From the depths, Still Wakes the Deep rises on chill winds, filling your mouth with brine and oil. The Chinese Room have conjured a nightmare, neat and heady, like a dram of whiskey. But, like all nightmares, it's the waking moments near the end that stay with you long after the credits roll.
Man this game made me feel something, I think it's brought back my love for story games, the gameplay wasn't anything special and I'm glad it was on game pass for its length but wow.
The setting, voice acting and story hit like a truck, it's not too scary but has that awesome world setting horror.
Great game.
The setting, voice acting and story hit like a truck, it's not too scary but has that awesome world setting horror.
Great game.
Still Wakes the Deep is a very good game. I really liked it! And I absolutely recommend it. However, it is not perfect. I think it has some big problems that stop this game from truly reaching its fullest potential.
First, the good. Still Wakes the Deep absolutely nails its characters and setting and choking the player in its oil-slick world. Set on an oil rig in the North Sea, off the coast of Aberdeen (the scariest thing about this game), you play as Cameron "Caz" McLeary, a man running from his problems. Speaking as someone who has lived in Scotland their whole life, I have known a Caz. I've known people who I see represented in this game. Hell, one of them has my surname. If you live in Britain and are aware of its history, then there is a lot to unpack in the game's seventies setting.
There's Trots, the proper seventies trade-unionist, working on the rig. A homage to a better time of worker's rights in the UK; the kind of man who voted Labour, back when the party actually had worker's interests at heart. Then there's Addair. He has a Britain First poster in his room, and the symbol of the National Front. He's a racist piece of shit. There's Finlay, the only woman on the rig, and our closest friend it feels. The dynamic between Finlay and Caz is so strong and realistic, I felt right at home. Next is Brodie, a hard worker and dear friend who gives his all. And finally, there's Rennick; the self-interested, unforgiving boss of the rig.
Once shit goes down, the beautifully haunting gore and viscera and... sinews of whatever you have awoken is able to really evoke a sense of terror and helplessness. Just as colossal and incomprehensible is the sheer size of the rig. Standing impossibly in the sea; a towering hunk of metal and concrete, burning gas in the sky. The game's environment artists have really focused on details, and pushed themselves. The game is simply beautiful. Lastly, I also appreciate the game's further representation of Scotland by actually have the game available in Scottish Gaelic (that's gah-lick, not gae-lick). Such an uncommon sight, but greatly appreciated (even if I can only say hello and introduce myself).
Now, the problems. While the beat-by-beat plot is easy enough to follow, and leads to some tense scenes, the overarching narrative is confusing, and a lot is not explained. There's a theme of running away and of regret, featuring flashbacks of Caz and his wife arguing. But that's about as much attention as this plot gets; a few flashbacks. Then it comes back at the end. It just feels underdeveloped. I feel these themes could have taken the stage a bit more, and have actually been elaborated on further. This problem of underdevelopment goes a bit further.
A character who I won't name dies, and it's a very emotional scene, with a moving performance from Caz's actor. But... it just falls a bit flat. The character who dies means a lot to Caz, and so the reaction is justified in that sense. But to the player, we have a few good moments with them, but that's it. We don't really see them again until their death. The game expects you to care for the death of a character you shared all of five minutes with.
Furthermore, Rennick, the big bad, isn't all that big. He is set up in the game's coda as this big threat, and you really start to worry. But his death is so uneventful. You see him about three times in the whole game, and the rest of his presence is through dialogue. I was really expecting a scarier finale with him, but that simply didn't happen. And I guess that's due to the game's walking-sim nature.
While I appreciate walking-sims, I can't help but feel the game could have been improved with some player defence. A better finale could have been done if, for example, we had an Alien: Isolation style flamethrower, or a deterrent of that nature. We could actually fend off Rennick while completing another task and ending him. I dunno.
All in all, Still Wakes the Deep is a five to six hour experience, with immense levels of world-building and polish, for £26.99 as of writing. It has some issues, but overall, I would seriously recommend it. Especially given its price. In a world where games with gigantic budgets are asking for gigantic prices, Still Wakes the Deep is a prime example of bang-for-your-buck indie titles putting the triple A industry to shame. You will not regret buying and playing this game.
