential, many players find the overall gameplay loop repetitive and marred by unclear mechanics and bugs. Despite its engaging art style and customization options, the game struggles with pacing and can become tedious as players progress, leading to mixed reviews on its long-term enjoyment.

    • “The gameplay loop is engaging and well crafted, and the diversity of loot and items keeps the experience fresh.”
    • “Deep Sky Derelicts is a strategic RPG with a sci-fi theme; gameplay is a turn-based card combat system.”
    • “The card mechanics are unique from other such games, and I'm even enjoying the RPG elements.”
    • “The gameplay loop rapidly loses its luster and becomes slow and boring.”
    • “The gameplay is very repetitive, and the gameplay loop is not that fun after playing other turn-based card games on Steam.”
    • “The core gameplay loop involves three phases - a base phase, a navigating phase, and a battle phase, but the execution of some gameplay elements is really frustrating.”
  • graphics360 mentions

    The graphics of "Deep Sky Derelicts" are widely praised for their unique comic book art style, which combines a gritty, retrofuturistic aesthetic with hand-drawn visuals that evoke a sense of atmosphere and immersion. While many players appreciate the artistic design and its resemblance to titles like "Darkest Dungeon," some critiques highlight issues with static animations and a lack of variety in visual presentation, leading to a mixed reception regarding the overall execution of the graphics. Despite these concerns, the art style remains a significant draw for players, contributing to the game's charm and appeal.

    • “The cel-shaded graphics are cartoonish and delightful, and everything has a worn down, crustpunk retrofuturist look.”
    • “With its comic book-style graphics and immersive atmosphere, the game offers a refreshing take on the genre.”
    • “The art style is absolutely amazing, like an interactive Mike Mignola book.”
    • “The visuals, environment, and music stay mostly static for the entire game.”
    • “There's no excuse for this because there's no limitations when you have access to text and this art style.”
    • “The game just feels ugly... everything from the interface, to the level design, to the bland grey-washed aesthetics.”
  • music141 mentions

    The music in the game is generally praised for its atmospheric quality and ability to enhance the overall experience, with many reviewers highlighting its fitting synthwave and ambient styles. However, a common critique is its repetitiveness, as several players noted that the limited variety in tracks can lead to monotony over extended play sessions. Overall, while the soundtrack contributes positively to the game's vibe, there is a desire for more diverse musical content.

    • “One of the most marvelous soundtracks out there that never gets old.”
    • “The music sets a great atmosphere.”
    • “The music is simply amazing, lots of depth, memorable tunes and they really bring up the atmosphere levels.”
    • “The music is exciting at first, but there's really only one short track that plays on repeat.”
    • “The music is very repetitive, and it feels like there's a lack of variety.”
    • “The music adds to the atmosphere, but most folks won't be compelled to listen to the soundtrack 'just because'.”
  • grinding91 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game has received significant criticism, with many players finding it tedious and repetitive, especially in the mid to late game. While the initial gameplay can be engaging, it often devolves into a monotonous cycle of battles and inventory management, leading to a sense of boredom and frustration as players feel compelled to grind for resources and experience. Overall, the game is perceived as overly grindy, detracting from its otherwise enjoyable mechanics and concepts.

    • “With some tweaking and respecs, I was able to steamroll everything again - no grinding for experience or loot, just me rethinking the strategy, roles, and decks for better synergy and efficiency while also adapting to new enemies. To me, that was the highlight of this game and best illustrates what it is.”
    • “It's incredibly grindy and a consistent slog.”
    • “The game gets grindy quite a bit, but the silly side-quests get you going.”
    • “Unfortunately, the mid to late game gets tedious due to repetitive encounters and a lack of variety - after building up your characters, you will find that there is not much more but rinse and repeat until the end.”
  • atmosphere90 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and captivating qualities, featuring striking art styles, atmospheric sound design, and a gritty, retro-futuristic aesthetic. Many players appreciate the game's ability to evoke a sense of exploration and tension, reminiscent of titles like "Darkest Dungeon," while some critiques highlight inconsistencies in execution and a lack of depth in gameplay. Overall, the combination of visuals, music, and thematic elements creates a compelling environment that enhances the gaming experience.

    • “With its comic book-style graphics and immersive atmosphere, the game offers a refreshing take on the genre.”
    • “The atmospheric sound design further enhances the experience, drawing players deeper into the desolate, eerie setting.”
    • “I really liked this game, the atmosphere is amazing, the artwork is phenomenal and the soundtrack captivating.”
    • “The brown/washed-blue color palette adds to the gloomy atmosphere, but it still feels pallid, especially in scenes that should be more colorful (e.g., supercomputers flickering in the background).”
    • “You spend 90% of your time looking at your scanner screen, which means the art of the rooms and the atmosphere it could have conveyed is completely wasted.”
    • “The atmosphere is weaker, the writing is a bit sparse, and the gameplay isn't as deep.”
  • replayability73 mentions

    The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with some players praising its procedural generation and diverse character customization, which encourage multiple playthroughs. However, many reviewers noted that after a few runs, the experience can become repetitive or feel limited due to scripted content and a lack of long-term progression. Overall, while there is potential for replayability, it often depends on individual play styles and the willingness to explore different character builds.

