Still Wakes the Deep

Honestly, what to say about Still Wakes The Deep... it's probably one of the best narrative horror story's I've played in many years. As a Scot myself it's a breath of fresh air to actually hear an entire cast of Scottish actors/actresses in a story instead of an American faking an accent. The setting is spot on, nailing the whole vibe of Scotland in 1970's aboard one of the most dangerous structures to work on in the North Sea. Graphically it's the standard you'd expect from the Unreal Engine, creating amazing set pieces, lighting, rain and water effects. The developers clearly did their homework on oil rigs from that era since almost every single aspect of the interior and exterior is identical to what you would find on them, even down to the design of the lifeboats, radiators and other small details. Personally I think one of the strongest assets of this title is it's sound design,

The only unrealistic part is that your flathead screwdriver doesn't slip out of screws. Otherwise 10/10

I've seen at least a few reviews calling this game another walking simulator, a term which these days seems to just get thrown around at any game where you don't get to shoot or stab anything. To be clear, this is not a game like Dear Esther or Everyone's Gone to the Rapture, where you have little to no input beyond walking around listening to things; it has more in common with Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs. Both in the sense that it does have a fair amount of stealth encounters, simple puzzles, and other horror fixtures, and that they're only ever complex enough to give you a few scares (more than Amnesia: AMFP did) and otherwise something to do along the way. If I had to lodge a complaint, it's that most of the actual encounters with enemies in the game play out pretty much the same way, with the same couple of mechanics. This game relies a lot on mechanics and encounters that are pract

There isn't much to do here; no fighting, no inventory , and no puzzles to solve. There are no dialogue options or plot twists to unravel. Instead, you'll be simply walking through the entire game. So, why does it earn a 10/10 rating from me? It's hard to put into words. There’s something mesmerizing about this place. At start, as I wandered across the platform, listening to the cries of seagulls and the rhythmic crashing of waves, accompanied by industrial noises in the background, I could almost smell the sea with the scent of oil in the air. The creators crafted a realistic representation of the oil rig's facilities — a secret world that most of us will never experience in real life. By the time the horror struck, I was deeply engrossed in the place, understanding Scottish accent as if I had spent years working there. In that heightened state of mind, horror hits with a profound inten

Still Wakes the Deep is a great entry into the horror genre, more specifically centered around themes such as body horror, Lovecraftian elements, claustrophobia and thalassophobia. You play a character down on his luck working on an oil rig off the coast of Scotland, before the rigs drill hits an unknown entity that sets off a chain of horrific events that results in both the crew mutating, as well as the oil rig itself distorting. While being set in an environment as industrial and bleak as an oil rig, some of the cosmic horror elements in the form of the entity itself bring a slew of strangely visually pleasing aesthetics to the game, despite being hostile and quite frankly disgusting. The story elements are well done, as is the voice acting; it’s fairly uncommon to hear British and Scottish voice actors in a game, but in a strange way it adds a level of authenticity to the games stor

Works fine on the steam deck. Will be a fun game to play while I'm working at sea in the Baltic sea.