First, the good. Still Wakes the Deep absolutely nails its characters and setting and choking the player in its oil-slick world. Set on an oil rig in the North Sea, off the coast of Aberdeen (the scariest thing about this game), you play as Cameron "Caz" McLeary, a man running from his problems. Speaking as someone who has lived in Scotland their whole life, I have known a Caz. I've known people who I see represented in this game. Hell, one of them has my surname. If you live in Britain and are aware of its history, then there is a lot to unpack in the game's seventies setting.
There's Trots, the proper seventies trade-unionist, working on the rig. A homage to a better time of worker's rights in the UK; the kind of man who voted Labour, back when the party actually had worker's interests at heart. Then there's Addair. He has a Britain First poster in his room, and the symbol of the National Front. He's a racist piece of shit. There's Finlay, the only woman on the rig, and our closest friend it feels. The dynamic between Finlay and Caz is so strong and realistic, I felt right at home. Next is Brodie, a hard worker and dear friend who gives his all. And finally, there's Rennick; the self-interested, unforgiving boss of the rig.
Once shit goes down, the beautifully haunting gore and viscera and... sinews of whatever you have awoken is able to really evoke a sense of terror and helplessness. Just as colossal and incomprehensible is the sheer size of the rig. Standing impossibly in the sea; a towering hunk of metal and concrete, burning gas in the sky. The game's environment artists have really focused on details, and pushed themselves. The game is simply beautiful. Lastly, I also appreciate the game's further representation of Scotland by actually have the game available in Scottish Gaelic (that's gah-lick, not gae-lick). Such an uncommon sight, but greatly appreciated (even if I can only say hello and introduce myself).
Now, the problems. While the beat-by-beat plot is easy enough to follow, and leads to some tense scenes, the overarching narrative is confusing, and a lot is not explained. There's a theme of running away and of regret, featuring flashbacks of Caz and his wife arguing. But that's about as much attention as this plot gets; a few flashbacks. Then it comes back at the end. It just feels underdeveloped. I feel these themes could have taken the stage a bit more, and have actually been elaborated on further. This problem of underdevelopment goes a bit further.
A character who I won't name dies, and it's a very emotional scene, with a moving performance from Caz's actor. But... it just falls a bit flat. The character who dies means a lot to Caz, and so the reaction is justified in that sense. But to the player, we have a few good moments with them, but that's it. We don't really see them again until their death. The game expects you to care for the death of a character you shared all of five minutes with.
Furthermore, Rennick, the big bad, isn't all that big. He is set up in the game's coda as this big threat, and you really start to worry. But his death is so uneventful. You see him about three times in the whole game, and the rest of his presence is through dialogue. I was really expecting a scarier finale with him, but that simply didn't happen. And I guess that's due to the game's walking-sim nature.
While I appreciate walking-sims, I can't help but feel the game could have been improved with some player defence. A better finale could have been done if, for example, we had an Alien: Isolation style flamethrower, or a deterrent of that nature. We could actually fend off Rennick while completing another task and ending him. I dunno.
All in all, Still Wakes the Deep is a five to six hour experience, with immense levels of world-building and polish, for £26.99 as of writing. It has some issues, but overall, I would seriously recommend it. Especially given its price. In a world where games with gigantic budgets are asking for gigantic prices, Still Wakes the Deep is a prime example of bang-for-your-buck indie titles putting the triple A industry to shame. You will not regret buying and playing this game.
the only thing scarier than cosmic horror are these workers conditions
Semmiképp se vethető össze az Alien: Isolation velőtrázó, kimért félelemérzetéhez, egy kézi kamera mentes Outlast rip-off, némi The Thing beütéssel sokkal inkább helytálló. Hangulatában, hangeffektjeiben egészen igényes, a paráztatás mérsékelten munkálkodott, a QTE-k nem zavartak, karakterek és sztori terén korrekt. A helyszín adta terep okán a feszültség simán átjött még úgy is, hogy a menekülés túlsúlyban volt a bujkáláshoz képest. A gyakran szájbarágósan feldobott útvonalmutató ellenére is marhára tudtam élvezni ezt az 5 órát.
