You've been down too long in the Sunless Sea

The Cow King

Sunless Sea is a video game that leaves early access February 6th!

It is made by Fail Better Games who are the creators of Fallen London and Sunless Sea is set in that universe. I have no idea what Fallen London is I looked at the screenshots and its a browser story based game and from what I saw the story and port menus are taken from Fallen London.

That is tomorrow! Or you can purchase it now for $19.99 on steam. I'm betting there might be a smaller discount tomorrow.

So far I haven't played it a lot but it is very fun roguelike that feels like Sid Meier's Pirates? That is not a bad thing.



Attempt to find love!



Flee from monsters!



Defeat monsters (take that stupid bats)



Deals(?) with the Deviless



So far it is pretty fun. Kind of slow paced and although I've only died once and this second attempt is much better anything terrible can and will always happen. The game is normally played with one-auto save style but you can enable save slots in "merciful mode" this removes an idol from your inventory which I don't know what it does probably achievement or end game side story related?

You do get to carry on a tiny itty bit of previous stats or something from your previous character when you die though.

The game I feel really excels at a giving you events and material and you fill in the gaps and really make a story and adventure for your self.

Good fun game and it feels really polished I could possibly have low standards but so far I'm impressed.

and of course

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkysjcs5vFU

Der Waffle Mous

I haven't checked it in a little while. Did they put in all of the missing areas?

Doobh

the full release day is tomorrow

so, uh, if they haven't yet

check back tomorrow

this game is on deck, for when I have spare gaming room

The Cow King

I like the way the game does choices and events unless it is from a previous event chain the options are all relatively thoughtful? It doesn't assume anything about the player and lets you kinda tell your own story while giving you a world I guess?

DarkPrimus

I like this game, but feel like learning how to get enough money to not starve/run out of fuel is... well, it's going to take some time.

I started over a couple times before actually letting a captain die, so finding out that you actually get benefits for your next character when a captain dies kind of changed my opinion for the better!

facetious

Fallen London (or Echo Bazaar as it was known when I played) was awesome. This was not on my radar at all, so I'm glad you posted about it because I WANT IT.

I'll have to wait until certain things become more clear in my life to buy it, but I'm pretty hype.

Cilla Black

I was worried the game might be a bit slow

Really love the narrative stuff they are doing, though

Inquisitor

The setting and visuals seem pretty neat, but, just from the pictures I am having a tough time guessing how the game plays.

Anyone want to clue me in?

DarkPrimus

Inquisitor wrote: »

The setting and visuals seem pretty neat, but, just from the pictures I am having a tough time guessing how the game plays.

Anyone want to clue me in?

You sail your ship from port to port with movement keys, occasionally engaging in real-time combat that requires you to keep enemies in your spotlight in order to draw a bead on them to make your shots accurate (though more likely you'll just try to avoid combat entirely) and while in ports you engage in some light role-playing decisions, before sailing back to your home port of Fallen London, hopefully having managed to get enough information and cargo to sell so that you can go out and do it again without running out of food or fuel.

Inquisitor

Okay yeah that sounds really neat.

Going to keep an eye on this going on sale for sure.

SLyM

This is one of the games I was interested enough in during early access that I refused to buy it in early access.

So I'm probably grabbing this some time this week.

The Cow King

So I landed on a island and was approached by a rat and a guinea pig who's civilizations are at war and I had to choose a side

I choose the rats because they have guns

Seriously

never fuck with the rats in this universe


or the cats

so uh, try not to get in a situation where you gotta choose

DarkPrimus

Seriously wrote: »

never fuck with the rats in this universe


or the cats

so uh, try not to get in a situation where you gotta choose

Whatever man, I sided with the cavies.

Poorochondriac

Man, I love this game.

My hull was in tatters, ravaged by a marauding jellyfleur. I was nearly out of food. I was on an island of postmen, raking dead letters from the zee. There was a post office, of sorts, with a mysterious back room leading down to an impossibly large cavern. I could attempt to explore it, but the attempt was bound to fail - the game told me the odds of success were 10%.

I figured I was doomed anyway, so I took to the darkness with nothing but a mirror to light my way. One great thing about Sunless Sea is that even failing can have its own reward. A new story (or an end to one, anyway), a new chunk of prose to savor.

