Still Wakes The Deep Review

I don’t fear much, but listeners to the Xbox Tavern podcast may have heard me mentioned one of my more irrational fears; water in games. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a huge fan of open water in real life (the technical term being Thalassophobia), but something about the game version – be it diving for shark skins in Far Cry 3, sailing the high seas in Sea of Thieves, or even just sloshing around a flooded basement in Outlast – really gives me genuine, goosebump causing creeps. However, I do love myself a good horror game or two. So, when Still Wakes the Deep was announced I knew I had to play it, even if the thought of doing so had shivers run down my spine.

Turns out, it’s pretty bloody good, even if it’s not going to give me much more confidence in getting in the brine anytime soon. Taking place on the oil rig Beira D at Christmas time, 1975, we assume the role of Cameron ‘Caz’ McLeary as he is summoned to the foreman’s office. We quickly learn that Caz is working on the oil rig in an attempt to let some land-based heat with the police die down, though it seems not even the vast ocean can keep him off their radar. It’s not long before Caz is under threat of being sent home – and very shortly thereafter, under threat from something else a bit more…terrifying.

The Chinese Room have chops when it comes to world building and storytelling in games, from Dear Esther to Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs and Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture, and Still Wakes the Deep carries on this linage brilliantly. The opening section introduces us to Caz’s crewmates, some friendly, some less so, and either way met with liberal use of some excellent writing, capturing the working banter and heavy profanity that comes with. Even after shit has hit the fan, there’s a light whimsy to the liberally use language in between all the serious stuff, and it meant I was never any less than engaged when the talking started.

Gameplay follows in the first person survival horror mold, playing much in the vein of Outlast and Amnesia. Caz is an electrician by trade, and while he can brute force a few fixes as he traverses the Beira D, the abominations stalking him prove too much to take on. As such, we utilise stealth to get past them. It’s a strictly linear game, but within each area there is a little room for manoeuvre as we can thrown items to distract enemies and use vents and cubby holes to hide until they pass. It’s also a very well paced game, taking turns in having us on the edge of our seat and slower, more puzzle-like areas.

We need to move carefully too, as even a light walk will alert the enemies. Slow, crouch walking is the main way to get past these foes, with a few pulse racing sprints at predetermined points to contend with. It’s not doing anything especially new, but The Chinese Room have learnt from their vast experience, and as such it’s a tightly paced game, knowing when to pile the pressure on or throw a spanner in the works.

It wobbles a little at times in terms of threat though. The enemies are genuinely creepy and unsettling, and when we’re under pressure it can get the heart racing for sure. However, a few tense moments were undermined by a feeling that we’re on a ride as opposed to having the agency to survive on our own. One later section sees us balancing on the outer edge of a platform as the enemy discovers us and attempts to bash the steel fencing between us down. Ducking under the gap at the end of the ledge suddenly made us invisible, and they went to their routine of circling the next room. A quick throw of a bottle and we just walked on past them and to the next safe area.

To be fair, these immersion breaking moments are few and far between. For the most part each encounter – be it with an enemy or simply one of the many traversal sections – remain tense and exciting to play. For someone like myself, the sections where we’re outside, precariously balancing over the raging North Sea were truly frightening, the waves surging and smashing around the dilapidated oil rig. It’s not too long before some of the seawater makes moving around inside the rig tricky too, and once again The Chinese Room use stellar effects and audio to really tickle the exact feeling that makes me go all weak at the knees.

In fact, both audio and visuals are stunningly crafted. There’s an air of photo-realism to the rig and water, and characters have a chunky believability to them. The use of light and shadow to mask the gruesome scenes is brilliant, and the audio cues for the monsters skulking about are as impressive as they are unnerving. Stick on a pair of headphones and turn off the lights – the default horror game set-up – and you’ll be in for a treat.

Conclusion

All in all, Still Wakes the Deep has been a fantastic horror experience. It looks and sounds great, the sense of tension and fear is very well handled, and even the few moments that drop the act don’t give us enough time to catch our breath before things go sideways again. Topped of with a touching story and well rounded characters, Still Wakes the Deep is not one to be missed.