Un juego que me sorprendió gratamente. El estudio que lo desarrolló es también el encargado de hacer uno de los peores juegos que jugué en mi vida (Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs), así que obviamente tenía mis prejuicios antes de empezar este. Con mis prejuicios en contra y todo, me terminó gustando mucho, creo que tiene una ambientación original y muy conseguida, un manejo del terror muy correcto, y unos personajes que están mucho mejor de lo que creía. Por supuesto que tiene sus errores, pero en general, lo recomiendo a cualquiera que le gusten los juegos de terror o narrativos.
Enjoyable but not The Chinese Room's strongest work imo. What their games have lacked in gameplay depth, they've made up for with rich and compelling narratives. Still Wakes The Deep lacks that although I did really like the protagonist and his interactions with the small, principal cast of characters. There was a grounded realism to the dialogue and characters that I really appreciated.
En el papel este juego no debería haberme gustado. Estoy algo cansado de los juegos que se sienten "sobre rieles" todo el rato con puzzles que no son verdaderamente puzzles y sin mayor mecánica que esconderse. Pero la ambientación es original y está muy bien lograda, los personajes, aunque no se llega a interactuar mucho con ellos, llegan a ser memorables y la historia tiene puntos que pegan muy fuerte, por mucho que se vean venir.
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On paper this game should not have appealed to me. I'm kind of tired of games that feel "on rails" all the time with puzzles that aren't really puzzles and no mechanics other than hiding. But the setting is original and very well done, the characters, though you don't get to interact with them much, become memorable and the story has points that hit very hard, as much as you can see coming.
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On paper this game should not have appealed to me. I'm kind of tired of games that feel "on rails" all the time with puzzles that aren't really puzzles and no mechanics other than hiding. But the setting is original and very well done, the characters, though you don't get to interact with them much, become memorable and the story has points that hit very hard, as much as you can see coming.
Still Wakes the Deep has a great premise: an oil rig drills into a cthulhu monster, chaos ensues, and you have to survive. Unfortunately, this premise is held back by the fact that the game is developed by The Chinese Room, the studio that popularized the walking simulator genre with Dear Esther. Now walking simulators aren't inherently bad, but they are handicapped by the fact that there main method of player interaction is walking. While you'll find yourself sprinting, jumping, crouching, and flipping switches in Still Wakes the Deep, a bulk of the run time is still unfortunately walking from place to place. No different and no more exciting than it was in Dear Esther 12 years ago.
The game is pretty I will give it that. Looking at the paint bubbles on the rigs many yellow ladders and the grotesque details of the horror monsters definitely adds to the immersive, horror atmosphere the game strives for. But the gameplay comes right back with rubberband-like whiplash as the tired horror game trope of hiding under tables and lockers while waiting for the enemy to pass by serves as the main gameplay hook for the game's action sequences. There are a few chase sequences that involve sprinting down linear hallways and sometimes even crouching through linear vents to spice things up though. The linearity and lack of player choice in these interactions saps all the tension and potential horror out of them
It could have all been saved by the story as it is the focus of the game and the developer as a whole. The focus on Scottish actors and languages gives the voice acting and writing a unique flair on the surface like the oil rig does for the level design. Unfortunately, characters are given too little screen time for you to care about them before they meet gruesome ends. And that's kind of the problem with the game as a whole. It doesn't really make me feel anything. Save for the interesting setting and level of environmental detail, there isn't much worth noting about Still Wakes the Deep.
