Sunless Skies

An incredible game that doesn't respect your time. I last played this game a few years ago, so take my review with a grain of salt.
Sunless Skies' biggest standout is its worldbuilding - the art direction, the narrative, the gameplay design all "fit". There is this genuinely convincing Lovecraftian world where words sear themselves onto your internal organs, the sun is a dying malevolent clockwork beast, and the UK killed God - at least as much as "convince" means in that context. Exploring and partaking in this world is the biggest reason to play this game, and I dare say that this is **the best execution of video game worldbuilding for a Lovecraftian universe and one of the best-built worlds in indie gaming in general**.
Now the downsides: the biggest ding against this game is that death sets you back *far*. I remember running into a ship, wondering if it was a friendly, and subsequently getting nuked and losing maybe 8-10 hours of progress. There is some carry-over of progression, but dying is still hugely demotivating for playing the game further. Additionally, the late game gets a bit stale without fast travel mechanics - sure there's an engine upgrade at some point, but taking 5-10 minutes to go from one side of the map to the other side of a *completely separate map* while looking out for hostiles along the way gets old. For these reasons, replayability went off a cliff for me once I completed one playthrough, since i had experienced most of what the game had to offer and got nothing but tedium out of repeating what I had done to get back to the remaining 10-20%. This makes dying even worse because you die and have to repeat many of the things you did to get back to where you were. All of this is why I say this game doesn't respect your time.
I am neutral on the game mechanics. Combat and trade are fine by themselves but would not be worth it without having the story to follow along with.
It's worth adding some context on the devs: Failbetter Games has been running an online RPG called Fallen London since 2009. Sunless Sea and Sunless Skies are both built upon the world of Fallen London, which I imagine is why the world building is so fleshed out. The cons of Sunless Skies are more forgiveable if you look at it in the same lens as Fallen London, which places less focus on "finishing" the game and more on immersing yourself in the world it creates. Some reviews call Sunless Skies a glorified book / visual novel, and while I think that's harsh for the game, Fallen London is pretty much a book and so I can see where that sentiment is coming from.
In summary, I love the world and recommend the game, but I'd say skip if you want something with a shorter gameplay loop / something that lets you progress more steadily.

Sunless Skies is the definitive answer to the question "What game you like but not sure you can recommend?"
Imagine reading a VERY interesting book, but every chapter or so you have to throw the book across the room and go pick it up to continue reading it, and sometime you throw it too hard or too far so have to read the book from the start again. But if you can stick to it, the book is worth it.
If you like reading, game atmosphere and don't mind A LOT of fetch quests, you can enjoy this game.

it's sunless sea but with trains and a dodge mechanic. autism paradise.

Sunless sea has better writing but this has much better gameplay. I really liked it and wish it was a bit longer.

A few steps forward gameplay wise compared to Sunless Sea. You get more resources and better chances to make money and there is more guidance on what to do.
However the lack of faster engines, autopilot and fast travel means you are still stuck doing money making fetch quests hours into the game. Very often you get a 'oh no, I haven't brought the right items, I'll have to go back to the main hub city and collect them before returning'.
It is recommended but the lack of things to do in this game and constant busy work/slow grind really hurts this game. Understand what you're getting into and you might have fun.
Start on merciful mode which autosaves at your last port!

Breathtaking art, amazing writing, and great horror, I think this is one of if not the best cosmic horror game on the platform.

Tread not thee lightly in these horrifying skies!
Having hugely enjoyed while being slightly over-whelmed by it's predecessor Sunless Seas, I've committed mine own soul and that of all my crew to this, it's really excellent.
It's a kinda uniquely presented roguelike explorer, extremely heavy in story and Lovecraft-adjacent lore, with many many choices and consequences along the way, and one of the best implemented die-and-improve mechanics I've come across. Every little element of this game, including your demise, evolves around the deep and spectacularly well written background story and ever-evolving events.
I wasn't kidding on my first line though. There is NO short way to play this game, you are looking at dozens of (thankfully absorbing and addictive) hours to get anywhere, although your reward is just how much content there is and how big this game becomes compared to your starting point.
The amount of different things that need you attention and management just to stay safe and alive remains somewhat overwhelming at times, and caution in planning is always recommended, but mechanically it's a big improvement on Seas.
Thoroughly recommended for those who dont mind depth and spending time and effort, not great for ADHD moments or if you're allergic to Victorian literary styles or high fantasy