Still Wakes the Deep, a first-person horror game set on an oil rig off the Scottish coast, is off to a great start after a warm reception from players and critics alike.
Still Wakes the Deep is set on a North Sea offshore platform in December 1975 and sees players fight to survive against what developers call “a terrifying, unrelenting foe” as well as “a vicious storm, perilous surroundings, and the dark, freezing North Sea waters”.
Developed by The Chinese Room, a developer known for games such as Everyone’s Gone to the Rapture, Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs, and Dear Esther, their latest title puts players in the skin of an offshore oil rig worker that is stationed on the Beira D oil rig off the Scottish coast, having to navigate a “collapsing rig to save your crew from an otherworldly horror on the edge of all logic and reality”.
The game, released on June 18, currently sits at a ‘very positive’ rating on Steam, the largest video game digital distribution service, with 89% of players leaving positive feedback.
Gamers praise it for superb voice acting and sound effects, as well as impressive visuals that all contribute to a ‘creepy and scary’ atmosphere.
“The story was great, and all the characters have their own unique personalities. The gameplay feels good; there are no performance issues that I ran into, and visually an awesome experience,” reads one of the reviews.
“I especially need to give props to the voice acting and writing talent for this game. There’s several heart-wrenching moments that will just absolutely gut you, and it’s delivered via some truly stellar voice work,” says another.
One of the few things that players criticise is the relatively short gameplay time—four and a half hours on average to beat the game—with some of the players arguing the length does not justify the game’s price (£29.99).
Still Wakes the Deep enjoyed a similarly warm reception among critics, with PC Gamer’s Elie Gould giving it 86%, calling it “an emotive story that is equal parts terrifying and traumatic”.
Likewise, the review by Gamespot praises the title for well-crafted storytelling as well as ‘the immediately astounding nature and look of the monster’.
Eurogamer’s three-out-of-five-star review, one of the few outliers among the critics, compliments the game on its visuals and atmosphere but criticises overly constrained and scripted gameplay: “Still Wakes the Deep is magnificent in so much of its craft, it’s all the more frustrating it’s so consistently undercut by actively disengaging game design”.
Still Wakes the Deep is available now for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC (via Steam and Epic Games Store).
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