SUNLESS SEA
Wanted to pop a review out for this game, albeit brief.
The Sunless Sea is a top-down view game, where you make a captain and take a ship out to zee to explore the unknown, make adventures, probably die, and then make a new captain who might inherit a few of the things your last one had. For me, this was one of the first top-down games I’d played before, and its exploration focus was very different from my prior experiences of turn-based strategy games, or first/3rd person adventure/shooters and the Teltale games. These were my impressions coming from that background.
– Real player with 347.6 hrs in game
Read More: Best Lovecraftian Dark Games.
Is there a sea more sunless? This game is marketed as an immersive, story-driven, almost roguelike, nautically themed romp through alternate history London, circa 1890s. The people at Failbetter Games have created something both motivating and meaningful in their games surrounding Fallen London, utilizing hundreds of storylets that drive the player toward various choices and options.
At first playthrough, especially if you didn’t play the precursor game Fallen London, you will find yourself immersed in a world that follows many of the rules and expectations of our own, but with many questions and concepts left unanswered. I went in without having played Fallen London (though I did go back and play it once I was hooked on Sunless Sea) and my mind immediately was grabbed by the implications of what was going on in the game world around me. I loved the content and the lore that the world seemed to be steeped in, and loved it even more for the fact that it didn’t give up its secrets without its due. This game is primarily an exploration game with the pretense of combat and economics, though those are not the primary focus. That said, I very much enjoy the combat and trading aspect, but it does come easier as you get more established. It is the process of becoming established that I think turns so many initial players away.
– Real player with 276.5 hrs in game
Fade to Silence
2020 Review Edit: After waiting a good long time and coming back, hoping to play a fully polished and exciting game due to its full release, I have to say…………………………………. This is still sadly a “Not Recommended” title. Not at its full price. Perhaps if a hefty sale price gets slapped onto it, check it out for a bit. However the full release is still chock full of bugs and glitches that make the game crash (not only crash, but I am then forced to restart my entire computer because the game program won’t cease). I’d also hoped the full release would bring more fulfilling content into the mix but progress in this game basically feels like a boring chore with no palpable reward. Final verdict: It’s not bad, it has its unique flavors, but still feels like a rushed product at the end of the day. I’ll wind up beating it eventually just to say I did, since I paid full price back in EA, but save your own time because there are better experiences out there.
– Real player with 131.4 hrs in game
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I am in love with this game, even in its current state. I don’t write reviews. Positive/Mixed/Negative doesn’t matter to me. If I am interested in a game, I will buy it and check it out for myself. If it’s not worth it, I’ll refund it ASAP. I have zero desire to refund this game. It’s incredibly deep, and incredibly immersive from the get-go. I also find the “finite-lives” aspect rather intriguing, since it adds the element of “hmm, I probably should be a little more careful when I go do this.” Many people don’t like this part of the game and want a more casual experience, but I personally don’t mind for the moment. In my current play through I have played almost 25 hours, and have 4 lives left. One life was lost because I dodged into a wall and became promptly stuck, unable to move. Died to the rippers I was currently engaged with. Another life was lost by a stalker killing me through a wall .Its teleport attack outright rocked my world as I was taking shelter in an abandoned building. I had zero clue it was there, all of a sudden it whooshed through the wall and ate my face.
– Real player with 88.5 hrs in game
Moons of Madness
Moons of Madness
Tides of the Elder Gods
Review
Once again Funcom expands its online MMO’s lore - the formerly known The Secret World but re-purposed as Secret World Legends in 2017 - with a new interactive narrative experience in Moons of Madness which acts in exactly the same way as Funcom’s previous effort, The Park. What that means is you are getting a heavily story-based experience with some light puzzle solving as opposed to one that includes combat and an overdose of action.
– Real player with 13.2 hrs in game
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TLDR: I really wanted to love this as a huge fan of horror, lovecraft and narrative driven games but its just not “quite” there. It’s by no means bad, but it just didn’t have the strong story needed in a game…with no gameplay.
Pros - Pretty game to look at in places, clearly a lot of effort went into set dressing / area design, initially builds a good atmosphere.
Cons - Story is very shallow and predictable, characters are just bad, puzzles are very simple, lots of choppy framerates and some very out of place gameplay that felt shoehorned in.
