Still Wakes the Deep features an unusual story and setting: an oil rig off the coast of Scotland in the 1970s. You play as Caz, an electrician working on the rig. Things take a sinister turn when the drilling crew hits something unexpected. Survival becomes paramount as you navigate this psychological horror game, relying on your wits to stay alive. From the makers of Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs, expect the unexpected. The Chinese Room uses a blend of tentacle-themed horror to great effect. This, paired with tight spaces, warped corridors, and lens effects, creates a truly terrifying feeling of being trapped and confined.
What terrifying story is about to unfold?
The story of Still Wakes the Deep is, I suppose, a cautionary tale about running away from your issues. But it’s also about love, sacrifice, and… trying not to get eaten by your colleagues. Okay, so it’s not your usual story, but that’s what makes Still Wakes the Deep such a good indie horror game. You not only have your own backstory, but the other characters have theirs as well. Some connect with yours, others only come to light after… well, spoilers. Let’s just say you’re not the only one seeing things when the monsters are around.
The only thing on your and your colleagues’ minds is survival and escape. There are lifeboats and helicopters, of course; it’s a working oil rig, and even in the 1970s, there were some health and safety regulations. You must escape and, if possible, save your friends. Navigating through the oil rig will bring you into contact with many interesting characters, each with their own stories. These aren’t stories for you to directly engage with; they’re not side characters but protagonists in their own right. The effect they have on the world is similar to your own and isn’t something you control. I found this very refreshing about the game. Don’t get me wrong, you’re the protagonist, but they are more than just your NPCs.
Work with your colleagues to fix the rig and launch the lifeboats! Survive and ensure that nothing follows you back to land… if you can.
How do we navigate this world?
The core gameplay is a mix of stealth and puzzles, neither of which are particularly challenging. There are obvious bits of yellow paint and signage that show you where to hide. Thankfully, since it’s a huge oil rig, there are plenty of small areas to conceal yourself. The puzzles aren’t really puzzles but more like simple instructions you need to follow to trigger an event. It sounds lacklustre, and it kind of is, but honestly, the main draw of this game is its story and characters. I never once felt that the gameplay detracted from the story, and it all fit thematically into the location.
You can’t fight in this game at all. You have no special abilities or powers; you’re just a simple electrician, and even your run speed is what you’d expect from an average person. The tight corridors and vents mean jump scares are expected around every corner. The limited run speed makes any chase sequence even more horrifying. Don’t worry, though; the game lets you turn your head and watch the Eldridge monstrosities barreling towards you with hunger in their eyes.
Why so emotional?
Despite a short playtime of just around 4 hours, this game packs a lot of emotion into a very short space of time.
I found myself trying not to cry a few times at some of the more drama-filled sections of the story. Walking around the rig and talking to people at the start of the game makes them feel all the more real during the frequent and terrifying moments of hide-and-seek you’ll encounter. The story affecting Caz is also not integral to the plot but it makes the situation seem all the more real, you feel like everything about this story could be true. It helps the audience suspend disbelief about the more supernatural elements of the game.
The good, the bad, and the tentacles
Pros:
- Incredibly well-written story with emotionally driven characters
- Well-acted by the cast which is a narrative game like this makes all the difference
- Dramatic and atmospheric setting with lots of great uses of horror in unusual ways
- 4 hours long (good if you’re a busy person who doesn’t have hundreds of hours to put into a game)
Cons:
- Yellow paint: to have the oil rig look realistic there need to be areas that look traversable but aren’t, yellow paint is used to guide your way, but it is everywhere like a yellow brick road you follow throughout the linear exploration of the game.
- Only 4 hours (bad if you’re someone who wants to put hundreds of hours into the game)
- Expensive, around $40 for only 4 hours of gameplay.
So is it worth the squeeze, literally?
An atmospheric and beautiful setting is quite an achievement considering it’s set on an old rig in the 1970s. The voice acting is absolutely on point and perfectly illustrates the use of language and how colloquialisms convey meaning. I cannot speak highly enough in this review about how this is not a game I would usually play. I love open-world RPG games, but I enjoyed every second of this experience. Nevertheless, I would recommend this game to anyone who has $40 to spend on 4 hours of gameplay.
Still Wakes the Deep is available on Game Pass and Steam.
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