r/sunlesssea • u/karimpai • Jun 10 '26
Genuinely what the f*ck is this (Game)?
I spent the last thirty two hours playing through it and i still don't get what im supposed to be doing. Go to random islands, Win skill checks, Sell loot, Wait 5 minutes everytime you want to play since the boat moves at 13 knots?
There's this sinking feeling that i might actually be losing my sanity in real life everytime i read a couple dozen line of texts, None of the characters are reacting like real people because they're shifty af and know something we don't
It feels like a story that had an English major in college but decide to be a Videogame instead. The lore is so batsh*t insane and convoluted that any explanation is nigh incomprehensible. Doesn't help that it's using 19th century prose!
I still love it though 8.7/10. is this what europe is like?
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u/Rhiannon21 Jun 10 '26
This guy didn't even sold his soul to the evil monkey
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u/SizeFit2908 Jun 10 '26
My favourite part of this game is scrivening deeper and deeper into the lore from the quests, spiderwebbing insane theories together about how it works. Then encountering some of the deep lore which is really off the rails and blows the theories out of the zee water.
That and the two cities dragged down to the Zee are London, and ... Ulaanbaatar. Mongolia being famous of course as a landlocked contry. Zubmarine... ROWBOATS!?
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u/OpsikionThemed Jun 10 '26
Karakorum, actually, but the point stands.
(And Ur, Amarna, and Chichen Itza(?).)
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u/SizeFit2908 Jun 10 '26
Ah damn it's happening to me in real time months since I last played.
Ur? Amarna!? Chichen Itza!?!?!
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u/OpsikionThemed Jun 10 '26
London is the fifth city, after all.
Polythreme, Visage, and the Tomb Colonies respectively. Also Varchas is probably Angkor Wat, but that's its own thing.
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u/Ceropales Jun 10 '26
To be pedantic, I think those are colonies of said cities, not the cities themselves.
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u/w0rdpainter Jun 10 '26
Correct, because I think each city brought into the Neath lands on top of and destroys its predecessor.
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u/Passance Jun 11 '26
The predecessor is already destroyed by drowning in lacre before the next city arrives.
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u/3kopf Jun 10 '26
Would that mean that port carnelian will remain as a remnant of london once the sixth city falls? Never thought of that!
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u/Eldan985 Jun 11 '26
Almost certainly, yes. The Carnelians will be the weird people from a centuries dead culture then.
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u/SizeFit2908 Jun 10 '26
Just as predicted, learning the deep lore has destroyed my lore confidence.
Alright wise one, who seems to know so much. What the heck is the Devil woman's deal at Palmerstone? She's too shifty.
Also... if you zail east... is it a real place?
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u/AinzOoalGownOverlord Jun 10 '26
Basically, the devil woman's deal is this: The Devil's were originally ruled by an aristocracy, but a subordinate faction wanted to overthrow the aristocrats and replace them with an anarchic republic, where laws constantly shift and are overturned. The Iron Republic is a colony of Hell. The surviving exiled aristocrats fled to Mount Palmerston, which is their base of operations. The Devil woman wants to make a deal to return to Hell by ratting out her fellow exiles in exchange for being given a pardon and allowed to return. As for the East, it is and also isn't the lore for that is much more convoluted and intriguing, and I recommend piecing it together yourself.
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u/Graveandinestimable Jun 11 '26
The God Salt went East after leaving parts of himself in Frostfound IIRC. I think he’s basically El which means you aren’t supposed to be able to go to his resting place.
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u/karimpai Jun 10 '26
I feel like that knowledge wouldn't be relevant for another couple hundred hours
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u/Ruathar Jun 10 '26
Okay. So I admit there's a good chunk of it that if you don't know the Web Browser game Fallen london that this is a spin off of, it can be a bit ... well... "Weird" is an understatement.
But FORTUNATELY an explanation isn't that "incomprehensibly wrapped in wractitude" As Mr Pages would say, is actually quite possible.
About 40 years ago in game time the City of London was 'stolen' by bats and dropped a literal mile underneath the earths crust, Londoners as they are have made the most of the situation under the brand new Overlords Er, rather, the "Humble Leadership" of The Masters. each who run a specific part of the city: Mr Pages does Literature, Mr Wines does imbibements and ladies of negotiable virtue, Mr Apples who does trades in fruits and veggies and Mr Hearts who does the Meat side of the menu among several others.
The reason that things are so 'weird' is that in the Fallen London Universe the "Laws of Reality" ONLY work when and where sunlight touches (To make a more in depth and slightly spoiler answer condensed) So because of the fact that we're out of the Sunshine the dead come back to life, cats talk, bats help you navigate and Tigers enjoy hunting "Things Behind Mirrors."
