SUNLESS SKIES
Getting there is only half the fun...
We have a Marvel Cinematic Universe, so why not a Failbetter Interactive Universe? The third game in the world of Fallen London also has its share of daring heroics in the face of impending doom, but instead of saving the world you’re usually trying to save yourself. In a place where time comes in barrels and souls in jars, where the horrors of the skies can cause you to lose your marbles, it’s probably easier to lapse into villainy. Not least when food supplies run out, and your crewmates begin to look awfully tasty.
The follow-up to Sunless Sea is in keeping with Failbetter Games’ fondness for putting players into crisis management mode from minute one. As second in command to a dying captain, you’ve got to guide your tired locomotive into port, and then take over. You’re free to choose your own path from there, but without a map it’s not going to be easy. Fame, fortune, and a long-standing mystery are among the goals, but your initial job is just to stay alive.
In many respects, it’s similar to its predecessor. At once a piece of interactive fiction, an RPG, a survival game, and a top-down adventure. You explore the world at a slow, methodical pace in a rickety craft that can’t take much punishment, picking up cargo and the odd passenger and ferrying them between ports. On land or in the air you’ll face choices which can be influenced by the character you rolled at the start, and the dice that subsequently determine success or failure.
Break it down to its fundamentals, and Sunless Skies can sound unremarkable. It works because of how brilliantly those disparate elements combine to produce exciting stories, from scrapes you survive by the skin of your teeth, to moments your own hubris gets you killed. Where Sunless Sea fell down slightly was the way the natural repetition of its roguelike structure gradually sucked the life out of those stories. You’ll soon discover Failbetter hasn’t exactly gone soft, but it has found ways to cushion the blow.
DEAD AGAIN
Start again, and you’ll gain much of the previous captain’s experience to spend how you like, while keeping your ship minus one installed add-on. Depending on what’s removed, this can feel like a real kick in the teeth, especially if it’s something you recently spent money on. In other words, death is a punishment, but it’s not too severe — and it can even be a blessing in disguise. Every episode is informed by the type of captain you were at the start and the decisions you’ve made ever since; some even by your predecessor. And so while some things will be familiar on a replay, plenty won’t.
Beyond the changes you make, the sheer range of scenarios and potential outcomes means you’ll discover something new on every run. This time you might risk pressing on through a storm for the chance to encounter a threeheaded fox, rather than turning back.
All of which makes it easier to get to what really makes Sunless Skies great — the writing. Evocative, witty, and razor sharp, it turns text into a reward. In these moments you’ll realize that while you may not have achieved your goal, Failbetter certainly has.