A review By Mr. BoomStick XL
In gaming, horror is a genre that brings in tow a bevy of franchises that emit emotion with just the mention of their name. Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Dead Space & Outlast just to name a few. Games that make the hair on the back of your neck stand up when pristine sound is being used along with believable visuals that add to the tension. These are elements that bring the tale unfolding on screen to life in a big way, making you feel like there are life and death choices being made
Still Wakes the Deep by the Chinese Room is one said title that was released on June 18th, 2024, for Steam, PS5 & Xbox Series X/S, though it was another stellar addition to Xbox Game Pass that brings a sense of dread from inception. Not one of creature vs man, just every day real life that quickly morphs into a night terror turned reality. From the start, you are treated to visuals that are expected in modern day gaming, but that is not the “tip of the spear” for Still Wakes the Deep. It is the voice acting that stands out in the biggest way and when you add the horrifying sound design, it is a level of fear that is hard to replicate and somehow, it has done as good as some current horror films.
Still Wakes the Deeps puts you in the shoes of Cameron “Caz” McLeary, an engineer working aboard the Beira D oil refinery, which is located somewhere in the North Sea, off the coast of Scottland in 1975. Caz seems to be a character that makes trouble everywhere he goes but has a big heart and genuinely cares for the people around him. The oil refinery is far away from help should something go wrong and that is exactly what happens during a routine dig. The poor souls of the Beira D unearth something that sends everyone on the rig into panic and terror with nowhere to go.
The best way to describe what the men and women are facing in Still Wakes the Deep are creatures that pay homage to John Carpenter’s The Thing. Like in many horror films, the antagonist is a fellow worker turned hideous monster and you will be running for your life throughout the 5-6 hours of gameplay. The oil rig is big and there are in game tasks that require you to spend a significant amount of time moving from place to place. Many chase scenes happen on your way to the next level, but being a linear experience does not take away from how immense the playing field is. There are wide-open areas that offer some investigation, but there are quite a few instances where it becomes tight and claustrophobic, especially when the lights go out. Here is where you make use of your flashlight attached to your hardhat.
The overall gameplay is very straight forward and is not complicated in the least, though you will have to be fast as there are quick time events that make use of the entire controller offering life or death choices. The developer added a “lookback” mechanic by pushing in the (R) thumb stick and to be honest, freaked me out to the point of actual goosebumps. The check point system is also standard fair and does not punish the player by putting you too far back when an unexpected death happens. There are two difficulties, story and normal. I played on normal and though it was challenging at times, it was off putting at all.
“to be honest, freaked me out to the point of actual goosebumps”
In closing The Chinese Room who has a resume of incredible horror-based titles has done it once again, making Still Wakes the Deep one of my absolute favorite games of 2024. I cannot recommend this game enough especially if you are a fan of horror games & the cult classic, The Thing. Of course, dropping into Xbox Game Pass day and date of its release, allows you to try with no risk, outside of losing some sleep because of the jump scares, lol.
