Looks and sound
The game features hand drawn art from a top down perspective and the art is highly detailed. There a bunch of visual and sound effects going on the screen which work together with the art to help immerse the player in the setting of the game which is just downright bizarre. The music also adds to this experience. When you're passing near a whirlpool like well in the middle of the sky with incomprehensible horrors at the bottom all these elements work together to ground the player in the setting. I still listen to the soundtrack from time to time.
Overall its a major step up from Sunless Sea which already looked and sounded fairly decent
Combat and gameplay
Combat is a lot better compared to Sunless Sea which I think was held back a lot with its combat. Sunless Skies combat isn't amazing but its not horrible either. Controls are easy to grasp and use. The controller layout is surprisingly well with some of the UI elements changed to something adapted to a controller once you plug one in. Combat isn't what a player will be doing most of the time though. The gameplay is more focused on navigating the regions, taking contracts or shipments from one port to another with the player needing the plan their fuel and food supply, nightmares and terror, with what they're carrying and where they're going and what is in the way. I personally set the difficulty slider to keep the fuel and food consumption rate low because I was having difficulties during my first playthrough but most people seem to prefer to leave it on default.
I advise new players to keep their terror and nightmares as low as possible. When you get better at the game you'll figure out how to manage it better but when you're new, terror or nightmares can end your run.
Ports are randomized on each new playthrough so you have no other choice but to explore and find out where all the locations in the regions are. This is a decision I like a lot since it keeps things fresh on a new playthrough.
The game has an interesting method of dealing with dying but I ultimately did not like it. When you die you have the option of passing down your riches to the next captain who starts with 2/3rds of the experience of the last captain with some faction stories reset and some remaining consistent. I personally recommend loading your last save on dying. The game is difficult as it is and choosing to pass on to the next captain on each death makes the game much more tedious than it needs to be. Its not like you still can't mess up with saves. I once managed to lock myself into dying after a port no matter what.
Story and Worldbuilding
Nothing is Sacred. Nothing abides
The year is unknown and the British Empire has taken to the skies and is in the process of settling and consolidating their power in this new frontier. The setting is bizarre, unique and well thought out. It takes steampunk and fuses it with eldritch horror to come up with something I have never seen before. There are four regions in this game, each giving some interesting insights into the setting ranging from the workings of the empire, the supernatural elements and the area the empire is trying the colonize. Each region has multiple ports and nearly all of them are well developed with story events. The player gets a lot of freedom in the choices they make and even what their main goal is. This is why I recommend this game. It gives a lot of freedom in a rich setting that I want to see more of.
The game features hand drawn art from a top down perspective and the art is highly detailed. There a bunch of visual and sound effects going on the screen which work together with the art to help immerse the player in the setting of the game which is just downright bizarre. The music also adds to this experience. When you're passing near a whirlpool like well in the middle of the sky with incomprehensible horrors at the bottom all these elements work together to ground the player in the setting. I still listen to the soundtrack from time to time.
Overall its a major step up from Sunless Sea which already looked and sounded fairly decent
Combat and gameplay
Combat is a lot better compared to Sunless Sea which I think was held back a lot with its combat. Sunless Skies combat isn't amazing but its not horrible either. Controls are easy to grasp and use. The controller layout is surprisingly well with some of the UI elements changed to something adapted to a controller once you plug one in. Combat isn't what a player will be doing most of the time though. The gameplay is more focused on navigating the regions, taking contracts or shipments from one port to another with the player needing the plan their fuel and food supply, nightmares and terror, with what they're carrying and where they're going and what is in the way. I personally set the difficulty slider to keep the fuel and food consumption rate low because I was having difficulties during my first playthrough but most people seem to prefer to leave it on default.
I advise new players to keep their terror and nightmares as low as possible. When you get better at the game you'll figure out how to manage it better but when you're new, terror or nightmares can end your run.
Ports are randomized on each new playthrough so you have no other choice but to explore and find out where all the locations in the regions are. This is a decision I like a lot since it keeps things fresh on a new playthrough.
The game has an interesting method of dealing with dying but I ultimately did not like it. When you die you have the option of passing down your riches to the next captain who starts with 2/3rds of the experience of the last captain with some faction stories reset and some remaining consistent. I personally recommend loading your last save on dying. The game is difficult as it is and choosing to pass on to the next captain on each death makes the game much more tedious than it needs to be. Its not like you still can't mess up with saves. I once managed to lock myself into dying after a port no matter what.
Story and Worldbuilding
Nothing is Sacred. Nothing abides
The year is unknown and the British Empire has taken to the skies and is in the process of settling and consolidating their power in this new frontier. The setting is bizarre, unique and well thought out. It takes steampunk and fuses it with eldritch horror to come up with something I have never seen before. There are four regions in this game, each giving some interesting insights into the setting ranging from the workings of the empire, the supernatural elements and the area the empire is trying the colonize. Each region has multiple ports and nearly all of them are well developed with story events. The player gets a lot of freedom in the choices they make and even what their main goal is. This is why I recommend this game. It gives a lot of freedom in a rich setting that I want to see more of.