Objectively, this should be an improvement on Sunless Sea: the ship is very slightly faster (keeping the mood while bowing to player feedback); it's easier to make money initially (so the early game's less of a slog); the writing still has some gems ("innocent as a gatling gun", "the only decency in the sky is that we bring ourselves"). And yet, it just isn't as engaging. This is still a four-star review; the writing is solid, there's tons of content, it's still doing something more interesting than the vast majority of games out there. But by making these slight improvements - doing what the players asked - its mood becomes less unique. It's not gothic any more, it's steampunk. The central conflict in the Reach (between tacketies and stovepipes) is like any other game's moral choice: you can pick the obviously good guys or the obviously bad guys, and receive much the same rewards for each. In Sunless Sea you chose between London (bad, but it's where you're from so you feel a sense of loyalty), the Empyrean (bad, but beautiful), the Dawn Machine (bad, but profitable), and so on. More minor moral choices almost always asked whether you were willing to do something terrible to gain a slight advantage. Since Skies is easier, there's never pressure to pursue that advantage - and even if there is, mostly doing the right thing has the same benefits. Still an unusual and good game, no longer a unique and great one.
