Skin Deep

Skin Deep is an immersive sim, realized in the form of a humorous, yet complex FPS. The game was developed by Blendo Games studio and was published by Annapurna Interactive.

Plot

Skin Deep takes us on a journey to the future. During the game we play as a commando working for an insurance company, who travels on board of a space transport ship, immersed in cryogenic sleep. Her hibernation has come to an end when interstellar pirates attack the ship she is protecting. The heroine must control the situation before it gets completely out of control. The matter is not simple though, as the overwhelming numerical superiority of her adversaries is only a part of her problems.

Mechanics

In Skin Deep we observe the action from a first person perspective (FPP). We can move freely on the deck of the ship, but it's worth keeping an eye out, because enemies can lurk at every turn. To fight the pirates we can use an extensive arsenal, which includes both firearms (shotgun, rifle, pistol) and cold weapons, as well as various gadgets, but ammunition is quite scarce here; additionally, even the best-equipped agent is not able to defeat several enemies at once.

All this makes that while exploring the carrier, we have to try to be quiet, sneak behind the enemies' backs and eliminate them by surprise, often using the environment (for example, if we manage to hit the switch opening the airlock, the opponent nearby will be literally sucked into space). Also helpful are the skills of the protagonist, who, like the famous Sam Fisher, can, for example, make a twine between two walls and eliminate the enemy passing underneath her from above.

However, compared to many other games of this type, the described game features unusual solutions. As the heroine has no shoes, after stepping on a sharp object she leaves behind bloody footprints, which can draw the attention of enemies. In addition, over time, the agent begins to leave an odor behind her, through which the pirates can smell her even from a distance (which in turn forces her to wash frequently). Another thing is that in places where the air is not clean, the heroine happens to sneeze, which is also able to ruin even the best thought-out action. Fortunately, in case of failure an automatic defibrillator comes to the rescue, which resuscitates the woman.

Technical aspects

Skin Deep has colorful, but relatively simple graphics bringing to mind games from around 2000. However, the whole thing looks pretty good, because it blends well with the parodic nature of the game.