Official Review Computer Updated

Still Wakes the Deep GBAtemp review
Computer

Name: Still Wakes the Deep
Item: Still Wakes the Deep
Rating: 7.5
Author: Prans

Product Information:

Release Date (NA): June 18, 2024
Release Date (EU): June 18, 2024
Publisher: Secret Mode
Developer: The Chinese Room
Genres: Walking simulator
Also For: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S

Game Features:

Single player

Local Multiplayer

Online Multiplayer

Co-operative

Developer The Chinese Room’s latest title, Still Wakes the Deep, sets you on a cosmic horror adventure aboard an oil rig off the coast of Scotland. Is it worth a visit?

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Things couldn’t be worse for Caz McLeary, an offshore worker aboard the Beira D oil rig; ex-worker, to be specific, as he just got fired. Things are not any better back home as his wife, Suze, wants a divorce. To make matters worse, just after Caz’s dismissal from his duties, an incident initiates the Beira’s collapse, leading to some of the crew missing.

It quickly becomes clear that this is no normal incident, with tremors felt and strange sounds heard across the oil rig. Communications line are down and the means to get back to the mainland become limited. What is the cause of this phenomenon and will Caz make it out of the Beira? This is what you’ll find out by playing Still Wakes the Deep; but beware, as cosmic horrors await…

A Scottish cosmic horror adventure

Across its 6 hours of gameplay confined to the Beira oil rig, Still Wakes the Deep really made me feel like I was in an actual oil rig. From the crew accommodation and the deck to engineering and the marine control, the locations are rendered with impressive detail and feel lived-in. Developer The Chinese Room really nailed the layout and environmental design to deliver an immersive experience.

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As a “walking simulator”, Still Wakes the Deep has to stand out in terms of presentation and it does. It leans on a cinematic presentation, with minimal to no HUD in an authentic setting. There is excellent voice acting throughout the game, from Caz as well as the NPCs. The cosmic horror atmosphere is also well depicted with haunting and tense soundscapes. I even found that the game gave a The Thing vibe which made me hooked even more.

The game’s universe is also fleshed out through exploration. However, this is rather limited given the linear gameplay design. You do get the opportunity to converse with the crew members at the start but it felt like they could have said more, given more exposure. And while you do slowly learn more about Caz, his character development feels slow and it takes time, if ever, for the player to relate to him. That said, the mysterious nature of the story and the anticipation of how Caz’s journey will end is appealing enough to keep you hooked till the end.

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Oil rig walking sea-mulator

On the gameplay front, Still Wakes the Deep is very much akin to a walking simulator; but more like a walking sim-adjecent as it has some added gameplay elements. Considering the atmospheric, cinematic presentation approach, such a gameplay suits the game well. It is designed with a linear progression, although you do have some level of freedom to explore your surroundings. There are some additional mechanics such as QTEs and interacting with some environmental elements.

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To mix up the gameplay, The Chinese Room added some survival elements that supplement the horror atmosphere; and these elements are why I term the gameplay as walking sim-adjacent. Indeed, Still Wakes the Deep isn’t totally stress-free as some segments involve sneaking past cosmic horrors while trying to not get caught. Caz will have to hide in lockers, crawl in tunnels and throw items to cause distractions in order to navigate through the collapsing oil rig in one piece. If he does get caught, you’ll have to start over again. Luckily, the game is rather generous on auto saves and is well paced between exploration and stealth segments.

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While the attempt to vary the gameplay is welcome, actions do feel repetitive over time. This is due to the limited nature of available actions that the game allows such as unscrewing vents to crawl under, taking down fires with a fire extinguisher and walking across tight ledges. The repetition is felt over time but luckily, Still Wakes the Deep isn’t a particularly long game.

About walking across tight ledges, it might be a personal gripe but I found Caz’s acrobatic prowess to be somewhat questionable. He fearlessly crosses ledges and rungs over the rough North Sea and in a collapsing oil rig without thinking much about it. The protagonist might be a natural at such activities but we don’t get to know much about him from the get-go. As such, relating to him can be a challenge and you can get to question some of his actions.

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There has also been discussion about the use of yellow paint to provide a hint as to where to progress. I didn’t have an issue with such markers, such as ladders and wheels, especially as they are parts of actual oil rigs for safety reasons. But some yellow markers such as marked trails and splatter felt a bit too obvious. The developer has included an option to take the latter off though, which can add to the immersiveness of the gameplay.

Should you take a trip to the Beira D?

It’s a good time to be a walking sim or walking sim-adjacent fan as for the past 6 month or so, this genre has been blessed with strong titles such as The Invincible and Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II. And now, you can safely add Still Wakes the Deep to this list. It does have its shortcomings with character development and repetitive actions, but it delivers an interesting story in a compelling setting.

STILL WAKES THE DEEP | Launch Trailer

Verdict

What We Liked ...

Well-executed cosmic horror atmosphere
Balanced gameplay pacing
Original setting

What We Didn't Like ...

Limited character development
Repetitive actions

Gameplay

While it’s a walking sim for the most part, Still Wakes the Deep does bring some welcome diversity with stealth and survival elements but you’ll have to contend with repetitive actions.

Presentation

Navigating Caz across the collapsing Beira D oil rig is an engrossing experience with an authentic environment and excellent voice acting.

Lasting Appeal

Despite some downsides with its limited character development and repetitive actions, Still Wakes the Deep’s interesting plot and engrossing presentation helps with keeping you hooked to see the game to its end.

7.5

out of 10

Overall

With its strong presentation and mix of survival elements, Still Wakes the Deep reinforces the strong streak of walking sim-adjacent games that we’ve been blessed with lately.

Reactions: BigOnYa and RedColoredStars

On point. It's a nice game to play if you have the gamepass, short adventure, like watching a horror movie. Nothing more, nothing less.

Reactions: BigOnYa and Prans

shanefromoz
Sunday at 10:24 PM

Love this game. So worth it

Reactions: Prans

BigOnYa
Yesterday at 4:39 AM

I've never heard so many curse words in a video game before, but it was a good short game. It did make me jump a few times, but was not that scary. I would not bother playing it through again though, one time story only.

30 bucks seems a bit steep for it

Reactions: BigOnYa

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STILL WAKES THE DEEP | Launch Trailer

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