– Real player with 11.4 hrs in game
TAURONOS
Overall this is mostly a well thought out game. Its got puzzles that aren’t to complex, A captivating story line, and some amazing art and voice overs. The reason i chose not to recommend this game though is mainly because it is very easy (to get the evil win screen) and because there is a lack of community made content it means a player who wants to feel like they won could be forced to repeat the same levels and chapters over and over again until they finally find the objective. I hope im being direct enough about this. I dont want to spoil anything so im not putting the name of objective or an explanation to what the evil win screen is. (im going to change this to a positive review because i really appreciate it when developers listen to there community and use that to try and make there game better and because this game only needs some minor changes in my opinion.)
– Real player with 3.2 hrs in game
Turonos is an interesting little puzzle game. All the features you expect are in there and the overall feeling is that of a polished game.
Pros:
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engaging gameplay due to the darkness and the constant need to flee
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elaborate levels that require at least two playthroughs in order to uncover most of the secrets and powers
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engaging puzzles without being difficult. I don’t really like puzzle centered games and that is why this one has just the right content. Just enough to give you something to quickly think at while running, but not difficult so you would have to stop and risk being mauled to death.
– Real player with 2.9 hrs in game
Sunless Skies: Sovereign Edition
Sunless Skies
**I seduced a woman who’s head was a jeweled skull while there was a spider nestled inside my eyeball. It was
! great fun, but sadly it took
! way too fuckin long to get there.**
Who is this game for?
If you like Britishness, the possibility of a decent story, nice environments or you like mildly spooky games AND you’re either willing to cheat or your time isn’t valuable.
Gameplay
Looking for diamonds in the rough.
– Real player with 249.8 hrs in game
My feelings towards this game are many and complicated. For background, Sunless Sea is one of my favourite games ever…and I can also totally understand why some people might absolutely hate it. Sunless Skies is in many ways an improvement over Sea, and yet, for me at least, it hasn’t quite recaptured the magic of Sea, and I’m not entirely sure I can explain why.
For people who haven’t played Sea, both it and Skies are games about exploring a world that is sometimes bizarre, sometimes charming, and sometimes terrifying. Both games have some of the best writing that I’ve seen in video games, with excellent worldbuilding. And both games are very slow-paced. A lot of time in these games is spent travelling from point A to point B, with only the occasional combat or random event to break up the travel. Depending on the person, this can either be a chill and relaxing experience, or an incredibly tedious one.
– Real player with 118.8 hrs in game
Darkwood
One of the best survival/horror games I’ve ever played
– Real player with 69.5 hrs in game
At first i just grabbed this game for something spooky from the halloween sale (which needs to start oct 1st, not 2days before halloween!). After the prologue is wasnt very impressed but the steam halloween sale doesnt have many quality games this year so i kept on playing. Now i cant put the damn thing down, yes its that damn good! Yes its scary but more importantly its has a quality story and it becomes very addicting once you start finding clues and weird items, that you have no idea what they are for till later on. So glad i took a chance on darkwood, and the fact it takes place in the 80s is always a plus. Worth buying full price imo. Cant wait to see if there will be more content added or even a darkwood 2. Darkwood is an easy 8/10 for me and i havent even reached chapter 2 yet. Hurry up and buy!
– Real player with 63.1 hrs in game
En-Train
As the end approaches, the two men ride a train to the city of hope. Hurry up and board the train!
Features
- A fierce struggle on the train
There is no proper means of transportation in the world ahead of the end. You get on an old train and then you run towards your destination. You can’t run away from monsters anymore and you can’t hide anywhere. Take your gun and fight the threat!
- Strengthening gun parts
There’s not enough supplies in the end-of-life world. Get the Material, reinforce the weapons' parts, and kill all the monsters that flock to the train!
- The appearance of an uninvited guest
Different uninvited guests threaten trains depending on the region! Gather all the clues to kill the uninvited guests and knock them down!
- multi-ending
The end of this journey is not one. What will be the end of the world?
- XBOX360 Pad Support
Nightmare on Azathoth
I’m really enjoying this game. Haven’t escaped yet, but enjoying trying/failing/re-trying.
