Sunless Sea

Sunless Sea is a gloomy exploration RPG by Failbetter Games. You command a captain and his steamship across the Unterzee, an underground sea beneath Victorian London. Strange islands, unusual inhabitants and dangerous choices shape the journey. The focus is on stories and on keeping the crew alive.

Sunless Sea was released on PC on February 6, 2015. The iPad version followed on March 23, 2017. The Zubmariner Edition came out for PS4 on August 28, 2018, for Nintendo Switch on April 23, 2020, and for Xbox One on April 24, 2020.

Sunless Sea was released natively for PC with Windows, macOS and Linux, iPad or iOS, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and Xbox One. The console versions include the Zubmariner underwater expansion. The iPad version has its own touch controls. On newer consoles, the older version may be playable via backward compatibility, but not as a standalone native release.

You sail from harbor to harbor, discover unknown coasts and decide the fate of your captain in text encounters. At sea you have to steer your ship, dodge enemies and manage scarce supplies. Stories, exploration and economic decisions are interlinked.

Zubmariner expands Sunless Sea with sailing beneath the water's surface. The steamship can be converted into a submarine and reaches eleven additional underwater harbors with their own stories, enemies and secrets. On PC, Zubmariner is sold separately; the PS4, Switch and Xbox One versions already include the expansion.

On Windows, Sunless Sea according to Steam requires at least a processor with 2 GHz, 1 GB RAM, a DirectX 9.0c compatible graphics card and 700 MB of free storage. The minimum resolution is 1280 × 768 pixels. The game also supports macOS and Linux with their own system requirements.

In the Unterzee you will find lighthouses in the fog, unusual islands and harbors with their own inhabitants. The sea holds both trading partners and hostile creatures. Because distances, light and supplies are crucial, every longer voyage becomes a trade-off between discovery and risk.

A captain's death ends his journey, but not every consequence of his decisions. Successors can inherit resources and possessions under certain conditions. A family house and collected heirlooms help you prepare later expeditions better.

You can hire officers with their own stories. Characters such as the Haunted Doctor and the Irrepressible Cannoneer bring personal tales on board. At the same time, the crew has to survive the exhausting voyages through the darkness.

On every journey your ship uses up fuel and provisions. The longer you travel away from safe harbors, the more the darkness weighs on the crew. Poor planning can lead to hunger, fear and eventually the captain's end.

Sunless Sea uses real-time combat against enemy ships and sea creatures. Engines, cannons and other equipment improve the capabilities of your own steamship. Choosing to avoid a dangerous encounter is also part of survival.

You can transport goods between harbors and trade in rare wares. Besides ordinary cargo, souls, mushroom wine and unusual substances are also traded in the Unterzee. Your decisions determine which risks you take.

At the start, your captain can pursue different life goals. Wealth, fame or the search for the remains of your own father give the voyages a direction. Which story emerges in the end also depends on which encounters and decisions you allow at sea.

On PC, Sunless Sea and Zubmariner can be bought separately. The console version Sunless Sea: Zubmariner Edition combines the main game with the underwater expansion. The iPad version is a touch adaptation of the base game, not the Zubmariner Edition.

The iPad version was released on March 23, 2017 and was adapted for touch controls together with BlitWorks. It offers two switchable control types, automatic firing when targets are sufficiently locked on, and achievements via Apple's Game Center.

Sunless Sea is available in English on PC and Nintendo Switch. The game tells a large part of its story through extensive text and dialogue. An official German text version is not included in these versions.

Sunless Sea is a single-player adventure. Sailing, combat and decisions are played alone. On PC, Steam Cloud saves and achievements are available, among other things.