The game is pretty I will give it that. Looking at the paint bubbles on the rigs many yellow ladders and the grotesque details of the horror monsters definitely adds to the immersive, horror atmosphere the game strives for. But the gameplay comes right back with rubberband-like whiplash as the tired horror game trope of hiding under tables and lockers while waiting for the enemy to pass by serves as the main gameplay hook for the game's action sequences. There are a few chase sequences that involve sprinting down linear hallways and sometimes even crouching through linear vents to spice things up though. The linearity and lack of player choice in these interactions saps all the tension and potential horror out of them
It could have all been saved by the story as it is the focus of the game and the developer as a whole. The focus on Scottish actors and languages gives the voice acting and writing a unique flair on the surface like the oil rig does for the level design. Unfortunately, characters are given too little screen time for you to care about them before they meet gruesome ends. And that's kind of the problem with the game as a whole. It doesn't really make me feel anything. Save for the interesting setting and level of environmental detail, there isn't much worth noting about Still Wakes the Deep.
Bust down, bust down, bust down, bust down, bust down, bitch I'm drowning
I was really looking forward to this one, and luckily, I wasn’t disappointed. It's a short, but extremely atmospheric horror title with a decent story (with obvious inspirations taken from Dead Space and John Carpenter’s The Thing, among others), great graphics (it’s not amazing, but still very pleasing visually in my opinion) and excellent voice acting. Also, you’ve got to appreciate the unique and extremely realistic setting: an oil rig in the 1970s in the middle of nowhere. When all hell breaks loose, you just want to escape from this place, and let me tell you, it won’t be easy!
If you hate jumpscares, don’t worry, there are hardly any here, but even so, this is definitely horror through and through, with lots of suspense, gore, death, mysterious creatures, and an underlying feeling of unease and tension all the time. Surprisingly, there are lots of platforming elements mixed in the gameplay, too, as some sections include crawling, jumping, balancing etc. As far as I’m concerned, I loved these parts, and found that they were a nice change of pace between two stealth and/or chase sequences. It’s cool how basically everything can kill you, not just the monsters: fire hazards, electrical cables, heights, tight spaces, flooded corridors… Nowhere is safe, and in my opinion, this is how a true survival horror should be.
Don’t expect any fights, you can only run and hide, and there are no weapons, either. We get a few light puzzles, nothing too difficult, and the whole game is extremely linear, with hardly any replay value (unless you want to get all the achievements). Even so, I think this is a solid horror experience, I enjoyed every second of it.
If you hate jumpscares, don’t worry, there are hardly any here, but even so, this is definitely horror through and through, with lots of suspense, gore, death, mysterious creatures, and an underlying feeling of unease and tension all the time. Surprisingly, there are lots of platforming elements mixed in the gameplay, too, as some sections include crawling, jumping, balancing etc. As far as I’m concerned, I loved these parts, and found that they were a nice change of pace between two stealth and/or chase sequences. It’s cool how basically everything can kill you, not just the monsters: fire hazards, electrical cables, heights, tight spaces, flooded corridors… Nowhere is safe, and in my opinion, this is how a true survival horror should be.
Don’t expect any fights, you can only run and hide, and there are no weapons, either. We get a few light puzzles, nothing too difficult, and the whole game is extremely linear, with hardly any replay value (unless you want to get all the achievements). Even so, I think this is a solid horror experience, I enjoyed every second of it.
My time with The Chinese Room started with Dear Esther, followed closely by Everybody's Gone to the Rapture. After that, nothing. Compared to those games, which are good in their own way, Still Wakes the Deep is a huge leap forward for them.
Still Wakes the Deep is a psychological horror/character drama, and a brilliant one at that. The whole game reminded me of a good action horror from the 80's, The Thing is a clear inspiration, and they nailed the scares, atmosphere, and horrifying visuals so well. Not to mention it's a gorgeous game from the attention to detail to the world, down to the facial models of the characters.
Soma is another clear inspiration I think, another deeply psychological game, though quite a bit scarier than this one. In terms of gameplay, Still Wakes the Deep is pretty simple, I hardly ever felt stumped, and it really felt too easy to be scared. Any feelings of fear or tension was due to the incredible atmosphere and monster designs.
It's a walking sim horror through and through, with very simple puzzle solving. But what it lacks in simplistic gameplay, it more than makes up for as a cinematic horror piece.
