Still Wakes the Deep
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Summary
Developer The Formosan Room has justly benefit its reputation for atmospheric and affecting tale - driven games . Whether it ’s the hauntingDear Estheror the mystery ofEverybody ’s Gone To The Rapture , those who arefans of the now and then traduce ' walking simulator ' subgenre of escapade gamewill likely have play and loved one of the developer ’s creations . The studio apartment has often link horror into its introduction , and belated creationStill Wakes The Deepis perhaps the most direct example of this on show .
Still Wakes The Deeptakes place in December 1975 , couch the player as an linesman on the Beira D oil turnout off the coast of Scotland in the North Sea . Before too farseeing something goes ill-timed , causing tragedy on the semi . However , that initial fortuity is the least of the crew ’s worry , as there is something unknowable and ancient that has been unleashed on the man . The player must sample to line up their fashion off the rig and to safety , forefend the mystical animate being that is soak up the entirety of the Beira D. It ’s an enticing repulsion prospect , although it ’s perhapsone that stick a little too unaired to the narrative horror template .
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A Cold, Claustrophobic, Effective Atmosphere
The Beira D Is A Horrible, Fantastic Environment To Explore
An area whereStill Wakes The Deepreally excels is with its locating and its atmosphere . The crude equipage of the Beira D feels extremely veritable , from its labyrinthine engineering tunnels to its tired and well - trod deck of cards . Of particular note are some fantabulous claustrophobic moment thoughout the plot where the player can almost feel the press on them outside of the game world . This is especially true during the plot ’s sections down in the pontoons , black areas fill with urine and junk and likely leading to many a musician holding their breathing place as they make their way through deluge sections .
In spite of these telling minute in the pitch black of the underside of the trucking rig , Still Wakes The Deepisn’t afraid to practice colour effectively , meaningthere ’s actually a very good smorgasbord of different form of scares on show here . Although the most obvious comparability of secret plan once the giant are unleash is to John Carpenter’sThe Thing , with plenty of torso horror to keep repulsion fans happy , there ’s more than a passing nod toColor Out Of Space , with vibrant pinkish and empurpled lights showcasing that there issome profoundly unknowable cosmic horroralongside the more nonrational fear of bodies commute .
There are occasional note around the Beira D that give a few more tidbits of information about fictitious character and actions , and it ’s worth keeping an eye out for these during the story .
The Taiwanese Room then uses this to effectively build tenseness and horror throughout . There are rare startle scares that forge highly well rather than feel cheap , while the developer also uses the monster designs to initiate some soundly fake out minute - having monster with lots of tendril mean that every cable whipping about in a violent storm on the pack of cards will have the participant secondly guessing whether they want to run and hide out . Meanwhile , the anguished yell of the monsters themselves are never far aside , hark back to the headcrab zombies ofHalf - Lifeor the poor souls take over by the biomechanical villainy ofSystem Shock 2 .
A Solid If Unspectacular Horror Story
The Chinese Room Doesn’t Attempt Anything Radical
AlthoughStill Wakes The Deepprovides a heavy atmosphere for a repugnance experience , alas , some players may find that the game ’s actual plot falls a small bit on the safe side . The player character , Caz , is a man who is ply by from a trouble on the mainland , and this is n’t the only horror game plot image thatStill Wakes The Deepuses either . Players should prepare for more doubtfulness about what ’s in the player ’s head versus what ’s happening in realism , telephone calls from mass who ca n’t be there , and peck of conveniently - timed falls just before gain an outlet .
Something that may come as a surprise to buff of previous The Formosan Room games is just how action - heavy the story is . There are plenty of explosions , chase sequences , and bombastic jumps , meaningit ’s a bit more direct in its attack and less elusive than some of the developer ’s premature entries . This is n’t necessarily a bad thing - it sure as shooting allow a bit of a shake - up in tone every so often in surprising ways - although those gestate something akin to the more introverted and psychological apprehensiveness of the divisive but extremely effectiveAmnesia : A simple machine For Pigsmight be left wanting .
There is no scrap here ; the thespian ’s options when coming across one of the game ’s creatures are to hide or to run , and in some circumstances run is the only given alternative .
That does n’t stand for that there are n’t pocket of equanimity , though . In particular the player may find a few moments here and there with characters like Roy the chef , deal a dry put-on , and the inter - character negotiation is well - compose throughout . These moments are certainly in the minority , though , and or else the calm / frenetic dynamic seen in many horror games is replaced by the platform and puzzle surgical incision alternating with horror and stealth sections .
Suitably Spooky Gameplay Mechanics
Still Wakes The Deep Sticks To Its Formula Well
From a gameplay perspective , Still Wakes The Deepprovides exactly what player might have a bun in the oven from a more narrative - focused horror experience . There is no combat here ; the musician ’s options when coming across one of the game ’s creatures are to hide or to race , and in some circumstances , running is the only given option . In fact , the plot is quite linear in its attack , with only a fistful of sections that sense more openand give the participant a chance to choose their own stealth path through an area , physical body - style .
The gameplay itself feels smooth enough , with the player ’s realistically ho-hum movements ( given the circumstances ) tot to the latent hostility . cardinal car-mechanic include things like hiding in closet , make point to distract monster , moving larger items , unlocking doors , or fixing primer boxwood with a button jam . Still Wakes The Deepalso features the now - notorious chickenhearted painted area to foreground where to go , but it feels far more authentic and immersive here than in other games thanks to yellow key often being used to highlight thing like ravel rungs in real life , so those who are unhappy with that current trend in gambling may discover it more palatable here .
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There are a smattering of pocket-size hemipteron and glitches here and there , although there is nothing game - breaking whatsoever . The player ’s flashlight does n’t always shine aright , getting catch by pocket-sized physical object in the foreground rather than shine through , while submerging can sometimes be broken through other elements like strict monster movement in some sections , apparition not quite sit the right way , and the model for bodies appearing in affected ways . Overall , though , these are all smaller issues and nothing that should break off the actor from fully savour the experience .
Our Review Score & Final Thoughts
3.5/5 - “Very Good” by Screen Rant’s Metric
Still Wakes The Deepis a very atmospherical repulsion biz with some brilliant moments and strong fiber talks . It is unfortunately hampered by a safe overall tale that player may receive more well-fixed than shivery , and a lack of something new within its gameplay model . notwithstanding , it ’s an effective game that transude tone , and those after a strong if not strictly originative horror title will find plenteousness to love .
Screen Rant was provided with a PS5 download computer code for the purpose of this review .
Still Wakes the Deep is a first - person sci - fi repulsion secret plan by The Taiwanese Room . mark in 1975 , an oil outfit off the coast of Scotland goes non-white , with a awful storm engulfing it . As a trucking rig worker , thespian will attempt to encounter a way to restore communication or escape as they pilot the dark and freezing hall and exterior of the political program . However , the storm is n’t the only terror , as an unknown otherworldly terror waits within the depths .
