Specters of the Deep
Choice of Games · 2025 · RPG, Interactive Fiction, Choose Your Own Adventure, Text-Based, Dragons
PC
Positive90% · 29
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About Specters of the Deep
In life, you were a legendary hero. Now, you'll rise from the grave as a ghost to defend your country in its hour of greatest need! Defy dragons, duel the dead, and face the nightmare at the bottom of the sea!Specters of the Deep is an interactive epic fantasy novel by Abigail C. Trevor, author of Heroes of Myth and Stars Arisen. It's entirely text-based, 1 million words and hundreds of choices, without graphics or sound effects, fueled by the vast, unstoppable power of your imagination.Centuries ago, you were the finest warrior that the island nation of Galdrin had ever known. The realm was strong and prosperous, upheld by the might of the Eye of the Serpent, a magical artifact bonded to the monarch—and by your might, too. You protected the people and defended the crown; when the dragons emerged from their seclusion, you won the honor of being the king’s emissary to them and forged a powerful alliance. Then, you fell in battle at the hands of your greatest rival, dead before your time. But now you awake, called forth from your tomb to save the realm from even greater peril. With your new spectral form come new powers: the ability to pass through solid walls and float high above the earth, command over other ghosts, and the potential to strike fear into the hearts of the living. You will need every bit of that power in this new age of crisis. The royal family is shattered and divided, with the young king clinging to scraps of his former power while his connection to the Eye of the Serpent hangs in the balance. Anti-monarchist rebels shout in the streets and political rivals seek to extend their power across the sea. Galdrin’s neighboring nation lies beneath the waves, sunk by cataclysmic earthquakes. Worst of all, the mighty dragons are withdrawing from the alliance you built centuries ago, and you may be the only one who can win them back.
What’s more, you aren't the only specter on Galdrin's shores. There's an army of ghosts crawling out of the water, tearing at the foundations of the castle. Sometimes, you can hear the voice that commands them. Something is waiting at the bottom of the ocean—and it wants you back.
If Galdrin is to survive, you must rise as its hero once more, and join an epic battle for the Eye of the Serpent, power over the ocean, and the realm itself.
What’s more, you aren't the only specter on Galdrin's shores. There's an army of ghosts crawling out of the water, tearing at the foundations of the castle. Sometimes, you can hear the voice that commands them. Something is waiting at the bottom of the ocean—and it wants you back.
If Galdrin is to survive, you must rise as its hero once more, and join an epic battle for the Eye of the Serpent, power over the ocean, and the realm itself.
- Play as male, female, or nonbinary; gay, straight, bisexual, monogamous, polyamorous, asexual, and/or aromantic
- Battle enemies old and new as a ghost, commanding spectral armies and passing invisibly through walls, and inspiring dread in the hearts of your foes.
- Romance a troubled king, a rebellious prince, a clever wizard, a daring dragon, or a strangely familiar ghost.
- Restore the ancient arcane power of Galdrin’s monarchy, or embrace modernity and forge a new path forward for the realm.
- Search for lost treasure and buried secrets in a sunken kingdom as you plunge to the depths of the ocean - and seek out the source of the monstrous voice you hear in your mind.
- Build a new body and reclaim a place among the living, or embrace your spectral form to endure as a ghost.
- Avenge your own death and find a way to set old enmities aside - or even rekindle old flames of love.
What Steam players say
Recent verbatim reviews from Steam — separate from playze.io community reviews below.
What is with all the pronoun nonsense. In one of the last chapters of the game we find out the king is a trans woman to man, and the queen mother is a they them. What is the point of shoving all the gender absurdness into it? It really took away from the immersion of the story, I enjoyed the premise and the fantasy aspects of it but when you throw in modern woke politics it's hard to ignore it.4 found this helpful
The beginning of Spectres of the Deep was more than impressive; I found myself hooked at the very first sentences. I was sure the story would decline afterwards, but that wasn't the case at all. While there were often political and social challenges instead of battles, it never got boring or slowed down. I felt very comfortable in the protagonist's role. For my very first playthrough, I decided to portray a loyal defender of the crown and it not only worked, but it also felt very natural. I see two minor weaknesses: some of the supporting characters are rather bland, and one of the romance options feels forced on the player. I see why this has been done but I would’ve loved to put more distance between the character I play and this one special npc. Especially when choosing someone else and also [insert spoilers here]. I'm looking forward to reading more from this author!2 found this helpful
Probably the best (at least one of the best) IF stories/games in recent years. The premise was very interesting and I was kept engaged in the story and my choices throughout. The branching seems very good (I haven't explored all paths) with decisions that impact the story and other characters/factions. It was a little easy to get everyone to like me, a bit more conflict would have been welcome. The ending also felt a little rushed relative to the length of everything that became before. THE side characters and ROs were a bit of mixed bag for me (some very good, some were bland), but overall I enjoyed the characters and cared about most of them1 found this helpful
“Specters of the Deep” starts strong with an intriguing ghost premise, rich lore, and a world that initially feels worth exploring. The early chapters show genuine promise, and the idea of navigating events as a spirit is compelling, even when the internal logic doesn’t always hold together. (5/10) Unfortunately, the experience steadily deteriorates as the story progresses. The pacing slows considerably, and the narrative becomes bogged down in dense political intrigue involving countries, factions, and characters you have little opportunity to form an emotional connection with. Names and alliances pile up faster than the story can make them meaningful, which leaves later twists and betrayals feeling hollow rather than impactful. Choice design is one of the game’s biggest weaknesses. Many options amount to the same outcome phrased differently, offering limited agency. And despite having six skills, you’re often presented with only four choices, forcing negative outcomes simply because the option that fits your build isn’t available. Prowess in particular is rarely usable, even in situations where physical or aggressive solutions would make perfect sense. Logical inconsistencies …1 found this helpful
i like it, its pretty good i havent finished it so far, but the concept is interesting and well done imo and the choices seem to matter, the only con ive encountered is the sheer amt of trans characters and its not the fact that theyre trans that gets me as theyre well written (so far) its just that it gets confusing when trying to read when half the characters are referred to as they/them cuz it gets hard to distinguish whos being referred to in a grand majority of the parts im on rn i hope they dont start interchanging it then i really will be confused af lol its a big theme of the book i get it but DAMN it makes my head spin1 found this helpful
got to play as an nb ghost and bed both a dragon and a half-dragon prince. 10/10 in all honesty tho the writing, worldbuilding, and characters are so good. I adore this game. Took me a little over 12 hours over two days to do my first playthrough. All characters and the sides they took in the story's conflict worked so well. They all had their reasons for the choices they make and I understand why. You have a lot of options and alliances you can follow in this story. If you don't like getting into the settings and politics that come with it I can see someone not enjoying this game that much. But I love that plus the characters so I love this game. Bonus to being super LGBT+ and I am SO THANKFUL I CAN BE POLY I love when games let me do that. Super fun game with an interesting story that made me laugh and cry 10/10
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