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Summary
Developer The Chinese Room has rightly gained its reputation for atmospheric and affecting narrative-driven games. Whether it’s the hauntingDear Estheror the mystery ofEverybody’s Gone To The Rapture, those who arefans of the occasionally maligned ‘walking simulator’ subgenre of adventure gamewill likely have played and loved one of the developer’s creations. The studio has often tied horror into its creations, and latest creationStill Wakes The Deepis perhaps the most direct example of this on show.
Still Wakes The Deeptakes place in December 1975, casting the player as an electrician on the Beira D oil rig off the coast of Scotland in the North Sea. Before too long something goes wrong, causing disaster on the rig. However, that initial accident is the least of the crew’s worries, as there is something unknowable and ancient that has been unleashed on the world. The player must try to find their way off the rig and to safety, avoiding the mysterious creature that is engulfing the entirety of the Beira D. It’s an enticing horror prospect, although it’s perhapsone that sticks a little too close to the narrative horror template.
A Cold, Claustrophobic, Effective Atmosphere
The Beira D Is A Horrible, Fantastic Environment To Explore
An area whereStill Wakes The Deepreally excels is with its location and its atmosphere. The oil rig of the Beira D feels extremely authentic, from its labyrinthine engineering tunnels to its tired and well-trod deck. Of particular note are some excellent claustrophobic moments thoughout the game where the player can almost feel the pressure on them outside of the game world. This is especially true during the game’s sections down in the pontoons, dark areas filled with water and debris and likely leading to many a player holding their breath as they make their way through flooded sections.
In spite of these impressive moments in the pitch black of the underside of the rig,Still Wakes The Deepisn’t afraid to use color effectively, meaningthere’s actually a very good variety of different kinds of scares on show here. Although the most obvious comparison of plot once the monsters are unleashed is to John Carpenter’sThe Thing, with plenty of body horror to keep horror fans happy, there’s more than a passing nod toColor Out Of Space, with vibrant pink and purple lights showcasing that there issome deeply unknowable cosmic horroralongside the more visceral fear of bodies changing.
There are occasional notes around the Beira D that give a few more tidbits of information about characters and actions, and it’s worth keeping an eye out for these during the story.
The Chinese Room then uses this to effectively build tension and horror throughout.There are rare jump scares that work extremely well rather than feeling cheap, while the developer also uses the monster designs to initiate some good fake out moments - having monsters with lots of tendrils means that every cable whipping about in a storm on the deck will have the player second guessing whether they need to run and hide. Meanwhile, the tormented cries of the monsters themselves are never far away, harking back to the headcrab zombies ofHalf-Lifeor the poor souls taken over by the biomechanical villainy ofSystem Shock 2.
A Solid If Unspectacular Horror Story
The Chinese Room Doesn’t Attempt Anything Radical
AlthoughStill Wakes The Deepprovides a great atmosphere for a horror experience, unfortunately, some players may find that the game’s actual plot falls a little bit on the safe side. The player character, Caz, is a man who is running away from a problem on the mainland, and this isn’t the only horror game plot trope thatStill Wakes The Deepuses either. Players should prepare for more questions about what’s in the player’s mind versus what’s happening in reality, telephone calls from people who can’t be there, and plenty of conveniently-timed falls just before reaching an exit.
Something that may come as a surprise to fans of previous The Chinese Room games is just how action-heavy the story is. There are plenty of explosions, chase sequences, and bombastic jumps, meaningit’s a bit more direct in its approach and less subtle than some of the developer’s previous entries. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing - it certainly provides a bit of a shake-up in tone every so often in surprising ways - although those expecting something akin to the more introspective and psychological dread of the divisive but extremely effectiveAmnesia: A Machine For Pigsmight be left wanting.
There is no combat here; the player’s options when coming across one of the game’s creatures are to hide or to run, and in some circumstances running is the only given option.
That doesn’t mean that there aren’t pockets of calm, though. In particular the player may find a few moments here and there with characters like Roy the chef, sharing a dry joke, and the inter-character dialogue is well-written throughout. These moments are certainly in the minority, though, and instead the calm/frenetic dynamic seen in many horror games is replaced by the platform and puzzle sections alternating with horror and stealth sections.
Still Wakes The Deep Sticks To Its Formula Well
From a gameplay perspective,Still Wakes The Deepprovides exactly what players might expect from a more narrative-focused horror experience. There is no combat here; the player’s options when coming across one of the game’s creatures are to hide or to run, and in some circumstances, running is the only given option. In fact,the game is quite linear in its approach, with only a handful of sections that feel more openand give the player a chance to choose their own stealth path through an area,SOMA-style.
The gameplay itself feels smooth enough, with the player’s realistically slow movements (given the circumstances) adding to the tension.Key mechanics include things like hiding in cupboards, throwing items to distract monsters, moving larger items, unlocking doors, or fixing fuse boxes with a button press.Still Wakes The Deepalso features the now-notorious yellow painted areas to highlight where to go, but it feels far more authentic and immersive here than in other games thanks to yellow paint often being used to highlight things like ladder rungs in real life, so those who are unhappy with that current trend in gaming may find it more palatable here.
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There are a handful of minor bugs and glitches here and there, although there is nothing game-breaking whatsoever. The player’s flashlight doesn’t always shine correctly, getting caught by minor objects in the foreground rather than shining through, while immersion can sometimes be broken through other elements like rigid monster movements in some sections, shadows not quite sitting right, and the models for bodies appearing in unnatural ways. Overall, though, these are all smaller issues and nothing that should stop the player from fully enjoying the experience.
Our Review Score & Final Thoughts
3.5/5 - “Very Good” by Screen Rant’s Metric
Still Wakes The Deepis a very atmospheric horror game with some brilliant moments and strong character dialogue. It is unfortunately hampered by a safe overall narrative that players may find more comfortable than scary, and a lack of something new within its gameplay model. Nonetheless, it’s an effective game that oozes quality, and those after a strong if not purely creative horror title will find plenty to love.
Screen Rant was provided with a PS5 download code for the purposes of this review.
Still Wakes the Deep
Still Wakes the Deep is a first-person sci-fi horror game by The Chinese Room. Set in 1975, an oil rig off the coast of Scotland goes dark, with a terrible storm engulfing it. As a rig worker, players will attempt to find a way to restore communications or escape as they navigate the dark and freezing hallways and exterior of the platform. However, the storm isn’t the only threat, as an unknown otherworldly terror waits within the depths.