    • “The procedurally generated derelicts ensure that each playthrough is different, adding significant replayability.”
    • “Very high replayability value, with different classes and different skill points on each run.”
    • “There are many ways to build the party and characters, quests are well written and often have multiple ways to solve them - overall it's very replayable.”
    • “Not much to offer in terms of replayability once you beat the game; there is no long-term progression or anything like that.”
    • “Despite having replayability potential, it gets boring after the first playthrough.”
    • “The game was designed to be replayable, but it feels like you will see all the content during your first run.”
  • stability54 mentions

    The game's stability is widely criticized, with numerous users reporting frequent bugs, crashes, and interface issues that hinder gameplay. Many players express frustration over persistent problems that have remained unaddressed despite the game being several years old, leading to a consensus that it is a "buggy mess." While some find enjoyment in the game despite these issues, the overall sentiment suggests that the stability significantly detracts from the experience.

    • “Runs great on my iMac Catalina 10.15.1 (4.2 GHz quad-core Intel Core i7, 16 GB 2400 MHz DDR4, Radeon Pro 580 8 GB).”
    • “Runs great on my iMac with Big Sur.”
    • “About 25% of the time I boot the game up, it freezes and I have to force close it while on a high-end PC.”
    • “It's a buggy mess and for a game that's been out for four years, that's ridiculous.”
    • “There are also a number of bugs such as occasional lock-ups while the game is starting, some games becoming unwinnable due to random level generation issues, and some minor interface glitches like being unable to open the menu until returning to home base.”
  • humor39 mentions

    The humor in "Deep Sky Derelicts" is widely praised for its clever writing and quirky characters, providing a mix of intelligent and dark humor throughout the gameplay. Players appreciate the amusing dialogues and side quests, which add a whimsical touch to the overall experience, although some find the humor occasionally corny or inconsistent. Overall, the game successfully blends humor with its RPG elements, enhancing player engagement and enjoyment.

    • “Exquisitely written with a good portion of intelligent humor.”
    • “The core gameplay loops are mostly fun and intuitive, the setting is cool and feels lived in, and the writing is pretty funny in places.”
    • “And what's more, the dialogues are also quite hilarious to read.”
    • “It is sometimes whimsical but not funny.”
  • character development10 mentions

    Character development in the game is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the versatile skill trees and in-depth progression reminiscent of titles like Darkest Dungeon, others criticize the cap at level 10, which limits growth before the game concludes. The unique art style and character design stand out, but the overall depth of character development varies, with some praising the integration of card game mechanics into character progression.

    • “Possibilities in character development are versatile; each character class provides a two-sided skill tree, where one side includes the choice of a subclass with additional skills.”
    • “It's like Darkest Dungeon but has really in-depth character development with a large number of abilities to switch through.”
    • “They've got a dynamite character development system, and the combat feels refreshing initially because well-done card combat that still uses character equipment and stats in a direct way is uncommon.”
    • “Character development is capped at level 10, which you achieve long before the game ends.”
    • “There is a lack of character development.”
    • “The character development system feels underwhelming and doesn't evolve as the game progresses.”
  • optimization9 mentions

    The game's optimization aspect is generally well-received, with players enjoying the depth of team development and the fun of tinkering with decks for synergy. However, some users noted that once they reached max level and optimized their gear, the gameplay became repetitive and lacked meaningful challenges, leading to a sense of staleness in the final levels. Overall, while the optimization mechanics are engaging, they can result in diminishing returns as players progress.

    • “Variety was good, team development/optimization was fun, and flaws were minor.”
    • “Tinkering with the decks and stats to get the best possible synergy between your party members is fun and reasonably deep; you need to spend a solid amount of time on constant optimizations and, sometimes, outright respecs and role switches.”
    • “On its own merits, the game is kind of a mildly-flavored deck-builder, which is to say a probabilistic optimization puzzle.”
    • “The game also becomes quite repetitive towards the end when you are at max level with optimized weapons and gear, and thus have no real incentive to engage in any more combat encounters or grind through rooms for better equipment.”
    • “Enemies heal, gain, or just have insane evade chances which make you waste cards and turns, deal insane damage, and even spawn hordes of new enemies, all the while your kit, however optimized, comes down to luck of the draw and occasionally hit chance against those damn evaders.”
    • “A bit of staleness did creep in during the final two levels where I was pretty much 100% optimized, couldn't find any meaningful upgrades, and the enemies were nowhere near becoming a problem.”
  • monetization4 mentions

    The monetization of the game has drawn mixed reactions, with some players viewing it as a cash grab masked by appealing aesthetics, while others argue that the studio's early access release was a necessary move for survival. Critics emphasize the need for meaningful content expansions rather than trivial DLCs, highlighting concerns over the game's economy and loot systems that may prioritize profit over player experience.

    • “A damn shame, but it really points out why we have to be suspicious of even indie titles at this point - just another shameless cash grab hiding behind a 'cool' sci-fi aesthetic, just like everything else these days.”
    • “Manage: comes with an economy and loot system with trade and merchandise and mission-oriented cash grabs with mini mission options and sequences to the derelict ships you explore.”
    • “Deep Sky cannot make the mistake that other games did with small meaningless DLCs to cash grab, but should focus on adding to the content and gameplay by expanding their horizons, not merely giving you the base game and irrelevant additions later.”
  • emotional4 mentions

    Players express disappointment with the emotional impact of the game, citing a lack of engaging storytelling and a sense of wasted time. The absence of emotionally charged motivations detracts from the overall experience, leaving some feeling frustrated and unfulfilled.

    • “Give me an emotionally charged reason to accomplish it.”
    • “But when it comes to the UI, there is something I want to cry about.”
    • “The story felt incredibly dull and failed to evoke any emotional response.”
    • “I found the narrative to be unengaging, lacking the depth needed to connect with the characters.”
    • “The emotional moments were predictable and did not resonate with me at all.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

71% average critic score

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Play time

15hMedian play time
26hAverage play time
6-40hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 22 analyzed playthroughs

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