When it comes to walking sims with a horror tone to them, few studios do it better than The Chinese Room – as this Brighton firm have created games like Dear Esther, Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs and Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture. So, it’s safe to say there is a standard you can expect from their titles and for their latest Still Wakes the Deep, the studio has raised that bar to a whole new level, as it throws you in a very real setting as a very unreal event unfolds.
Still Wakes the Deep is set just before Christmas in 1975. You play as Cameron “Caz” McLeary, a relatable and likeable character. Our Caz is married man with two daughters. However, he is on the run from the police for a violent altercation, caused by someone’s behaviour to his wife.
So, to try and escape the law Caz asks an old friend for a hand. Mate Roy is the cook on board the Beira D oil rig in the middle of the North Sea. And, after a bit of string pulling from Roy, Caz is hired as an electrician on the rig. Yes, he literally goes on the rig, to avoid figuratively going on the rig.
Footloose and Spoiler Free
However, this is the beginning of the nightmare for Caz and co. Who, can only hope to make it off the rig in one piece. Once Caz’s past leads to him being sacked from the rig, an event changes the pace rather abruptly.
To avoid spoilers, we’ll leave the details about the story there. But, if you think Amazon’s somewhat underrated series The Rig, crossed with John Carpenter’s The Thing. Then, add a healthy splash of inspiration from Dundee-based studio Team Junkfish’s Monstrum, you’ll have a good idea of what’s awaiting you here. All with a cracking Scottish flavour.
Still Walking the Deep
Now, the story is rich and emotional and will get hits hooks into you. But, the game stumbles on the gameplay front. Still Wakes the Deep is a walking sim at its core. You don’t really get to interact with this stunning but dank and grotty Beira D oil rig as much as you would like.
Sure, you’ll work your way from set piece, to set piece as the tension builds, but it’s extremally linear in terms of level design. With next to no side paths or areas to explore, as you are really there to hit the story beats as and when the game is willing to serve them up to you.
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This issue could have been combatted by giving you a little bit more interactivity in the world. For example, you get to go through the crews cabins early doors, to help build an understanding of other characters. However, beyond a handful of notes and letters, you can’t really touch anything in the stunning surrounds.
Once you have completed the first playthrough, you will have seen almost everything. By taking your time and making sure you find every scrap of story first time around, Still Wakes the Deep takes around three and a half hours. A second playthrough would be around 90 minutes.
Still Scary
However, it’s worth noting that Still Wakes the Deep still succeeds as a horror game. The first playthrough has moments that will chill, scare and outright terrify. One of the most terrifying sections sees you work your way through some pipework, while all you can hear is something hunting you.
The sound and visuals all come together in this standout section to make it truly gripping. It’s a slice of atmosphere that displays how well The Chinese Room can create convincing worlds that pull the player in.
Beira D and the Feeling of Isolation
In addition, being set on an oil rig that is being reclaimed by the sea only heightens the sense of dread. It’s a place stuck out in the deep blue, with help far off and no way home. The isolation and decay on show offer that feeling that human beings shouldn’t really be there. And that no amount of engineering prowess can hold back the terrifying power of the sea.
I just wish they had stuck more to the Alien monster rule. That is, to tease the big bad out over the first three quarters of the story. This is done so the audience/player don’t become over familiar with it, and losing some of the fear factor.
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Still Wakes the Deep gives away its baddie early-ish and you get to know them pretty well long before the credits roll.
The horror is heightened by the games’ visual design. Still Wakes the Deep is simply stunning. The environment is rusty, dirty and grimy, with visual flourishes adding to the immersion. From the lights flickering, to the wet patches on the deck, the Beira D feels as much a part of the tale as any of the cast. Also, shoutout to the character design, as they are an aged and hardened lot, that I’ll be honest I’ve seen down my local on a Friday night.
Stellar Sound Design
Sound is stellar across the board. The soundtrack forges true tension at its most important moments. The voice acting is the best I have ever heard in a game from a Scottish perspective.
As an actual Scot, hearing Americans trying to be Scottish is like a cheese grater being dragged across my ears, but Still Wakes the Deep actually uses Scottish voice actors.
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Alec Newman, Neve McIntosh, Karen Dunbar and Clive Russell put in a real shift. Coupled with the excellent dialogue, Still Wakes the Deep often feels like I am talking to my mates. Realistic C- and F-word counts and all.
Hats off to The Chinese Room for adding in the ability to play the game in its entirety subtitled in Scottish Gaelic. And, if you’re looking to 100% the game, you’ll need to complete a full run through in Gaelic to bag the Bheir an cuan a chuid fhèin a-mach achievement/trophy with translated (my Gaelic is a little rusty) means “the ocean will bring out its own”.
Oil Rigged
Still Wakes the Deep is less of a game, and more of an experience. You are really just a passenger for the most part, dancing to the games beat. And, for the first playthrough, it’s a thrilling, gripping and tense roller-coaster ride. However, it’s very much a one and done title.
And with an asking price of £30/€34.99/$39.99, some may feel a little short changed given the lack of depth. And this feeling is only supported by the linear nature of the tale and that lack of replayability.
But, for those few hours The Chinese Room have crafted a truly captivating and compelling game. Still Wakes the Deep serves as a real snapshot of that time in UK history. And on that slice of the nation’s recent past, it builds a story, that while a bit predictable, will pull you in.