I've spent countless hours in the Sunless Sea and some more in Sunless Skies. The most notable difference is that the 'Sea was a brand new idea at the time. It was scary, punishing and so, so, so slow. The characters were amazing, stories terrifying. Coming back to 'Skies a few years later, it's like starting a game you loved as a kid and finding it's not as good as you remembered. Let me explain... The mechanics, graphics, art, pacing, music, it's all on a different level compared to 'Sea. But it's also been many years since that original game has debuted and the magic, at least for me, has faded. The standard for rogue-like RPGs is different today. And while technically a better game, the end result just only partly works. The atmosphere is eery, space is literally very alive and terrifying - I don't remember the last time I was scared to enter a new location in a game. But then, in 'Sea you had a vast open Unterzee to explore. For some reason the Skies act more like a maze you need to navigate quite often, which quickly becomes an exhausting chore. Combine exhausting navigation with spamming enemies and "random accidents", in the end I just started killing the game as soon as I died, just to get the satisfaction of progressing in the story. And that brings me back to my original issue. The writing was amazing a few years ago with 'Sea, but here it seems like it should have tried aiming for a new level, too. You have games like Oxenfree, Endless Space 2, Mass Effect, take your pick - all with stellar world building and narratives. Here? I felt like the universe failed to fully draw me in - always suspecting the characters are living and interesting life beneath the surface of the stellar game engine, I was never allowed in, only acting as a ferry, leaving me ultimately feeling robbed of a potentially epic experience. Ultimately I'm glad this game exists, but it also feels like it could gave been so much more.
