Sunless Skies

73%
Game Brain Score Based on 4,264 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • atmosphere
Sunless Skies Game Cover
The sharpest writing around, wrapped inside a surprising adventure that’s tough but rarely unfair. Failbetter’s finest hour.
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Sunless Skies: Sovereign Edition is a narrative-driven game that combines Victorian-era aesthetics with cosmic horror. As a spacefaring locomotive captain, explore the skies, encounter strange creatures, and make choices that shape your character's past and future. With numerous updates and improvements, this definitive version offers enhanced gameplay and a full steam mode for added challenge. Bear in mind, though, that death awaits most captains, leaving only their memories behind.

  • Mac OS
  • PC
  • Windows
  • Linux
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

73%
Audience ScoreBased on 4,264 reviews
story543 positive mentions
grinding262 negative mentions
  • The writing is exceptional, with colorful and engaging prose that draws players into the world.
  • The game features a unique and immersive atmosphere, combining steampunk aesthetics with Lovecraftian horror.
  • Gameplay improvements over its predecessor, Sunless Sea, make it more accessible and enjoyable, with better combat mechanics and a streamlined trading system.
  • The game can feel slow and tedious, with long travel times between ports and a lack of engaging content during those stretches.
  • The permadeath mechanic can be frustrating, as it resets much of the progress made in the story and character development.
  • Some players may find the combat mechanics clunky and unbalanced, leading to frustrating encounters.
  • story1,897 mentions

    The story in *Sunless Skies* is praised for its rich, immersive narrative and intricate world-building, with many players appreciating the depth and complexity of the writing. However, some reviewers express frustration with the gameplay mechanics, which often feel tedious and detract from the storytelling experience, particularly due to repetitive fetch quests and slow travel times. While the game offers a captivating atmosphere and engaging character arcs, the overall pacing and structure can lead to a sense of disconnection from the narrative, especially when players are forced to restart quests after character deaths.

    • “The story, world, and characters are incredibly immersive and create a beautiful and complex tapestry.”
    • “An exceptionally rich story brought to life with Failbetter's incredible art and music department.”
    • “The atmosphere is unmatched and storylines deep and well thought out.”
    • “Sure, the art is pretty, the music is lovely, the combat is engaging (at least more engaging than its predecessor's), but the lore, the story, and the narratives are not good.”
    • “The problem with this is that facets are little snippets of your character's backstory, so instead of crafting my character's story the way I want to, I'm instead picking the most optimal stat paths.”
    • “It's just an exhausting amount of doing nothing in exchange for tiny bits of lore and story.”
  • gameplay1,128 mentions

    The gameplay of "Sunless Skies" has received mixed reviews, with many players noting significant improvements over its predecessor, "Sunless Sea," particularly in combat mechanics and user-friendliness. However, the core gameplay loop, which often involves tedious fetch quests and slow travel, can feel monotonous and frustrating, detracting from the otherwise rich storytelling and atmospheric experience. While some players appreciate the slower pace and narrative depth, others find the gameplay lacking and overly grindy, suggesting that it may not appeal to those seeking fast-paced or mechanically intensive experiences.

    • “Despite how ungainly it might be, it’s hard to imagine not spending many hours on it if you enjoy the core gameplay loop.”
    • “The mining of time, the demon bees, everything at the Magdalene's, etc. improves upon Sunless Sea in mechanics, with not one but three different maps and tons of new features.”
    • “Expect essentially slow, chill gameplay that gives you plenty of time to unwind between occasional bursts of action.”
    • “In a game about exploration, I should not have to gamble on whether or not a location will even spawn. I spent 20 goddamn minutes driving around looking for the fifth signal box before giving up. This game is tedious, its narrative being constantly hamstrung by its gameplay. This is the kind of game that is more interesting to read about than actually play.”
    • “The gameplay is the weakest part of this game, rather ironic and unfortunate, but the atmosphere and art and sound are really amazing.”
    • “The gameplay can become monotonous at times.”
  • atmosphere584 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its haunting, immersive quality, enhanced by exceptional writing, sound design, and visuals. While many players appreciate the rich world-building and the unique blend of horror, mystery, and exploration, some express frustration with the pacing and verbosity that can detract from the overall experience. Overall, the game successfully creates a captivating and atmospheric environment, though opinions vary on its effectiveness compared to its predecessor, "Sunless Sea."

    • “You can enjoy little challenges or big quests, all with the lingering atmosphere of horror, mystery, and mythos.”
    • “The atmosphere is unmatched and story lines deep and well thought out.”
    • “Amazing atmosphere, beautiful story, and ... oddly idyllic/relaxing to go trundling around on a flying locomotive.”
    • “The game doesn't know what it wants its atmosphere to be, but whatever it is, the contrast between those elements is not fun.”
    • “Sunless skies greatly lacks the atmosphere and writing that sunless sea had.”
    • “But the real killer is that the game is just boring and tedious, even with the amazing music, atmosphere and sound design.”
  • graphics496 mentions

    The graphics of "Sunless Skies" are widely praised for their stunning, hand-drawn art style and immersive atmosphere, which effectively complement the game's narrative and sound design. Many reviewers highlight the significant improvements over its predecessor, "Sunless Sea," noting the vibrant colors and detailed environments that enhance the overall experience. However, some players express frustration with performance issues and the game's slow navigation, which can detract from the enjoyment of the otherwise beautiful visuals.

