Sunless Sea (2015)

An island's strange little story can make a dangerous voyage feel worthwhile, and the officers suggest lives continuing beyond your captain's immediate concerns. I am drawn to that combination of literary detail and an inhospitable sea. Getting to the next discovery can mean slow sailing, resource calculations and repeating familiar routes after a death. If the prose is your main interest, those costs deserve attention before committing. The base game has plenty to read; the separate Zubmariner expansion adds underwater travel.