Sunken Engine Review Summary

Fun and immersive Lovecraftian gameplay with a gripping story, but early access bugs, clunky controls, and an unpolished UI hold it back.

Game is fun and enjoyable: Players consistently describe the game as fun, enjoyable, and engaging, with many noting it is addictive and great to pass the time. The overall sentiment is highly positive, highlighting the game's entertainment value.

Lovecraftian atmosphere is praised: The Lovecraftian theme and atmosphere are frequently highlighted as major positives, with players appreciating the detailed lore and the effective horror ambience. The setting is considered a key strength that enhances the overall experience.

Story is interesting and engaging: Reviewers find the story to be interesting, engaging, and intriguing, with some noting it is better than most simulator games. The narrative is seen as a strong point that adds personality and depth to the game.

Gameplay is immersive and draws players in: The gameplay is described as immersive, with a good flow that pulls players in from the first minute. The satisfying and fluid mechanics keep players engaged and wanting to continue playing.

Good value for the price: Players feel the game offers good value for its price, with many stating it is worth the cost and even a steal when discounted. The game is considered to have sufficient depth and content to justify the asking price.

Game is very buggy: Multiple reviews report numerous bugs affecting both story and general gameplay, with optimization issues, freezing, and a general unfinished feel. This is the most frequently cited technical problem.

Early access incompleteness: Players note the game is in early access, resulting in rough edges, limited content, and a lack of updates. This is a common theme but somewhat expected given the game's status.

Horror elements not scary: The horror aspects, including jump scares, are considered weak, repetitive, and not immersive. This is a critical failure for a horror game.

Story is incomplete: The story is described as unfinished, half-finished, or lacking content, which is a major concern for players expecting a complete narrative. This is tied to the early access state but is a distinct issue.

Controls are clunky: The control scheme is criticized as unintuitive, difficult to manage, and poorly optimized for mouse and keyboard. This affects gameplay experience significantly.

Ship repair is core gameplay: The primary gameplay loop revolves around repairing, cleaning, and maintaining ships. Players inspect, clean, replace parts, and program ship components, with tutorials and progression systems.

Lovecraftian horror theme pervasive: The game is heavily themed around Lovecraftian horror, featuring Cthulhu elements, occult lore, and an eerie atmosphere. This theme is central to the story and setting, influencing the overall tone.

Fishing is a side activity: Fishing is a prominent side activity, allowing players to catch fish and seafood. It includes a distance mechanic and integrates with selling and other gameplay loops.

Story mode with mysteries: The game includes a story mode with chapters and a mystery narrative that deepens as players progress. The story is intertwined with Lovecraftian secrets and exploration.

Selling items at market: Players can sell collected items, fish, and other finds at a market or bazaar. This provides a source of income and is a key part of the gameplay loop.

Performance issues and bugs: Multiple clusters report performance problems, bugs, and instability, including framerate drops, freezing, and crashes. These issues are widespread and affect various hardware configurations.

Specific bugs and glitches: Various specific glitches are reported, including sound bugs, falling through textures, menu glitches, screen tearing, and graphical issues. These detract from the overall experience.

Optimization praised on some systems: A few clusters note that the game runs well on certain systems, including a 5-year-old laptop and high-end setups. This suggests performance varies significantly depending on hardware.

Steam Deck performance mixed: Feedback on Steam Deck is contradictory, with some reporting smooth performance and others experiencing poor playability and navigation issues. This indicates inconsistent optimization on the device.

Graphics settings limitations: Players report that graphics cannot be lowered without changing resolution, and that optimization is poor relative to visual quality. This limits accessibility for lower-end hardware.

Strongly recommended: A significant number of reviewers give the game a strong recommendation, encouraging others to buy and play it without hesitation. They express high satisfaction and confidence in the game's quality.

Worth the price: Multiple reviewers highlight that the game offers good value for its cost, especially during discounts. The depth and quality justify the purchase, making it a solid recommendation for the price.

Not recommended currently: Several reviewers advise against buying the game in its current state, citing early-stage issues and the need for fixes. They suggest waiting until the game is more polished before purchasing.

Good for genre fans: The game is recommended for fans of specific genres, including simulation, cleaning, and atmospheric games. Reviewers note that those who enjoy these styles will likely appreciate the game.

Appeals to Lovecraft fans: Reviewers recommend the game to fans of Lovecraftian themes, mysticism, and dark worlds. The game's atmosphere and story resonate well with those who enjoy cosmic horror elements.

Community fair range: $8.00 - $12.00.

Game completion: 21.0h.

Story completion: 21.0h.

Session length: 5.0h.

Players generally enjoy the first hour or few hours, but then the game becomes repetitive and grindy, leading to a drop in fun. Some find early repetition that improves with upgrades, but the dominant pattern is a decline after initial enjoyment.

Friction: repetitive minigames; confusing tutorial popups; slow early progression; bugs and glitches; fishing too hard or boring; unclear keybindings.

Unlock drivers: unlocking upgrades and permits; perks and upgrades that make tasks easier; faster task completion with advancement; variety of ships and tasks.

Chill Cleaner: Methodical cleaning, upgrading shop, side activities like fishing, managing sanity. Motivation: Relaxing cleaning and restoration gameplay with a light horror twist. Stance: buy.

Lovecraft Enthusiast: Exploring story, managing sanity, appreciating atmosphere, reading lore. Motivation: Immersive eldritch atmosphere, story, and sanity mechanics. Stance: sale.

Grind-Weary Veteran: Min-maxing, achievement hunting, possibly using cheats to bypass grind, focusing on efficiency. Motivation: Seeking meaningful progression without repetitive grind; wants depth and variety. Stance: no buy.

The Windows 12-15GB VRAM cohort reports persistent stuttering issues that remain unfixed after a year, indicating poor performance.

Windows 12-15GB VRAM: negative. Users report ongoing stuttering while turning and moving, which the developers acknowledged but have not fixed for over a year.

Steam Deck: The game has significant controller and UI issues on Steam Deck, with freezes, inability to navigate menus, and text cut off, making it difficult to play without workarounds. The overall experience is broken for many users.

Linux and Proton: The available reviews indicate that the game runs on Steam Deck (Linux) but with notable performance issues. Users report poor performance and acknowledge that the game is only 'Playable' with known problems. No evidence of launch failures or severe glitches was provided, but the performance concerns suggest the game requires patience and possibly tweaks to be enjoyable on Linux.

Early access with ongoing development: Many reviewers note the game is in Early Access, with some appreciating the active patching and updates while others feel it was released too early. The limited content and unfinished state are common observations.

Comparisons to Dredge: The game is frequently compared to Dredge in terms of atmosphere, gameplay, and art style. Some reviewers see it as a homage, while others claim it's too similar or even an asset rip.

Expectation of future updates: Reviewers expect the game to improve with future updates, including story progression and new gameplay elements. There is a roadmap with remaining updates, and the game is anticipated to reach a full release.

Unfinished story and content: The story is incomplete and not far along, with continuation pending updates. The game doesn't feel fully finished, and some content is missing due to Early Access status.

Appropriate pricing for content: The game is considered worth its current price, with a friendly or cheap price point. Reviewers note it has a large amount of content for the price, including 5-10+ hours of gameplay.