Pros
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Atmosphere: very dark, dark, and twilight – love the combination of Cthulhu and Plato (made me actually go read up a bit on some of Plato’s works)
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Monster design and avoidance/teleport mechanic
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Sound effects: creepy, appropriate for the Lovecraft/Cthulhu mythos that it’s partly based on
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Cool graphics, not for being high end but for being appropriate to the story and creepy. Reminiscent of some of the original black and white Twilight Zone episodes (the ones on alien planets or in space)
– Real player with 14.3 hrs in game
Cool Sci-Fi/Horror Indie Project
An interesting and intriguing concept. It definitely has potential as full Horror/Survival game with more content and polish if the publisher and devs ever wanted to expand this project. (This is a kind of short, bitesized alpha-ish game)
I haven’t completed this game yet but got to the very end and then died what seemed to be a random physics glitch or invisible insta-death area in my base before I could escape!
I died when walking next the maintenance robot that moves back and forth between the volatile, burning dark fuel (that will kill you if you move into it) and the maintenace-pad-type-thingy that is normally safe to traverse.
– Real player with 7.7 hrs in game
To Ash and Ember
Meet your Maker and Kill Them.
That which was Dead refuses to Die. One of the Slaughtered Gods is resurfacing; bringing with them all the terrors of the night as the world warps under their dead weight. Through hidden doorways and between flesh-strewn trees you seek the name of the one who dares haunt this world and, in fantastic ritual, rip them from out of the Veil to face you in grim combat. Wounded, mentally shattered, and bedeviled by a Godcurse you return triumphant to a city whose people have become further twisted by this game of cosmic import. But how long until your mortal body fails you? In what hour shall your will be finally broken? How many divine curses can your soul bear before it shatters? The embers of chaos still burn and another Fallen God shall surely surface – and again you shall stand against them until either you, this world, or all the Fallen Gods are Ash and Ember.
To Ash and Ember is a singleplayer Dark Fantasy Event-based RPG. It plays like a board-game without needing to shuffle decks, set out a board, or read manuals. This is a game of time management and decisions, of who to save and who to sacrifice, and of a City whose windows and streets grow darker and stranger the longer your battles continue.
Features
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The Slaughtered Gods leave indelible marks. Investigators may become as warped as that which they fight: going mad, growing horns, and perhaps even dying and becoming a Wraith. The City’s locations may burn, be distorted, or become infested with otherworldly abominations.
Battle horrors beyond imagination. In the shadows gleam knives and teeth that shall seek to crush you that their dead God be allowed to return.
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The World forever twists underfoot. You will routinely encounter World Distortions that change how the game is played or impose restrictions as the Slaughtered God stirs in their astral grave.
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Harden your heart, steel your mind, guard your soul. Investigators gain Experience from their trials and battles which they can use to level up, gaining Perks and Quirks: advantages that come with disadvantages. The more experienced, the more Complicated.
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Enlighten the World or Burn it. If all is lost you may abandon a Worldline to its fate and migrate to another. Even if Investigators fall, you can Enkindle new ones to continue the fight against the constant horrors that face this world.
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Fate’s cruel but fair dice. In true board-game fashion, you roll against Fate herself to determine the outcomes of the many tests that face you with six-sided dice; each Investigator has their own strengths and weaknesses.
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This is Your Story. Game events are presented as mini-narratives with branching paths, opportunities, and perils. Your choices may open up new possibilities – or seal them.
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Come as you are – armed to the teeth. Wield, discover, empower, and sell an array of spells, weapons, and beasts alone or with Companions and Allies as you stand against the Resurrection.
Deadly Cosmic
It’s a short but very cool game, I liked the creatures and the mystery in the plot, I also liked the little moments of humor. In fact I wanted the game to be bigger because I was very involved, but it makes sense for the price. From my point of view it is a game that worth it!
– Real player with 2.1 hrs in game
Loved the premise of the game, and the graphics definitely give it that unique feel and add to the creepy vibe. I had a little trouble with the perspective, especially when there was a creature just off screen that I could no longer see because of the change in perspective, but you learn to maneuver and function quick enough.
Took me a while to find and operate the toilet… longer than I would like to admit. Overall, I would definitely recommend playing through this one, it is worth it!
Here’s some gameplay if interested (first stream terminated with no warning and I had to restart the stream)
– Real player with 1.9 hrs in game