The year is 1975 and we are going to the Scottish oil platform Beira D in the North Sea. They have problems with the drilling equipment, but the boss won’t listen. Here it will be drilled. Things go so wrong that something from the dark ocean depths winds through the metal of the platform. Many die. Others get… let’s call it “affected.” You control electrician Cameron “Caz” McLeary, who is on the run from the law in his home country. His job, to ensure that the technical aspects of the oil platform work, takes on a new and more precarious layer. WAKE TO LIVE: Oil drilling far out in the North Sea is not going as planned. When “something” awakens in the depths, it turns the platform into a nightmare place.Secret Mode Now it’s all about survival. And about saving as many of his friends as possible. We are in the same waters as “The Thing” and “Alien: Isolation”. And it’s not exactly the worst waters to travel in. Walking simulator But “Still Wakes the Deep” is not as interactive as one might expect. It’s more about empathy. There is no fighting here. Instead, you have to climb, sneak, pull levers, hide from monsters and the like. The legacy of “Dear Esther” and “Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture”, two of The Chinese Room’s previous games, is strongly present. We are in the genre known colloquially as “walking simulator”. STEP BY STEP: There’s a lot of walking, crawling, sneaking and hiding in “Still Wakes the Deep”. Which, incidentally, is smarter than attacking an enemy with unimaginable powers.Secret Mode A linear journey, that is, which is more about storytelling and making choices than about interactivity and action. The challenge then becomes that as long as you crack the code of how this should be played, the monsters pose no real threat. And then the horror is probably dampened a bit too many notches. The experience itself, however, is incredibly stylish. HARD LINE: Boyd Rennick is the boss of your character in the game, and does not have much respect for you due to your disheveled background on the mainland. He is also not particularly fond of trade unions. Photo: Secret Mode What – or who – on earth is this? “Still Wakes the Deep” offers a rather “creepy” gaming experience. Photo: Secret Mode Flooded corridors and supernatural elements are among the ingredients that make up the atmosphere in the game. Photo: Secret Mode The conditions on the oil platform get rougher and rougher towards the game’s grand finale moment. Photo: Secret Mode Entertaining swearing The entire role gallery expands on colorful Scottish – slang and profanity included. The script and dialogue are absolutely beautiful, and the performance is both refreshing and entertaining. The Scottish slang mingles with the metallic sounds of the platform, raging waves and – eventually – the screams of workers in agony. The experience is wrapped in a great and authentic 70s frame. Just being here is deliciously engaging. When you peel away the outermost and largely successful layer, you also find a hard-hitting and topical core. The workers sit in the cafeteria and complain about poor and dangerous working conditions. They discuss trade union organization and actions. LIFE ON THE PLATFORM: Union work is among the things discussed in the cafeteria on the platform, where the boss is a real bully. Is it also an indication of merciless cuts in the gaming industry?, wonders news’s critic. Photo: Secret Mode Rennick, the manager of the oil platform, does not care about the safety or well-being of the employees. He is solely concerned with profit. He is a monster even before the actual monsters arrive. And then some obvious parallels to the gaming industry emerge. “Hidden” middle finger? Discussions about unionization are raging in the United States. Shareholders steer game studios into waters that are more about money than creative joy. Mass redundancies, closures, shelving of projects and dark clouds hang over the entire industry. The developers behind the game, the company The Chinese Room, have themselves experienced economic downturns, and at one point had to fire all but two employees. THRILLING: There is no shortage of action in the story in “Still Wakes the Deep”, despite the fact that the game is not based on fighting.Secret Mode One of these two, Dan Pinchbeck, himself left both his own company and his own game idea one year before the launch of “Still Wakes the Deep”. I experience the game as an angry comment on the state of things. A quivering, Scottish middle finger in the face of immoral profit-seeking and wretched treatment of employees. Combined with the clammy horror atmosphere, it whips up an experience that really captivates. Although it may not be quite as scary and engaging as I had hoped it would be. About the game: Photo: Secret Mode Title: “Still Wakes the Deep” Developer: The Chinese Room Publisher: Secret Mode Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, PC (Windows) Released: June 18, 2024 Age recommendation: PEGI 18+ Hello, game friends! I am a freelancer and write about games for news. On a daily basis, I work at Level Up Norway. Feel free to check out my list of last year’s best games, or which games I’m most looking forward to in 2024! You can find all the game reviews from news here. Published 08.07.2024, at 09.47
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“Still Wakes the Deep” – Reviews and recommendations
