Still Wakes the Deep is a masterclass of emotional turmoil and existential horror, asking what John Carpenter’s The Thing would look like if it was set on a Scottish oil rig. Although many may look at Still Wakes the Deep as just another indie horror walking simulator, the stakes here were actually a lot higher for me given that I am Scottish and am a massive fan of the works that this game takes inspiration from like The Thing and the films of Ken Loach.
Thankfully, Still Wakes the Deep ranks a lot closer to Trainspotting than it does River City when it comes to comparing other Scottish media. This title really blew me away, mostly thanks to it impeccable presentation. From its solid voice acting, to its horrifying monster designs, to its brilliant writing, this experience gripped me in a way that no AAA title has been able to in years.
Still Wakes the Deep launches on June 18 for PC, PS5, and Xbox consoles.
Reading that intro, you can probably see that I am gushing a bit over how much I enjoyed Still Wakes the Deep, and some may put this down to patriotic bias. Allow me to quell that for you. I am the least patriotic person you will ever meet, to the point that I downright refused to have bagpipes anywhere near my wedding last year.
One of the things I hate most about being Scottish is watching movies or TV shows set in Scotland. You are either forced to watch a non-native butcher your mother tongue, or witness an actual Scottish person talk in a way that you have never witnessed anyone speak in real life, because they are tweaking their accent to be more palatable to international audiences.
Given that The Chinese Room is a Brighton-based studio, this was a major concern for me going into Still Wakes the Deep, but really I needn’t have worried. Presumably Scottish script consultants were used for the game’s dialogue, as hearing phrases like “ya bampot,” and “gies peace,” being used so liberally and unapologetically was incredibly refreshing as someone who hears language like that on a daily basis.
The cast chosen to embody each distinctive character also do a phenomenal job of making these fictional characters feel real and memorable. Alec Newman deserves all of the awards for his performance as Caz McCleary here, a working class electrician brought onto the rig as a favor before being suddenly thrust into an odyssey of otherworldly horror.
Although all of the game’s characters were impactful in their own ways, kudos is due for how much the developers were able to make the rig itself feel like a character. From its introductory shot that opens the game all the way through to seeing it be slowly engulfed by this supernatural force of nature, the rig was just as quintessential to this story being told as any of the human characters were.
The combination of great writing and solid VO really sells the crew, making them feel like real people with real relationships with each other and unique, separate backstories. They all feel lived in, as if they truly existed in 1970s Scotland, before the events of Still Wakes the Deep kick off.
Still Wakes the Deep Never Explicitly Explains the Origins of the Entity
Speaking of that ungodly ethereal entity that is seemingly disturbed and awoken by the oil drilling operation being carried out on the rig, it is responsible for so much of this game’s visual identity. The design of this being is a thing of terrifying beauty, and watching its pulsating, organic form slowly engulf the cold steel rooms of the oil rig creates a visual juxtaposition that is a sight to behold.
I don’t want to speak too much about the nature of the game’s multiple antagonists, as the ways they are respectively revealed are memorable and pretty devastating. However, the design of these creatures is visually phenomenal. They are as confusing to look at as they are gross, growing even more disturbing the longer that you keep staring. The way they move is incredibly distressing and their audio design is spine tingling.
That audio design doesn’t just shine via the enemies in Still Wakes the Deep, it is fantastically implemented across the entire experience. From the unsettling sound of metal creaking as the structural integrity of the rig corrodes, to the echoing, sickening screams of your crewmates being brutalised down the other end of a dark corridor, the sound adds so much to the tone and thick atmosphere of this title. The handful of musical choices also hit perfectly too.
Almost a Perfect Experience
Unfortunately, the only thing preventing me from scoring Still Wakes the Deep as a perfect 10 is a handful of technical issues, one of which did require quitting to the main menu and loading back up again. These were all physics based issues, – me clipping through the environment etc, – so hopefully they are problems that can patched at some point after launch.
Aside from those problems though, I loved every single moment of Still Wakes the Deep. I savoured every dramatic revelation, every new disturbing sight encountered, every glimpse of a resilient sense of humour, and every emotional beat that played out. I did something I never tend to do in games anymore and took the time to read every note I picked up. I am even planning on replaying the game again over the next couple of days.
If you are looking for a short, linear experience that will affect you emotionally, creep you out, and have you stare in awe at the incomprehensible, then Still Wakes the Deep is what you are after. The moment-to-moment gameplay isn’t the most engaging, and it is a pretty brief six hour investment at $34.99, but that six hours is loaded with rich, dense storytelling that feels tightly paced and incredibly worthwhile.
Still Wakes the Deep – 9/10
