The alternative title for Sink or Swim, a Vic Tokai liner adventure. Worth discovering for its unique rescue under pressure concept.
Your verdict
Category
Action Adventure2 players12+
Description
Survival action-adventure in which passengers flee a sinking ocean liner, original Japanese version. Published by Human, released in Japan in 1993. Characters with distinct abilities in flooded passages, relentless countdown timer and section bosses. Original Japanese version known in the West as SOS.
A 1993 Human Entertainment Super Famicom survival adventure, Japan-exclusive, a real-time shipwreck simulation on an ocean liner. The cart is culturally important as one of Human Entertainment's most experimental productions, halfway between adventure and simulation. Intact boxed CIB with cardboard sleeve and illustrated manual has become a target for Human Entertainment and niche SFC collectors, and the cote climbs hard, sustained by physical scarcity and by the game's cult aura.
Is Septentrion still worth playing in 2026?
SOS is another name for Sink or Swim, based on the same rare premise of escaping a foundering ocean liner, rescuing passengers through corridors that tilt as the ship capsizes. The countdown's tension and the gradual leaning of the levels create an original, stressful experience that truly steps out of the ordinary. Short and sometimes demanding, it stands out for its disaster atmosphere. For the curious about bold ideas and offbeat adventure games, it is well worth the detour.