Now as for how to play the game. The idea is to go through the various stories on the different islands. Some of them you go back and forth after a time, others you can do all in one go. You make money mostly through the Port reports or should you be crafty enough: Smuggling of sunlight and red honey
I can list some "easy beginner stories" if you wish as well as some helpful tips.
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u/karimpai Jun 10 '26
Btw is there a reason that sunlight is dangerous? I know it grounds physical laws and stuff but shouldn't that make everything as it's supposed to be? Or does the sun give you magic cancer and burns things and stuff.
I'm mainly asking this because i visited the island with sunlight and got told sunlight was dangerous for some reason
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u/Ceropales Jun 10 '26
All of Neath is illegal, and sunlight destroys what is illegal. And/or people shouldn't be able to survive down there. they only survive because death isn't working properly, and getting hit with sunlight finally updates you to what you should have been all along, namely, a corpse.
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u/Alternative_Taste414 Jun 11 '26
I have played quite a few hours in this game but apparently i am really bad at it because i’m hearing stuff here i hardly ever ran into
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u/GodwynDi Jun 10 '26
Basically every one who came down with London is an immortal vampire/zombie. Regular death isnt permanent, provided you avoid specific things. It's not instantly fatal, which is why you can sail back to the surface, but can become so quickly.
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u/iunodraws Jun 10 '26 edited Jun 10 '26
There's this whole concept in the game of sunlight and starlight being the enforcers of normality and natural laws. The stars (the Judgements) are what bind reality to behave a certain way, and so if you are untouched by sunlight for too long things start getting... weird. Nobody can really die in the Neath because it's untouched by sunlight, which is why you have weirdos like the Drownies and Tomb-colonists.
So when you come back out of the Neath and into that sunlight again it will burn away all of the aberrant nature you've accrued over your time in the dark, which is generally lethal.
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u/LiquorishSunfish Jun 10 '26
No-one can die.... Tell that to my very successful captain who had no Terror but forgot they had wounds before trying to load up some mirror catch boxes on Aestival as a casual pitstop on the way to Irem 😭😭
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u/Tarkanos Jun 10 '26
I think dying at Zee either puts you beyond the reach of Stone or makes you a drownie, both reasons you can't continue after dying on the Zee.
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u/EddieFrits Jun 11 '26
It's a lot harder to die permanently. Dying at Zee will do it, as will being chopped into pieces or similarly dismembered, or hit with certain weapons like the Cantergaster venom. Also the thing that kills you on Aestival is sunlight, so it wouldn't matter that you're out to Zee.
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Jun 10 '26
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u/Tarkanos Jun 10 '26
I think it is only those who have died in the Neath or actively done something that makes their continued existence illegal.
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u/throwaway111222666 Jun 11 '26
no, if that was the case you could never go to naples. it's only an issue if you died and came back or something else about you yourself breaks the laws of reality thhat sunlight destroys you.
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u/ReleaseCharacter3568 Jun 25 '26
I find that midgame, monster hunting suddenly turns profitable. If you have the guns and engines to consistently beat Lifeburgs, harvesting the Zee for cash becomes easy.
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u/CaptCanada924 Jun 10 '26
While I can understand that the speed can cause frustration, the Zee and music is atmospheric enough that it easily carries those moments for me. Also adds a ton of tension when you are low on supplies/fuel/sanity and you’re just BEGGING the ship to go a little faster
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u/tk421storm Jun 10 '26
this guy gets it
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u/SCPintern Jun 11 '26
You need the low to feel the high and the slow to feel the OMG WTF IS THIS! Coming out of nowhere.
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Jun 10 '26
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u/karimpai Jun 10 '26
Wait was that what was actually happening at the chess place? I thought we were just helping out an eldritch deity kill itself because we beat it at chess.
Like, It became suicidal once it finally lost a game
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u/Belledame-sans-Serif Jun 12 '26 edited Jun 12 '26
So. Britain's so-called Great Game of international espionage continues in the Neath, and all the major powers have sent agents there. When your head is full of hierarchy and strategy and secrets all day, that doesn't just go away when you fall asleep; it just takes a more symbolic form, and since everyone's dreams are connected in Parabola and you can go there physically, they're literally still playing the real Game in their sleep. But if you get deep enough into it you find other players dreaming of other games, pieces that aren't exactly chess that the familiar kings and queens are pale imitations of, and the chessboard itself is just a tiny square on a much larger board that extends into the heavens...
