Deep Sky Derelicts

About

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.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

+12

73%

Audience ScoreBased on 3,095 reviews

story188 positive mentions

grinding180 negative mentions

The game features a unique blend of turn-based strategy and RPG elements, with a fun card combat system.
The art style is visually appealing, reminiscent of comic book aesthetics, and the atmosphere is engaging.
There is a good variety of character classes and customization options, allowing for diverse playstyles.

The game suffers from numerous bugs, including UI issues and crashes, which can disrupt gameplay.
The difficulty curve can be unbalanced, with some encounters feeling overly easy while others are frustratingly hard.
Inventory management is cumbersome, making it tedious to compare and manage loot effectively.

story
1,077 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
76%
7%
The story in "Deep Sky Derelicts" is generally considered weak and underdeveloped, often taking a back seat to gameplay mechanics. While there are some interesting lore elements and side quests, the main narrative is primarily a series of fetch quests that lack depth and engagement. Players have noted that the writing can be amusing at times, but overall, the story feels shallow and repetitive, with many wishing for a more substantial plot and character development.
- “Deep Sky Derelicts is a compelling blend of rogue-like elements, strategic gameplay, and immersive storytelling, set in a richly detailed sci-fi universe.”
- “Each level features several well-written and usually mad funny characters which give you quests and become a pushing force for you to stick with the game before you are able to appreciate the gameplay systems behind its robust RPG character speccing and upgrading.”
- “The story is interesting but shallow; to give an example, the ending consists of three slides.”
- “Story takes a back seat to gameplay, and while the story that is there is mildly interesting, it's mostly lore drops instead of an actual story arc.”
- “However, after 50 hours you are through the story and to be honest, the game really doesn't have any.”
- “The story made my eyes glaze over because it didn't make any sense.”
gameplay
1,068 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
61%
10%
The gameplay of "Deep Sky Derelicts" is characterized by its engaging turn-based combat and unique card mechanics, allowing for strategic depth and customization through character builds and equipment. However, many players find the gameplay loop repetitive and marred by unclear mechanics, bugs, and a lack of meaningful progression, leading to a sense of monotony as the game progresses. While the art style and humor are praised, the overall experience is hindered by issues such as a cumbersome energy system and limited content, making it a mixed bag for players seeking a robust gameplay experience.
- “However, the combat mechanics are where the game really shines.”
- “Deep Sky Derelicts is a very funny, well-written, and well-drawn roguelike with very robust and solid gameplay.”
- “The need to balance offense and defense, exploit enemy weaknesses, and adapt to ever-changing circumstances keeps the gameplay fresh and engaging throughout.”
- “The gameplay loop rapidly loses its luster and becomes slow and boring.”
- “The gameplay got repetitive towards the end of the game and my inventory got filled with junk and I couldn't really figure out whether any of it was good for upgrades.”
- “The problem is the core gameplay loop is just really poorly thought out and implemented.”
graphics
723 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
52%
46%
2%
The graphics of "Deep Sky Derelicts" are widely praised for their unique comic book art style, which combines gritty, hand-drawn visuals with a retro-futuristic aesthetic reminiscent of titles like "Darkest Dungeon." While many players appreciate the atmospheric and immersive quality of the artwork, some critiques highlight issues with static visuals and a lack of animation, which can detract from the overall experience. Overall, the art style is considered a strong point of the game, contributing to its charm despite some gameplay shortcomings.
- “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 hand-drawn art style lends a gritty authenticity to the game world, while the eerie ambient sounds heighten the sense of isolation and danger lurking in the darkness of space.”
- “The art style and deck-building aspects grabbed my attention from the start, but unfortunately it just doesn't execute well.”
- “The visuals, environment, and music stay mostly static for the entire game.”
- “There are no eye-catching aesthetics or unique atmospheres... the enemies look boring, the attacks aren't animations; they are just more of the pale grey comic-book panes with no animation or detail to them.”
music
282 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
52%
42%
6%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its atmospheric and fitting qualities that enhance the overall experience, particularly in creating a sci-fi vibe. However, several players noted that the soundtrack can be repetitive, lacking variety and leading to a desire for more diverse tracks. Overall, while the music contributes positively to the game's ambiance, its limited range may detract from long-term enjoyment.
- “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 visuals, environment, and music stay mostly static for the entire game.”
- “Music after 30 minutes is annoying.”
grinding
182 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
1%
99%
The grinding aspect of the game has received significant criticism, with many players finding it excessively tedious and repetitive, particularly in the mid to late game. While some enjoy the initial gameplay loop, they note that it quickly becomes a slog due to long battles, inventory management issues, and a lack of meaningful content, leading to a frustrating experience. Overall, the game is described as grindy, with many players feeling that it overstays its welcome and lacks the strategic depth to justify the time investment.
- “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 tells you best what it is.”
- “It's incredibly grindy and a consistent slog.”
- “23 hours is given as the average time to beat, and that's too long and too much grinding for the limited content.”
- “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.”
atmosphere
181 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
31%
