The top-down RPG, Sunless Skies, has finally received an official release date for the completed version. The single-player sequel to Failbetter Games’ Sunless Sea is set to release the final game on January 31, 2019. The game takes place in a Victorian British Empire setting where you take control as the captain of a locomotive spacecraft and its crew. Exploration and choices among the stars will dictate if the empire or rebellion will succeed. From a 2D point of view the player must wisely use resources and battle against the dangers of the dark universe. Whatever perils are encountered, be that pirates or some graver beast, players must plan ahead so that future captains are created based upon a desired “lineage.”
Failbetter Games’ website details a projected roadmap that began back in August of 2017 when the studio entered Sunless Skies into Early Access. The remainder of the roadmap details titled stages of the game’s development and the features that accompanied them. These updates and expansions have included: character creation, banks, discoveries, combat, storylines, and new regions to explore. Most of the Early Access updates so far have been supplemented with video podcasts straight from the developers that are posted via YouTube and Twitch.
Several more patches are anticipated before the official release date this coming January that has been termed “Blue Kingdom.” These will touch on crew elements like hunger, the narrative, and the introduction of a proper tutorial. The studio has rationalized the extended Early Access period and dependence on community reactions with the success seen by Sunless Sea. Fan’s feedback greatly influenced the previous title and appears to be doing the same for the polished, final version of Sunless Skies. Failbetter Games has a dedicated bug reporting email address and has been very active on forums and their social media platforms.
Sunless Skies’s Early Access is available on Steam and GOG for PC, Mac, and Linux.