“Sunless Skies” is phenomenal. This captivating thematic sequel by Failbetter Games to their prior work “Sunless Sea” captures that wonderful, horrible sensation of boundless exploration in the deep, dark Fallen London universe. Their world turns the hellscape of bureaucracy and imperial order themselves into comforts of familiarity when even your bones instinctively know that elsewhere out there, slithering just beyond those last slivers of light, nothing will be alright.


In a glorious triumph against the Sun that once was, the Empire unfurled their wings unto the heavens. Their very dominion now radiates the skies with the maddening light of their Clockwork Sun; a mechanical marvel of most sinister sentience.

So, come now all. Heed not those dark and screaming skies. As everything is… as always it was. Take your flight to fortune’s run, and cement a lineage to never be un-done. But fair warning lads, The Great Clockwork Sun only shines on some



It should be no surprise there's a seamless transition in conveying the horrors of the dreadful deep-below upon more of a Steampunk-Space aesthetic to realize the equivalently Lovecraftian horrors of the far, far away. To echo a description of Failbetter’s approach to “community horror” that I just can’t shake: much like HP Lovecraft, they excel at juxtaposing mundane communities of old-fashioned order with unrelenting chaotic horrors oozing in like a seeping infection. They create the essence of stubborn, traditional establishment trying to keep on keeping on--as if the very definition of normalcy itself—while simultaneously locked in the maddening grip of otherworldly terror. The false-virtue resolve and ‘business as usual’ dismissals cement a collective delusion that everything is as everything always was. They present “peace of mind” as a societal promise that things will always just work out, never uttered.

I’ll end up making a lot of comparisons with Sunless Sea, though Sunless Skies stands on its own providing boundless entertainment for newcomers and pre-existing fans alike. It is indeed a spiritual sequel rather than requiring any prior knowledge of the Fallen London universe. While there are clear connections for longtime fans to endlessly speculate “how the world which was became the world that is”, they are more along the lines of each “Dark Souls” game being separated by such huge chunks of time and societal change. Little stands in the way of new-commers that might impede their appreciation of this rich universe—though I must specify “little,” and not “nothing” here. It’s always a shame when such story-rich games don’t include at least a preliminary index to grant newcomers the basic level of understanding of terms/background that any character would know starting in-universe.

Given another game so centrally focused on a surreal odyssey into the unknown, there’s no need to wonder whether they pulled off the elegant prose and rich world-building of the prior installment. If you’re curious how the gameplay elements come across this time, there’s actually a consistent pattern of improvement all around. With clearer avenues for economic prosperity in trading, you’ll find no need to personally jot down key exports or other port details for future reference. Organizing the areas into distinct (and rather uniquely beautiful) regional zones connected by warp-hubs has streamlined the exploration process with the ability to access varied points of interest without the extraneous exploration of largely vacant or repetitive areas in between for the sake of immersion. Ship speeds are constant this time to prevent viability limiting you to the fastest models only, still with variations in hull values, weapons, and modifications. There’s one major “how did I live without this” change even with the implementation of a quick-dodge maneuver left/right (balanced around the normal weapon over-heating meter) that definitely makes combat more versatile and exciting. The consistent trend among Failbetter’s restructuring of the fundamental gaming mechanics emphasizes faster gameplay/exploration/combat alongside that same fantastical narrative experience, and it does so with monumental success.

NOTE:: The Review cuts off here for brevity, with a small portion of the ending included below, though you'll find a continuation in much more depth at the links provided further down.



The most astute expression of Sunless Skies’ quality I can provide is perhaps communicated best by just describing the circumstances of my review itself: I originally sat down expecting to put the initial few hours for a preliminary review, and yet here I am weeks later with over 100 hours in the game, half the achievements--and still at it. ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥.


Because I write like a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ maniac--and genuinely loved this game--there's a massive amount more to say here that I've had to off-load on the steam discussion forums (of our curator page) due to ravaging the character limits. For those of you who might be interested in a deeper level of elaboration, please check out the full review here:
https://steamcommunity.com/groups/WeirdWonderfulGameWatch/discussions/5/1846946102854449053/


You can also find more recommendations for weird, and wonderful games by checking out our curation group:
https://store.steampowered.com/curator/32660416-Weird-Wonderful-Game-Watch/