Silent Shark
Shares rank 8 of 14 simulation games by recommenders
People praise its minimalist, realistic dials and procedures, its detailed design and its tutorial for a rare niche of submarine sims. Critics say the UI and visuals look AI-generated and slightly off.
People praise its minimalist, realistic dials and procedures, its detailed design and its tutorial for a rare niche of submarine sims. Critics say the UI and visuals look AI-generated and slightly off.
12 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 9
- criticize it
- 3
- approval share
- 75%
Recommended in 3 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Owned for 1 month
Median of the 3 owners who said how long they have had it.
Each square is one year.
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 9 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 3 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 3 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Realistic, detailed submarine design
“Till now at least from sub sim fans I've heard nearly only praise for the design.”
Comment from 15 Aug 2026 in “Show HN: Silent Shark – tactical map-based WWII submarine sim” “the sweet spot of minimalism meeting realism of dials and procedures”
Comment from 9 Aug 2026 in “Ask HN: What are you working on? (August 2026)” “This is pretty cool and very detailed”
Comment from 15 Aug 2026 in “Show HN: Silent Shark – tactical map-based WWII submarine sim” Rare good submarine sim niche
“Submarine sim games are truly a special niche, and I’m so excited to try this one out!”
Comment from 15 Aug 2026 in “Show HN: Silent Shark – tactical map-based WWII submarine sim” “Good submarine sims are hard to find.”
Comment from 15 Aug 2026 in “Show HN: Silent Shark – tactical map-based WWII submarine sim” Good tutorial
“So far, it's really fun and the tutorial is great!”
Comment from 15 Aug 2026 in “Show HN: Silent Shark – tactical map-based WWII submarine sim” “I did the tutorial, it was good”
Comment from 15 Aug 2026 in “Show HN: Silent Shark – tactical map-based WWII submarine sim” Active developer, responsive to feedback
“It's been an absolute blast getting feedback from Navy geeks on Discord”
Comment from 11 May 2026 in “Ask HN: What Are You Working On? (May 2026)” “Love it! I'm looking forward to every update”
Comment from 15 Aug 2026 in “Show HN: Silent Shark – tactical map-based WWII submarine sim”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
UI and visuals look AI-generated
“I think the UI elements and layout look very similar to how LLMs like to create them.”
Comment from 15 Aug 2026 in “Show HN: Silent Shark – tactical map-based WWII submarine sim” “The game has quite the AI smell, which I think does it a disservice.”
Comment from 15 Aug 2026 in “Show HN: Silent Shark – tactical map-based WWII submarine sim”
Other simulation games people recommend
The four most recommended other simulation games, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dwarf Fortress | 74 | 29 | 72% | 12 | 11 yrs3 owners | Approved |
| Airport Simulator | 41 | 8 | 84% | 1 | — | — |
| Firewood Splitting Simulator | 32 | 11 | 74% | 1 | — | — |
| RollerCoaster Tycoon | 21 | 0 | 100% | 8 | — | Approved |
| Silent SharkThis page | 9 | 3 | 75% | 3 | 1 mo3 owners | — |
What people said
14 of the 16 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“it's gone extremely well for a side project - I've had over 100 Steam reviews, 99% of them are positive”
“And the look just feels slightly off, like the parts don't fit together.”
“Submarine sim games are truly a special niche, and I’m so excited to try this one out!”
“Till now at least from sub sim fans I've heard nearly only praise for the design.”
“I think the UI elements and layout look very similar to how LLMs like to create them.”
“Good submarine sims are hard to find.”
“This is pretty cool and very detailed”
“Love it! I'm looking forward to every update”
“So far, it's really fun and the tutorial is great!”
“The game has quite the AI smell, which I think does it a disservice.”
“I did the tutorial, it was good”
“the sweet spot of minimalism meeting realism of dials and procedures”
“That periscope view blew my mind.”
“It's been an absolute blast getting feedback from Navy geeks on Discord”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.