But I succeeded, somehow, and discovered a secret. A valuable one - one that renewed my will to live, to make it back to my home port. I took back to the zee, running without lights to avoid notice. My crew grew steadily more terrified, zailing through utter blackness. Their terror wasn't abated by what happened when our food stores finally ran out. But I had to make it home. I had to.

When I did, it was worth it. That secret, plummed from the depths of that impossible cavern, gave me enough money to purchase a lovely townhouse. And, more importantly, allowed me to write out an ironclad will. When my captain inevitably succumbed to her new, unaccountable peckishness for human flesh, the mansion would be passed down to the next captain to follow in her footsteps.

My new captain is wiser, better-equipped, more connected. But I think she doubts, somehow, that she could've done it without her inheritance. That grim bequest, and its terrible cost.

Hobnail

Man getting a ship with both forward and deck weapons is a huge deal, goddamn dirty pirates what is up now

The Judge

Trying to struggle homeward with vital intel/cargo when you're down to less-than-half of your crew (and, thus, half propulsion), fumes in the gas tank, few supplies, 12 Hull, and no port for miles is beautifully stressful.

DarkPrimus

Hobnail wrote: »

Man getting a ship with both forward and deck weapons is a huge deal, goddamn dirty pirates what is up now

Do they charge up separately and allow you to fire them both in quick succession?

Tube

I sold my soul to the devil for basically nothing. I just thought it would be neat.

The Cow King

Hobnail wrote: »

Man getting a ship with both forward and deck weapons is a huge deal, goddamn dirty pirates what is up now

guess who bought some guns without seeing if I could mount them

and that is the story of how I ran out of fuel the first game

DarkPrimus

Tube wrote: »

I sold my soul to the devil for basically nothing. I just thought it would be neat.

There are so many different individuals you can sell your soul to in this game. I would find it ridiculous if not kind of depressing and also terrifying. I mean there is such a market for human souls that you can purchase and/or sell them in at least half a dozen harbors.

Poorochondriac

DarkPrimus wrote: »

Hobnail wrote: »

Man getting a ship with both forward and deck weapons is a huge deal, goddamn dirty pirates what is up now

Do they charge up separately and allow you to fire them both in quick succession?

Indeed they do

It's intensely satisfying, yeah

Prolegomena

Poorochondriac wrote: »

Man, I love this game.

My hull was in tatters, ravaged by a marauding jellyfleur. I was nearly out of food. I was on an island of postmen, raking dead letters from the zee. There was a post office, of sorts, with a mysterious back room leading down to an impossibly large cavern. I could attempt to explore it, but the attempt was bound to fail - the game told me the odds of success were 10%.

I figured I was doomed anyway, so I took to the darkness with nothing but a mirror to light my way. One great thing about Sunless Sea is that even failing can have its own reward. A new story (or an end to one, anyway), a new chunk of prose to savor.

But I succeeded, somehow, and discovered a secret. A valuable one - one that renewed my will to live, to make it back to my home port. I took back to the zee, running without lights to avoid notice. My crew grew steadily more terrified, zailing through utter blackness. Their terror wasn't abated by what happened when our food stores finally ran out. But I had to make it home. I had to.

When I did, it was worth it. That secret, plummed from the depths of that impossible cavern, gave me enough money to purchase a lovely townhouse. And, more importantly, allowed me to write out an ironclad will. When my captain inevitably succumbed to her new, unaccountable peckishness for human flesh, the mansion would be passed down to the next captain to follow in her footsteps.

My new captain is wiser, better-equipped, more connected. But I think she doubts, somehow, that she could've done it without her inheritance. That grim bequest, and its terrible cost.

Fine, fine, I'll buy it now. You know how many times I've bought a game because you wrote about it and made it sound awesome? Well, once I buy this one it will be two. And I can't remember right now exactly what the other one was, but I really do feel it happened.

Indie Winter

just so you know, you can be a pirate in this game. get harpoon weapons, they let you do flensing attacks which specifically damage the crew of ships instead of the hulls. once the crew is dead, you can send a few of your people aboard and sail it to Gaider's Mourn, where you can collect some hefty echoes for it

DarkPrimus

How do you get Live Catches?