I'd totally watch a movie of this, but it's already pretty close to a film. Not to mention the voice acting was very well done, and aggressively Scottish.
Still Wakes the Deep is a psychological horror/character drama, and a brilliant one at that. The whole game reminded me of a good action horror from the 80's, The Thing is a clear inspiration, and they nailed the scares, atmosphere, and horrifying visuals so well. Not to mention it's a gorgeous game from the attention to detail to the world, down to the facial models of the characters.
Soma is another clear inspiration I think, another deeply psychological game, though quite a bit scarier than this one. In terms of gameplay, Still Wakes the Deep is pretty simple, I hardly ever felt stumped, and it really felt too easy to be scared. Any feelings of fear or tension was due to the incredible atmosphere and monster designs.
It's a walking sim horror through and through, with very simple puzzle solving. But what it lacks in simplistic gameplay, it more than makes up for as a cinematic horror piece.
I'd totally watch a movie of this, but it's already pretty close to a film. Not to mention the voice acting was very well done, and aggressively Scottish.
This review contains spoilers
This is a amazing game, from the story to the OST, i love everything... Really, everyone that loves horror games, need to play this piece of art.
The end still hurting here... In my meow meow🥲💔
Poor Caz... It gave me the same feelings of "Soma" ending.
The end still hurting here... In my meow meow🥲💔
Poor Caz... It gave me the same feelings of "Soma" ending.
Fantastic, go play it. Voice cast has actual Scottish actors and not Americans doing fucking caricatures for a change (Matthew Mercer get to fuck challenge).
SCOHTLUND FUHREVAR
SCOHTLUND FUHREVAR
The Chinese Room actually made a good game.
Still Wakes the Deep was supposed to be a test. A test of patience on the player to see if they can stomach this journey, to see if they have the patience to withstand the fear and the horror, the oppressive atmosphere literally collapsing around them, to test the player to keep going, to push through their fear.
What we got though, at least in my experience, was anything but that. I've never been less scared, never felt less tension than I did playing this game. And me? I don't do horror. It literally scares me too much. I remember as a kid playing Silent Hill 1 in my parents' basement with the lights on full bright at 2 AM, still scared shitless. I haven't even played that game again 20 years later! In real life, I can't swim and am kind of afraid of water. Certainly, the idea of being on an oil rig in the ocean waters would be nightmare fuel, so I naturally expected this game to build on my real-life fear, but it never did. There's just not enough 'tense' moments, not enough of what we see in these games—the cat and mouse, hide from the enemy trope that actually works well to build tension, because you can't just fight your way out of the encounter.
Furthermore, I'm sorry, but this is the most abusive use of yellow paint I've encountered in a video game yet. OK, OK, hear me out, because I'm with you—when they complained about RE4 remake having yellow tape on breakable boxes, I laughed. When they pointed out FF7 Rebirth made sure all climbable objects were yellow, I ignored them. But this game? This game says we will paint yellow on everything. And I mean fucking everything. And it's so unnecessary that it completely ruined the 'game' part of this hallway treadmill. I mean, literally they use the paint to show you where to hide, show you where to climb up in a literal one-way hallway, show you everything.
An imgur album for context. No spoilers.
Here's the thing—I grew up on PSX games, I haven't forgotten how we had it. Beautiful pre-rendered backgrounds where anything interactable was pixelated and stood out a mile away that you needed to interact with it. I get where this comes from. But a game like this, I want to experience it through trial and error, not just paint by numbers. And that was how I felt so often, just following the yellow-paint-road. It's kinda like how some games overwhelm you with GPS navigation, sometimes with trails on the ground or just straight up through your compass/minimap, but often those are possible to be disabled and you can experience the adventure at your own pace. Because this is baked into the game's background, there is no option (as of yet) to disable. Just. So. Frustrating.
The story was bland, the setting was bland, the 'monster' was okay I guess. Overall, very disappointed. This isn't my gaming jam, admittedly, but my last encounter with it was SOMA" and Still Wakes the Deep doesn't even feel like it's in the same genre...