    • “The atmosphere that the visuals, ambient sounds, and music create is as close to perfect as possible.”
    • “The graphics and sound for this game are absolutely amazing.”
    • “The art style is extremely well-done; everything has a hand-painted feel to it, from the beautiful animated backgrounds while flying your train to the pictures of the people and places you encounter during your travels.”
    • “The graphics are also a huge disappointment.”
    • “Not to mention the overall art style looks like an early 3D adventure game, with poor resolution and bad anti-aliasing resulting in jagged edges in a mix of bad 3D modeling and 2D assets taken from Sunless Sea.”
    • “Sunless skies feels like an overpriced graphical mod to Sunless Sea.”
  • music362 mentions

    The music in "Sunless Skies" is generally praised for its atmospheric quality, enhancing the game's immersive experience with a range of emotional tones, from haunting to uplifting. However, many players feel that the soundtrack does not reach the iconic status of its predecessor, "Sunless Sea," often taking a back seat during gameplay and lacking the thematic variety associated with the earlier game. Overall, while the music contributes positively to the ambiance, some players express a desire for more frequent and memorable musical moments.

    • “The music is incredible, embellishing the setting perfectly and creating a sense of wonder and terror throughout your journey.”
    • “The atmosphere that the visuals, ambient sounds, and music create is as close to perfect as possible.”
    • “Whether you are serenely chugging through luminous landscapes or anxiously creeping through stygian skies, the game's sounds and music underscore your travels without being generic or overbearing.”
    • “Most of the time there is no music and you listen to your locomotive puffs for hundreds of hours on end.”
    • “The sound design is amazing, but the music isn't as good.”
    • “The cargo bay is even more restricting than Sunless Seas and, and this will sound incredibly petty, the fact that pretty much every port cues the same theme music is irritatingly grating and the hiss of the turning jet exhausts is so taxing that I feel a reflexive desire to rake my nails across my arms every time I hear it.”
  • grinding266 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it tedious and time-consuming, particularly in terms of travel and resource management. While some appreciate the rewarding narrative and atmosphere that emerge from the grind, others feel that the gameplay often hampers the storytelling experience, making it more of a chore than an engaging adventure. Overall, while the game is less grindy than its predecessor, "Sunless Sea," it still suffers from repetitive tasks and slow pacing that can detract from enjoyment.

    • “Progression is rewarding but can be grindy, though not too grindy.”
    • “In a game about exploration, I should not have to gamble on whether or not a location will even spawn. I spend 20 goddamn minutes driving around looking for the fifth signal box before giving up. This game is tedious, its narrative being constantly hamstrung by its gameplay. This is the kind of game that is more interesting to read about than actually play.”
    • “Would be a great game if the developer respected the user's time. Unfortunately, the great writing and gorgeous visuals are divided by tedious fetch quests and slow travel time.”
    • “The gameplay is mostly go from port to port, slowly and tediously, sell stuff, have some random conversations, move on.”
  • humor70 mentions

    The humor in the game is described as a unique blend of dark, British wit and absurdity, often juxtaposed with its eldritch horror elements. Players appreciate the offbeat characters and situations, such as a crew that includes a jetpack-wielding gerbil, which contribute to a whimsical yet chilling atmosphere. Overall, the writing is praised for its cleverness and depth, making the experience both entertaining and thought-provoking.

    • “If you like well-written eldritch horror but feel that it is always lacking in British humor, play this game.”
    • “Neat offbeat humor - for example, my crew includes an inadvisably large dog, a gerbil with a jetpack, someone's aunt, and many other fun people.”
    • “It's got the creepy writing, the whimsical characters, and the sardonic humor you'd expect from Failbetter games.”
    • “Combat in the skies is serviceable, if not funny due to the AI maneuvering, and very shallow.”
  • optimization66 mentions

    The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players experiencing significant stuttering and performance issues, particularly during scene transitions and in visually rich environments. While some users noted improvements following recent updates, others still reported that the game requires a more powerful computer than expected and suffers from ongoing performance hiccups. Overall, despite its engaging gameplay and visuals, the game is criticized for being poorly optimized, necessitating further patches to enhance performance.