Hobnail

Indie Winter wrote: »

just so you know, you can be a pirate in this game. get harpoon weapons, they let you do flensing attacks which specifically damage the crew of ships instead of the hulls. once the crew is dead, you can send a few of your people aboard and sail it to Gaider's Mourn, where you can collect some hefty echoes for it

This

Is a good tip

UnbrokenEva

Seriously wrote: »

never fuck with the rats in this universe


or the cats

so uh, try not to get in a situation where you gotta choose

I sided with the rats over the cavies

and then I stole the rat star from them

Rankenphile

Oh man, this is finally out.

So excited. I need to find a day I can devote to this some weekend soon.

Hobnail

Fearghaill wrote: »

Seriously wrote: »

never fuck with the rats in this universe


or the cats

so uh, try not to get in a situation where you gotta choose

I sided with the rats over the cavies

and then I stole the rat star from them

The Blue Scintillack you get from this is truly fantastic, it instantly fills your firing solutions for all your weapons, it has a twenty second cool down and you never consume it

Albino Bunny

I still think my favourite thing about this game is the music:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HWQZYJzcsg

Can't wait till they release a soundtrack.

Indie Winter

Hobnail wrote: »

Fearghaill wrote: »

Seriously wrote: »

never fuck with the rats in this universe


or the cats

so uh, try not to get in a situation where you gotta choose

I sided with the rats over the cavies

and then I stole the rat star from them

The Blue Scintillack you get from this is truly fantastic, it instantly fills your firing solutions for all your weapons, it has a twenty second cool down and you never consume it

you can also get it from an extremely rare port report from the Iron Republic

given the chaotic nature of the Republic, the report is actually about Fallen London, and you have to hand it to the Brass Embassy

Hobnail

Man, man do I want something like the Iron Republic realized with cutting edge graphics, like a surreal unrelenting psychedelic nightmare, like a neon Hieronymous Bosch painting on the PS4

Caulk Bite 6

So... this is pretty fun.

The Cow King

you know I never though sailing across an ocean could be so thrilling

running no light to save fuel as I finally found the place I had to buy souls from for the smuggler

then I almost got caught but totally sold it off as "admiral's business!!"

it is surprising how tense this game can be

Poorochondriac

The Cow King wrote: »

you know I never though sailing across an ocean could be so thrilling

running no light to save fuel as I finally found the place I had to buy souls from for the smuggler

then I almost got caught but totally sold it off as "admiral's business!!"

it is surprising how tense this game can be

I had a decent ship, well-kitted. Had trade routes I liked, had some stories I'd progressed well in. I was settling into a groove. I was complacent, and felt safe.

And then I met Mt Nomad, the Black Glass Mountain that Eats Ships.

Caulk Bite 6

Yeah, Mt Nomad is a mean island.

He's how I lost my first captain.

Veagle

Hobnail wrote: »

Man getting a ship with both forward and deck weapons is a huge deal, goddamn dirty pirates what is up now

I got a ship with an aft weapon slot and just stuck the biggest cannon I could find on it. Now whenever anybody sees me, I get to smile and cut my engines to half speed to let them catch up. Makes the most satisfying huge explosion when it hits them.

Tube wrote: »

I sold my soul to the devil for basically nothing. I just thought it would be neat.

Me too. I'd just been cursed by a god who killed my entire family, so I felt 'what's the worst that could happen?'

Indie Winter wrote: »

just so you know, you can be a pirate in this game. get harpoon weapons, they let you do flensing attacks which specifically damage the crew of ships instead of the hulls. once the crew is dead, you can send a few of your people aboard and sail it to Gaider's Mourn, where you can collect some hefty echoes for it

I'll have to try that out. One thing I hope they add is more neutral trading ships you could target, and maybe faction navies that would assist or attack you based on your reputation. There are neutral ships now but they seem really uncommon. I think I've only seen 2 of them in like 15 hours of play.

Hopefully they will support the game and add as much content as they have with Fallen London. I've already run into a few storylines where they just lock out some choices and say 'hey, come back on feb 16th and there'll be more to do.'

Doobh

so, feature complete

but not story complete?

Dracula

I'm glad it looks like they're still updating with new stories after release. I am particularly excited for the upcoming submarine DLC.

DarkPrimus

What sucks is when I'm sailing near the Khanate and their ships are always aggro'd on me but if I shoot one down it increases my suspicion in their place.

Like, maybe don't attack me when I'm going there to buy your shit?

Doobh

oh shit, that's DLC?

that is fucking perfect