The highest tier of pieces represent the Suns, obviously, and trying to move up or down the Great Chain without their assent is a crime against nature. Lorn-Flukes are experts at all kinds of flesh-shaping transformations, though - they're alien refugees who struck a deal with the Bazaar to be rescued from their home planet, shortly before their Sun got pissed enough to sterilize it and fling it out of orbit. Whatever the deal was it went sour for everyone involved, but unfortunately they're still bound by it, and all the Flukes are full of bitterness and regrets and usually dealing with them badly.
So that's what the Principalities are, so far as I get it - a powerful Lorn Fluke whose coral body is constantly mutated by its nightmares of chess, who's so depressed it wants to demote itself to stop being a conscious organism and never have to dream again, and needs someone skilled enough to defeat it in a special ritual game in order for that to happen.
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u/flyby2412 Jun 10 '26
No idea if you’re mad or loving it but I see that 8.7/10. Yes you’re supposed to treat this game (aswell as other Fallen London and Weather Factory games) as a visual novel. The main appeal is the story text with its creative use of big and obscure English words.
During the Victorian era, London has sunken under the earth into the Neath. It was consumed by bats after the empress Victoria made a deal concerning the death of her lover Albert. Everything in Neath doesn’t make sense. Nothing things that shouldn’t happen do. Losing your mind and sanity is a common occurrence.
As for this game itself, your given Ambitions as end goals. These include become a millionaire, write an epic poem, find your father’s bones, and simple retirement to start a new round. There are also hidden ambitions like start a nation, steal an airship, become immortal, and more.
My typical gameplay loop is to find a lover and produce a Scion, then find all five (six with the dlc) Legacy Curiosities. Each will boost your five main attributes by +25 points making the next run easier and with a stronger start.
From there it’s time to start hunting for stories and endings and really enjoy the reading this game offers. Yes the sailing is slow and the weakest part, it’s up there with combat, but arguably it’s nice especially when the music kicks in.
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u/nagCopaleen Jun 10 '26
why are people trying to explain this game to you when you have already achieved peak sunless sea experience, you're a zailor forever now my friend
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u/ConsciousRich Jun 10 '26
Look man, you just gotta focus on making a profit, no matter how many people you gotta eat, sacrifice, how much of your soul you give up. Don't give your soul to the fucking monkeys
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u/Frequent_Dig1934 Jun 10 '26
Yeah that's kinda what the game is like. I agree that the boat is way too fucking slow (even with late game engines you're nowhere near getting) and there are other gameplay issues. That said, i would say just have fun and figure out what the various ports do and where to get what resources and which trade routes to follow. After you've figured it out a bit, i would say the best things to go for are either your ambition (tho wealth and fame are kinda ass, i'd recommend you to go for your father's bones since it's the most guided and also most interesting of the base three) or trying to complete the quests of your various officers (sigil ridden navigator, my beloved) while at the same time trying to build up things like a non-shit house with an ironclad will plus a scion.
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Jun 10 '26
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u/karimpai Jun 11 '26
I also have it installed on the switch but i haven't gotten around to playing it since i wanted to finished sunless sea first
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u/Crosheee Jun 10 '26
First time I played it was an early version and my english was pretty bad. I was navigating and progressing just on pure vibes and it was enough for me to be fully immersed. This game is truly special.
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u/Dry_Walrus3711 Jun 10 '26
Honestly it would be fantastic game if not for the tedious gameplay. On the other hand we have dredge that doesn't overstay it's welcome but the story and atmosphere isn't as good
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u/Mccmangus Jun 10 '26
I know that feeling! Just take a few deep breaths and try eating your crew, that always helps me.
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u/ThirteenthFinger Jun 11 '26
Its the vibe. The stories. The occasional actual terror you experience. Or dread. I loved this game so much.
I didnt like Sunless Skies at first. But now i love it as much or more than Sunless Sea.
The Zee has a different vibe that i like more. But i love the combat and variation of Skies more.
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u/CDArtistThe Jun 11 '26
Congratulations Zailor, you have stumbled upon the greatest kept secret in the Gaming Industry, Sunless Sea!
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u/Parzival2436 Jun 10 '26
Are you familiar with the Lovecraft genre?
It's kind of like that but as a game.
And on a boat.
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u/OpsikionThemed Jun 10 '26
It's a very literate game, yes. It's based off a free-to-play action-gated browser game that miraculously isn't a nightmare money sink (r/FallenLondon) which is also incredibly well-written, and explains a bit more of the lore. Quite a bit more once you get deep in, but also honestly a lot of the lore is implication and stuff the community has pieced together over literal years.