Still Wakes The Deep
Secret Mode Games
Set in 1975. Disaster strikes the Beira D oil rig off the coast of Scotland. Navigate the collapsing rig to save your crew from an otherworldly horror on the edge of all logic and reality. Star-studded cast of voice-actors: Alec Newman, Neve McIntosh, and more!
We usually focus on co-op and multiplayer games, but Still Wakes The Deep is a special exception. Still Wakes The Deep is a first-person horror game that focuses on narrative. Developed by The Chinese Room, it has an incredible pedigree, including Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs, so it’s no surprise this game is so highly rated. And I agree!
The story is critical here. It follows Cameron “Caz” McLeary, who is on the run from Scottish police after a violent altercation. He seeks help from an old friend to protect his family and ends up working on an oil rig in hopes the situation will cool down. Still Wakes The Deep is set in the 1970s and follows a man struggling to survive while caught in the chaos of an otherworldly cosmic horror that tears through the rig. The story takes around 6 hours to complete on average. Imagine the Thing but set on a Scottish oil rig.
Pros
Cosmic survival horror
Beautiful paced 6-hour story
Fantastic atmosphere sound design
Amazing voice acting
Detailed body horror
Cons
Linear gameplay
No combat
Poor stealth mechanics
As a survival horror game, Still Wakes The Deep relies on stealth to avoid enemies with some minor platforming elements and environmental puzzles that need solving to progress. There’s no combat in this game, but the harsh weather brings additional danger while needing to evade and escape the horrifying creatures. The sound design and atmosphere more than make up for the lack of combat and the character voices are so incredible performed that you’ll actually care for your fellow survivors!
Still Wakes The Deep has a very strict linear structure, making it easy to follow the story and not get lost. This might be a good or bad feature, depending on your style. Without spoiling too much, many of the chase sequences are sectioned off from the general exploration of the rig. Most sections involving monsters are stealth-focused, making it a great survival horror game for those who struggle to cope with those elements in games.
Personally I think one of the strongest assets of this title is it’s incredible immersive setup. Its sound design, with a good set of 3D surround headphones it’s quite amazing to listen to each surface underfoot, the creepy howling of the monsters, all the way to the walls and pipes shuddering and creaking from the weather. In conclusion, I highly recommend Still Wakes The Deep to anyone that’s even curious about it. My favourite all-time film is The Thing so if featured flamethrowers and rifles, I’d easily score it 5/5 stars but 4/5 is very justifiable. The story and characters left an big impression and even though its a fairly short playthrough, it was well worth the time.
NOTE: Still Wakes The Deep is currently included in PC Game Pass massive gaming library!
