Sunless Sea

If you need instant gratification or bleeding-edge special effects then this game is not for you. Still here? If you have the patience, iif you like dark and uncertain games, sit down and join me. Please understand, nothing in this world is certain. Whoever told you what was where, whatever trade routes you think you established.... It's all a lie. You will be led on a journey back and forth across the zea, seeking treasure, zong, wizdom. Make sure you bring enough fuel and food. Watch your crew for signs of madness. Though the journey maybe long and pointless be assured that if you die, another might succeed. Or at least retire... I do have one legitimate gripe about the game: The 'Quest' interface needs improvement. There are times where it's basically worthless. Otherwise, I really enjoy this game.

This is a good game which is marred only by the developers' choice to make permadeath the default option. The environment is immersive, the choices are fascinating, the number of different plot threads that you could follow are so numerous that you're spoiled for choice, and the factions are all very different and unique. With that said, it's important for new players to realize some important things so that they aren't disappointed. (1) You shouldn't play with permadeath on - not for the first 30+ hours of gameplay, anyway. Your choices can have unpredictable consequences that become more predictable once you've invested some thought in understanding the different factions and characters. If you play with permadeath on, then dying feels utterly unfair. You had no way of knowing what would happen. Once you have some idea of where to find fuel, where you can pick up coin, which deals to take, how many supplies to estimate for a trip, and so on ... well, by all means, go ironman. (2) It's NOT a shoot-em-up. Your little boat is hopelessly outclassed by almost everything. This is, if anything, a STEALTH game. Switch your light off when you need to - yes, the terror will build, but that's preferable to getting killed now - and run away. Lovecraftian environments ALWAYS involve running away. You'll get good at it. (3) Get a Scion. That'll make dying less painful. Yes, sometimes you'll die, and when a series of bad decisions have led to that, then just accept it and go. It makes the game interesting to start over. Lastly: this is a game with lots and lots of text. You'll either enjoy reading, or you won't enjoy the game!

This is my first review ever in GOG. So, most people address the "tedious" game elements, such as upkeep, resource management, and abundance of failures. Personally, I believe that's the side dish, not the main course. Other than that, I also believe they blow it out of proportion. Getting started in the game does take its time, and just like they warned you in the start: your first captain is going to die. Mine did, stupidly so. The game's appeal is not trading, nor is exactly encouraged. It's totally plausible, and contrary to what some tell you, you can make a living out of it. However, the real reward lies in exploration. Once you get hooked into the world you yearn to sail, to push yourself forward, sometimes haphazardly so. When every travel starts from London, you want to stretch as much as you can before going back, and this is the game's first and foremost pitfall, one that I hate to love. It reaches a point in which you want to keep pushing forward, your fuel, supplies, or shattered sanity notwithstanding, and I admit that the best moments I've lived in this game have been when near death... or worse. If you're looking for a merry trading voyage, a game you will complete in a realistic amount of time, or one you will thoroughly master and dominate, this is not for you. If you're looking for an authentic world in which you're certainly not the center of the universe, one in which you will fail and lose regularly as you straighten your efforts, welcome to the Unterzee.

This game has an inner conflict going on, but not to a point of being not functional or even not fun as many reports in 'User reviews' section might suggest. The combat in particular is fantastically bland and not complex or rewarding. This however is a minor complaint because the role of combat in the game is minor. Same goes to 'trading sim' aspect of it. Remember, starting to play this game is venturing into the world where London was stolen by bats, people's memories are condensed into honey and sold as hallucinogens and sunlight drives sailors crazy. Big money or big guns are not as helpful as a will to explore and take risks. Find new knowledge, establish connections, do not always have enough food and fuel for a trip back. You will be rewarded with pages of excellent writing. In my humble opinion it is a far better reward than a pouch of virtual currency or satisfaction of overcoming an obstacle that was designed to be overcome. Not convinced? ... You can have sex with a humanoid squid in this game.

The atmosphere here is top-notch. It is especially impressive in the beginning, when you haven't explored the map yet and all you can see on your map is little old you in Fallen London, and the vast uncharted sea around you, while your tiny boat chugs along with its light barely illuminating the dark water around you. It's frightening and relaxing. This game scratched an itch I didn't even know I had. I recommend playing with the Zubmariner add-on and I recommend playing with manual saves enabled. The game is too unforgiving with permadeath. Being able to save at every port lets you explore more without worrying as much about the RNG.