What we got though, at least in my experience, was anything but that. I've never been less scared, never felt less tension than I did playing this game. And me? I don't do horror. It literally scares me too much. I remember as a kid playing Silent Hill 1 in my parents' basement with the lights on full bright at 2 AM, still scared shitless. I haven't even played that game again 20 years later! In real life, I can't swim and am kind of afraid of water. Certainly, the idea of being on an oil rig in the ocean waters would be nightmare fuel, so I naturally expected this game to build on my real-life fear, but it never did. There's just not enough 'tense' moments, not enough of what we see in these games—the cat and mouse, hide from the enemy trope that actually works well to build tension, because you can't just fight your way out of the encounter.
Furthermore, I'm sorry, but this is the most abusive use of yellow paint I've encountered in a video game yet. OK, OK, hear me out, because I'm with you—when they complained about RE4 remake having yellow tape on breakable boxes, I laughed. When they pointed out FF7 Rebirth made sure all climbable objects were yellow, I ignored them. But this game? This game says we will paint yellow on everything. And I mean fucking everything. And it's so unnecessary that it completely ruined the 'game' part of this hallway treadmill. I mean, literally they use the paint to show you where to hide, show you where to climb up in a literal one-way hallway, show you everything.
An imgur album for context. No spoilers.
Here's the thing—I grew up on PSX games, I haven't forgotten how we had it. Beautiful pre-rendered backgrounds where anything interactable was pixelated and stood out a mile away that you needed to interact with it. I get where this comes from. But a game like this, I want to experience it through trial and error, not just paint by numbers. And that was how I felt so often, just following the yellow-paint-road. It's kinda like how some games overwhelm you with GPS navigation, sometimes with trails on the ground or just straight up through your compass/minimap, but often those are possible to be disabled and you can experience the adventure at your own pace. Because this is baked into the game's background, there is no option (as of yet) to disable. Just. So. Frustrating.
The story was bland, the setting was bland, the 'monster' was okay I guess. Overall, very disappointed. This isn't my gaming jam, admittedly, but my last encounter with it was SOMA" and Still Wakes the Deep doesn't even feel like it's in the same genre...
Good game, nice story. Gameplay was ok.
Esse jogo me surpreendeu positivamente pela qualidade do que entrega. É um terror que não se escora em sustos para causar medo. A ambientação e uso dos recursos de áudio criam um clima assustador. O hitmo acelerado da caminhada e interações com o cenário tornam o jogo engajante. Mas o que torna o jogo realmente diferente é a qualidade do texto, com a curta duração do jogo é naturalmente difícil entregar uma grande história. Mas a qualidade da escrita e dos personagem tornam o enredo marcante, apesar de curto.
De pontos negativos, só destaco o desempenho no Xbox SS. Não é ruim, mas sacrifica muito visualmente e ainda não entrega estabilidade de fps. Talvez mude futuramente.
Também talvez seja fácil demais. O que pessoalmente não acho ruim, mas realmente a maior parte do jogo é só seguir em frente.
De pontos negativos, só destaco o desempenho no Xbox SS. Não é ruim, mas sacrifica muito visualmente e ainda não entrega estabilidade de fps. Talvez mude futuramente.
Também talvez seja fácil demais. O que pessoalmente não acho ruim, mas realmente a maior parte do jogo é só seguir em frente.
É meio que um walking simulator de horror. A história é muito boa, e meio aterrorizante. Tem uma bela mistura de ação e horror e o ritmo é muito bom. A ambientação é maravilhosa. Meu único problema é que eu não fiquei com tão medo assim, talvez pq passar dos monstros não seja tão difícil, embora o design deles seja ótimo.
Playtime: 5 Hours
Score: 7/10
An interesting narrative horror game from The Chinese Room! So I have played a few of The Chinese Room’s games, and I have generally enjoyed them, even though most of them are just narrative focus and don’t have much gameplay mechanics. I had heard of this game through all of the Xbox showcases and when I saw it would be day one on game pass, I thought I would give it a go!
