Still Wakes the Deep

About Still Wakes the Deep

Still Wakes the Deep came out in June 2024 from The Chinese Room, the studio behind Dear Esther and Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs, and won three BAFTA Games Awards. You play Caz McLeary, an electrician on the Beira D who is about to be sacked when the drill hits something below the North Sea and the night goes wrong.

It plays as a linear first-person journey. You climb ladders, shimmy along ledges over the black water, squeeze through vents, swim flooded corridors and work broken machinery to open a way forward. There is no gun and no fight: when one of the changed men is near, you hold your breath in a locker, throw something to draw it off, or run.

The fear comes from two places at once. The rig itself is a hazard, groaning, tilting and tearing in a storm so that every walkway might drop into the sea. And the thing aboard spreads through the structure as glowing growths and flesh, while the crew you knew by name come back as something that still calls out in their voices. A cast of Scottish actors makes those voices hurt.

It suits players who like story-led horror such as SOMA or Amnesia more than combat, and anyone who wants a horror game they can finish in an evening or two. Players looking for resource management or hard puzzles will find it gentle; its strength is atmosphere, setting and performance.

How to play Still Wakes the Deep

1. Start the story and explore the rig's mess, decks and offices as the night begins.
2. Follow the yellow paint marks on ledges and ladders to see where you can climb.
3. When a changed crew member hunts you, break line of sight and hide in a locker or vent.
4. Throw objects to pull a creature away from the path you need.
5. Swim through flooded sections quickly; watch for the way up before your breath runs out.
6. Repair or operate machinery when asked to open the next part of the rig.

Tips

• Yellow paint means you can climb, grab or squeeze through there.
• Creatures react to noise: crouch and move slowly near them.
• If you are seen, run for the next vent or locker rather than doubling back.
• Listen to the radio and the crew's voices; they tell you where the danger is.

Questions