2%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and captivating qualities, featuring a unique blend of comic book-style graphics, atmospheric sound design, and a gritty, retro-futuristic setting. Many players appreciate the dark and eerie ambiance, which enhances the overall experience, although some note that certain elements, like character animations and gameplay depth, could use improvement. Overall, the game's atmosphere is considered a standout feature, drawing players into its desolate and intriguing world.
- “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.”
- “From the moment you step into the shoes of a scavenger, tasked with exploring derelict spacecraft in search of valuable loot and clues to the mysteries of the cosmos, Deep Sky Derelicts grips you with its atmospheric visuals and haunting soundtrack.”
- “The brown/washed-blue colour palette adds to the gloomy atmosphere, but it still feels pallid, especially on scenes which should be more colourful (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.”
replayability
146 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
50%
10%
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 the experience can become repetitive and that the content may feel limited after the initial runs, leading to a decline in interest for extended gameplay. Overall, while there are elements that promote replayability, such as different classes and strategies, the game may not sustain long-term engagement for all players.
- “The procedurally generated derelicts ensure that each playthrough is different, adding significant replayability.”
- “Overall, I loved all aspects of the experience, the exploring, fights, deciding which loot to use, how to use my money.. there's lots of room for building the group exactly to your taste, and replayability with trying a different strategy next time using the gear you thought was vendor trash last time.”
- “Very high replayability value, with different classes and different skill points on each run.”
- “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.”
stability
109 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
4%
96%
The game is widely criticized for its significant stability issues, with users reporting frequent bugs, crashes, and a generally unresponsive interface. Many players express frustration over persistent problems that have remained unaddressed for years, making the game feel unplayable at times. While some find enjoyment despite these issues, the overall consensus is that the game's stability is a major drawback that 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.”
- “It's a buggy mess.”
- “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.”
- “But the game has been out for years now and I simply have no patience for buggy games years after release; this should have been patched long ago.”
humor
78 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
97%
3%
The humor in "Deep Sky Derelicts" is widely praised for its clever writing and engaging characters, offering a mix of intelligent and dark humor that enhances the gameplay experience. Players appreciate the whimsical and sometimes goofy dialogue, as well as the amusing side quests that contribute to the game's charm. While some humor may feel corny or inconsistent, the overall comedic tone adds a fun layer to the game's robust RPG mechanics and worldbuilding.
- “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 development
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
55%
15%
Character development in the game is a mixed bag; while it features a versatile system with two-sided skill trees and subclass options, many players feel it is limited by a level cap of 10 that is reached early in the game. Despite this, the character progression is praised for its depth and variety, drawing comparisons to titles like Darkest Dungeon, and is complemented by unique art styles and engaging card-based combat mechanics. Overall, the character development system is seen as a strong point, though some players desire more extensive growth opportunities.
- “Possibilities in character development are versatile; each character class provides a two-sided skill tree, where one side will include the choice of a subclass with additional skills.”
- “It's like Darkest Dungeon but has really in-depth progressing character development with a large amount 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 limited and does not provide enough depth.”
optimization
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
66%
17%
The game's optimization mechanics are engaging, allowing for deep team development and strategic tinkering with decks and stats. However, players report that the experience can become repetitive towards the end, especially when maxed out on gear and lacking meaningful upgrades, leading to a lack of incentive for further combat encounters. Additionally, the reliance on luck during battles can detract from the overall optimization experience.
- “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 long at max level with optimized weapons and gear and thus have no real incentive to do 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 in 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.”
monetization
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy of the game has drawn mixed reactions, with some players viewing it as a cash grab masked by appealing aesthetics, while others argue that early access release was a necessary move for the studio's survival. The game features an economy and loot system that includes trade and mission-oriented content, but there are concerns about the potential for meaningless DLCs that do not enhance gameplay. Overall, players are wary of monetization practices in indie titles, emphasizing the need for meaningful content expansions rather than superficial additions.
- “A damn shame, but 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 DD did in small meaningless DLCs to cash grab, but additions to the content and gameplay by expanding their horizons, not merely give you the base game and irrelevant additions later.”
emotional
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
Players express a strong sense of disappointment regarding the emotional engagement of the game, citing a boring story that fails to provide a compelling reason to continue playing. This lack of emotional investment leads to feelings of frustration and regret over time spent on the game.
- “Give me an emotionally charged reason to accomplish it.”
- “But when it comes to the UI - there is something I want to cry about.”

71%Critics’ scoreBased on 13 critic reviews

Buy Deep Sky Derelicts

15h Median play time

26h Average play time

6-40h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 44 analyzed playthroughs

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