    • “Personally, I have had no issues with the game performance.”
    • “It runs smoothly and the UI is one of the better ones I've seen.”
    • “After the latest patch in New Year's, the game improved a lot; not only did the performance get better, but they also made the 'normal' difficulty of the game more balanced, and while it keeps being very hard, you can notice the difference.”
    • “Great game but terrible performance issues.”
    • “Beautiful game very poorly optimized.”
    • “Performance of game is trash and needs a patch.”
  • stability44 mentions

    The game is widely reported to be quite buggy, with frequent freezes, glitches, and immature AI leading to a frustrating experience for many players. Despite these issues, some users appreciate the game's potential and the support from the developers, suggesting that it may improve over time, especially as it is still in early access. Overall, while the game offers a unique narrative experience, its stability remains a significant concern.

    • “Quite a few years post-development, and still pretty buggy.”
    • “That was a game that had a lot of care and attention - this one is empty, unfinished, and buggy as hell.”
    • “About 50% of the time, when you try to leave a dock, the game freezes.”
  • replayability44 mentions

    Replayability in the game is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the procedurally generated maps and diverse captain ambitions that enhance replay value, others criticize the repetitive nature of quests and tedious grinding that detracts from the experience. Overall, the game offers decent replayability due to its engaging storytelling and exploration, but many feel it falls short compared to its predecessor, with some even rating it as low as 2/5 for replay value.

    • “In addition, it is a roguelike that can be very difficult to succeed in with a single playthrough, lending to a high degree of replayability.”
    • “There's a ton of map to explore, a huge number of storylets to play through, a bunch of engaging and interesting characters to recruit, and enough choices available to make the replay value on this one really high.”
    • “Amazing replay value and world-building.”
    • “They've kind of set this up to be a roguelike, but there's no replayability as far as I can tell, just grinding through the stuff you've already done, and that grinding is extremely tedious because it takes your ship forever to fly across the map (and you have to pay attention the whole time because enemies could appear and end your game if you're not watching).”
    • “Additional note: given the fact that (almost) all quests just reset when you start a new game (be it by crashing your locomotive or fulfilling your ambition) Sunless Skies has little to no replay value as you'll be doing (and reading) the exact same thing you did in previous playthroughs.”
    • “Failbetter, please, try to fail better, your second Sunless game has the same tedious grind loop which broke your first Sunless game, even worse with the legacy system breaking all the balance (lame captains on magnificent engines have it much harder than lame captains on lame engines exploring new maps, so replayability in legacy is non-existent).”
  • emotional24 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by a blend of dark humor, heartwarming moments, and profound storytelling that evokes a wide range of feelings, from laughter to tears. Players appreciate the stunning visuals and the ability to engage with esoteric lore, which adds depth to the emotional experience, often resulting in a raw emotional impact. While some feel the game leans towards a tourist-like experience rather than an explorer's journey, the heartfelt narratives and atmospheric settings create a compelling emotional landscape.

    • “There can be very dark areas, heartwarming areas, and everything in between.”
    • “Stunning visuals, appropriately creepy atmosphere, moments that make me laugh out loud or want to cry.”
    • “Subtle heartbreaking beauty in a quietly fearsome world.”
  • character development8 mentions

    Character development in the game is highly praised, with players noting the depth and engagement of the plots and subplots that foster a strong connection to various factions. The writing and character design contribute to an immersive experience, making it a standout feature for fans of story-driven games. Overall, the game offers extensive character development that enhances its roguelike elements and exploration.

    • “If you like story-based games with lots of text, an overwhelming atmosphere, personal (yet strategically faceless) protagonist character development, challenging roguelike elements, and trains, then get this game, without a doubt.”
    • “There are dozens to hundreds of hours of engaging plots, subplots, character development, and good old-fashioned exploration.”
    • “Character development has been done excessively well, and you might find yourself actually caring about the game’s various factions.”
    • “If you like story-based games with lots of text, an overwhelming atmosphere, personal (yet strategically faceless) protagonist character development, challenging roguelike elements, then this game may not meet your expectations.”
  • monetization4 mentions

    The monetization aspect of "Sunless Sea" is praised for its absence of microtransactions, offering a refreshing alternative to the prevalent practices in AAA games. Players appreciate the focus on storytelling and atmosphere without the interference of monetization schemes, making it a welcome escape from industry frustrations.

    • “If you are tired from all the AAA game industry drama of microtransactions and lifeless story scripts, Sunless Sea is by far for you — a floating island oasis in a 'sunless sky.' Failbetter Games never fails to enhance the stories of traditional video game storytelling.”
    • “The terror mechanic has been so watered down that the slow pace of travel no longer adds to the atmosphere, but instead feels like a developer wasting your time.”
    • “If you are tired from all the AAA game industry drama of microtransactions and lifeless story scripts, Sunless Sea is by far for you — a floating island oasis in a 'sunless sky.' Failbetter Games never fails to make better the stories of traditional video game storytelling.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
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Critic Reviews

84% average critic score

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Play time

17hMedian play time
43hAverage play time
6-80hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 24 analyzed playthroughs

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