Skin Deep

Skin Deep is a genuinely stellar immersive sim, replete with chaos and countless combat options to fend off space pirates. Always funny, never dull, and full of felicitous felines, annoying bugs and an irritating save system don't spoil what is one of this year's must-play indie games.

It’s an abundance of well written humour that bridges the gap between Skin Deep’s surprisingly deep gameplay and storytelling, despite a few hiccups along the way. I chuckled consistently as each new interaction played out in violent, amusing bursts, popping a few heads and scrambling around the outer hull to surprise an unexpected pirate or two. Sure, it’s not a Sam Fisher scenario, but if you’ve been hankering for a stealth experience with a twist, I can’t recommend this enough.

Skin Deep doesn't reimagine immersive sims, but it takes the level design principles that players have enjoyed for decades and recontextualizes them for its brightly lit, goofier-than-usual world. Sometimes, preferred routes to success can become too reliable and make very differently shaped spaceships the settings for some familiar outcomes, but much more often, it's a game of clever actions and surprising reactions. It checks all the boxes of a great immersive sim, where each level is a puzzle box and you hold any number of figurative keys to unlocking it. And, yes, you can flush the toilets.

Skin Deep is a wild, fun, and inventive immersive sim, rewarding creative thinking and playful exploration. Its unique look and comical approach to gameplay make it a memorable experience, despite a few mechanical issues and overloaded moments. If you love Blendo Games’ offbeat signature style, blast off into this universe where cats are the real stars and space pirates are disposable entertainment.

Ingenious and characterful, this immersive sim is an absolute delight - particularly when things go wrong.