Failbetter Games has revealed that its excellent, narrative-focussed intergalactic space adventure Sunless Skies will be getting a brand-new update next month, aimed at adding “more to see and do during voyages”.
It’s called the Wayfarer Update and consists of two main components. The first is a major overhaul of Albion (one of Sunless Skies’ four regions), while the second is focussed on introducing a host of new narrative encounters and options.
Part of Albion’s new makeover brings visual enhancements designed to improve the “general look and atmosphere” of the region, and Failbetter has released a few screens showcasing the changes, as seen below. Additionally, the map itself will be notably altered, with Failbetter increasing terrain “to make navigation and combat more interesting”.
This sounds like a similar endeavour to Sunless Skies’ Reach rework which occurred during early access, swapping the region’s broad expanses for narrower, labyrinthine tunnels.
That adjustment proved a little divisive, given that the Reach’s claustrophobic quarters weren’t the sort of thing you might usually associate with space, but Failbetter has assured players in a new Kickstarter backer post that “Albion will still be much more open than the Reach, except in a small number of locations like the Ormswald”.
Albion’s final additions come in the form of new creatures, locomotives, and discoveries. “Right now,” explained Failbetter, “many areas of the game can be quite predictable in terms of what you’ll find there. We’re hoping that introducing more variation will improve the experience when visiting areas you’ve already explored”.
The Wayfarer Update also brings “more narrative encounters that can take place during voyages”. These will enable explorers to investigate several greatest wonders and horrors, add new ways to encounter the gods of the skies, bring new shore-side opportunities for officers, and the possibility that attacks from certain foes may now have delayed consequences.
Sunless Skies’ Wayfarer Update is scheduled for an April 9th release on PC.
