Still Wakes The Deep – The oil rig is perhaps one of the most potential settings to exploit the horror element: loneliness in the middle of the ocean always waiting to swallow human lives, the creaking sound of the cold sea breeze passing through the iron frame, to the bitter cold covering the night – hiding a mysterious danger that no one knows about…

After a disappointing and quick experiment in horror game form with Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs – a spin-off from the game series Amnesia by Frictional Games – and some mystery from the strange entity in Everybody's Gone to the Raptureit seems The Chinese Room wants to bring this harmony into its latest “brainchild”, after 12 years of experience and witnessing the dominance of horror games in the gaming industry.

Was the team successful in applying this new formula to Still Wakes The DeepIs the mysterious entity powerful enough to “invade” your mind, making you shiver at what Caz has to face?

Let's find the answer with MarkGame through the following review!

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“The Thing” in the middle of the ocean

No family is happy if one of its members has to leave, work in a difficult environment, with the possibility of never returning! But the life of the main character, Cameron McCleary, turned out like that.

Caught in the middle of a conflict over the rights and profits of oil exploitation between the UK and Scotland – when the UK tried every way to seize the lucrative “black gold” here, Cameron – also known as Caz – also got caught up in a moment of impulsiveness at a pub… With no way to escape, Caz and his friend Roy “took a risk” by escaping to the Cadal Beira D 2/23 rig to work, despite the objections of his wife Suze.

Faced with the prospect of divorce after a tearful letter from Suze, on Christmas Day, December 18, 1975, Caz finally chose to return home – only to face a new problem, as the rig owner Rennick's stubbornness caused the drill to hit a strange entity – and Caz's nightmares began from there…

The Chinese Room's signature “sip” storytelling will remind you of the film's opening minutes. The Thing from director John Carpenter, when MacReady and his research team bring a strange object back from the Norwegian team's base, they do not know that they are bringing back a danger that is waiting to take over their bodies…

As you follow Caz's arduous journey to escape the rig – while witnessing the invasion of this entity – you will see the influence of the film and the body horror through every corner of the room and the impressive and “creepy” design of the game's monsters, who are former members before becoming deformed, losing their humanity and ability to think.

Although there is no shortage of games that have exploited this typical horror feature – like the classic “senior” Dead Space good SOMA, Still Wakes The Deep cleverly added the element “cosmic” to abstract the influence and presence of this creature on the rig: in contrast to the sliminess and exposure of body parts like Dead Spacethis creature wears a coral-colored “coat” and somehow retains the “human” features of each member it possesses.

There was no explanation of where they came from, or why they were able to take over the rig and all the crew on it. Still Wakes The Deep almost like a version of “The Thing” in the middle of the ocean. While this similarity is undeniable, the way the creatures are described in the game is, admittedly, one of the most “characteristic” designs that few games have.

The way the creatures are described in the game is, admittedly, one of the most “unique” designs that few games have.

Attractive character line!

One plus point that games from The Chinese Room all “score” is in the audio-visual aspect, especially in the voice acting.

With a typical Central European accent – ​​a hybrid of Germanic and Celtic languages, the characters in the game all speak pure Scottish English naturally and expressively: from the stingy rig owner Rennick, the cheerful chef and Caz’s best friend Roy to Trots, a member of the crew who is dissatisfied with the brutal invasion from England on the rig. You can even switch to the Gàidhlig language, which is only used by… 130,000 people there, to further “immerse” yourself in the game!

Except for a few “linear” characters following the plot, most of the members on the rig are exploited with quite diverse emotions, especially Caz – a husband facing the risk of losing his family and… losing his life, when having to survive against the creatures that are sinking the rig every second. You do not just see a character named Caz in the game, but a man who has experienced mistakes, regrets in fear and just wants to find a way to return to his wife and children.

The interactions between members in the game are also very natural, unlike games that usually have to lead and let each character tell you… who you are, or have to read a series of letters just to understand them better. At the rig in Still Wakes The Deepevery member's room, canteen or break room has a clear story, to “respect” the discovery and understanding of the members' lives here.

The game's environmental design is also a strength of The Chinese Room, which is clearly shown from previous titles such as Dear Esther and Everybody's Gone to the Rapture. And here, the Cadal Beira D rig looks more realistic than ever, thanks to the company's graphic design.

You not only go from point A to B, but also explore every corner of the damp, rotten room from the sea water and Rennick's stinginess when he refused to fix any items, or the strong winds ready to blow away the canvas and… you while crossing the broken bridges on the iron trusses!

You don't just see a character named Caz in the game, but a man who has gone through mistakes, regrets in fear and just wants to find a way to return to his wife and children.

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“Iodine deficiency” play

Contrary to the outstanding points in character design, plot and horror of the game for players to explore and feel, Still Wakes The Deep but has a linear gameplay that is unfortunate!

12 years in the gaming industry should bring diversity in all aspects, but with The Chinese Room, their “walking simulator” gameplay is almost… the same with some unnecessary minus points – to the point that the writer thinks that with the setting in the middle of the ocean, the company could have… “added some salt” to this bland gameplay!

Granted, there are some scenes where the player needs to hold the mouse button to climb on the rig, swing across the gaps between two areas to avoid falling into the sea, or a bit of survival when having to use objects to distract the monsters, but the main point of the game is still just to go from point A to B, making the “half-hearted” presence of the above actions become boringly repetitive.

Not to mention that somehow every important destination in the game is marked with… unsubtle yellow paint!

Don’t know how to cross the wooden plank to get to the room on the other side? Don’t worry, the yellow paint on the wood will show you, even though there is only one way to go! Or don’t know how to climb the iron bars to the upper platform? Just follow the yellow bars!

The AI ​​of the monsters is also not free from “flaws” as they will sometimes ignore the player even when standing close, or be ready to pull you out of hiding because you accidentally… take half a step, leading to a few times the writer accidentally let Caz die in a… ridiculous way!

Perhaps the deeper involvement in the horror game style of The Chinese Room is still “new” to them, and the above “mistakes” show that the company is still “struggling” in adding new elements. However, after 12 years of developing the game, the gameplay still clearly shows the similarity from the first titles, it is difficult to say that the company has escaped its… conservative nature, or at least brought diversity to Still Wakes The Deep more boldly

After 12 years of game development, the gameplay still shows clear similarities from the first games. It's hard to say that the company has escaped its conservative streak, or at least brought diversity to the game. Still Wakes The Deep more boldly