The story I thought was fairly good if a bit predictable in some places. The atmosphere is very tense and I love that they had an oil rig as the game's setting. Much of the game uses body horror to scare you, with some big influences from the film, The Thing, which I thought was cool. The gameplay is akin to something like Soma, with some basic stealth mechanics and a lot of QTE segments. I’ve come to expect this from The Chinese Room, I just wish they would expand their gameplay formula, as just walking around and clicking on things can get boring after a while. Especially since they're doing the Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines sequel, which I’m a little concerned about.
The voice acting is pretty good overall and the game looks very realistic in Unreal Engine. But I’ve always been more of an artstyle kind of guy and while good graphics are nice to have, it's not going to impress me as much, since I care more about story and gameplay. Though I will say I loved the art direction they took when it came to the monsters and how the rig will change in strange ways because of them.
As for technical performance, the game ran smoothly for me most of the time, though there were some instances where the frame rate dipped a bit. Also what I found odd was that when it came to graphical settings, there were only two options of: high or epic (basically ultra) with no medium or low settings, which I found weird. But otherwise a good experience.
Overall, it's another narrative walking sim, horror game from The Chinese Room and you're either going to love or hate it. I enjoyed it, but that's mostly because it was on game pass and I didn’t have to pay for it, which is what I would recommend most people do or wait for a sale. The game is fairly short and outside of a good narrative experience for a few hours, there’s not much beyond that.
All Games I have Played and Reviewed Ranked - https://www.backloggd.com/u/JudgeDredd35/list/all-games-i-have-played-and-reviewed-ranked/
Score: 7/10
An interesting narrative horror game from The Chinese Room! So I have played a few of The Chinese Room’s games, and I have generally enjoyed them, even though most of them are just narrative focus and don’t have much gameplay mechanics. I had heard of this game through all of the Xbox showcases and when I saw it would be day one on game pass, I thought I would give it a go!
The story I thought was fairly good if a bit predictable in some places. The atmosphere is very tense and I love that they had an oil rig as the game's setting. Much of the game uses body horror to scare you, with some big influences from the film, The Thing, which I thought was cool. The gameplay is akin to something like Soma, with some basic stealth mechanics and a lot of QTE segments. I’ve come to expect this from The Chinese Room, I just wish they would expand their gameplay formula, as just walking around and clicking on things can get boring after a while. Especially since they're doing the Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines sequel, which I’m a little concerned about.
The voice acting is pretty good overall and the game looks very realistic in Unreal Engine. But I’ve always been more of an artstyle kind of guy and while good graphics are nice to have, it's not going to impress me as much, since I care more about story and gameplay. Though I will say I loved the art direction they took when it came to the monsters and how the rig will change in strange ways because of them.
As for technical performance, the game ran smoothly for me most of the time, though there were some instances where the frame rate dipped a bit. Also what I found odd was that when it came to graphical settings, there were only two options of: high or epic (basically ultra) with no medium or low settings, which I found weird. But otherwise a good experience.
Overall, it's another narrative walking sim, horror game from The Chinese Room and you're either going to love or hate it. I enjoyed it, but that's mostly because it was on game pass and I didn’t have to pay for it, which is what I would recommend most people do or wait for a sale. The game is fairly short and outside of a good narrative experience for a few hours, there’s not much beyond that.
All Games I have Played and Reviewed Ranked - https://www.backloggd.com/u/JudgeDredd35/list/all-games-i-have-played-and-reviewed-ranked/
A beautifully atmospheric game set decades ago with dated gameplay and narrative to match. None of the sci-fi trappings feel fresh (with shades of The Thing, Solaris, and Soma). While the conversations between characters feel pleasantly natural, the two big emotional peaks in the story fell completely flat for me. One was trite and the other was so cringe it made me laugh. Most of the gameplay is walking down the only path available - condescendingly marked in yellow. There are no puzzles.
There are a few sections with enemies, one where you get chased and run down the only path available, and one where you're in a room being hunted. Fortunately these places are littered with vents that make you untouchable even if you're barely inside the one square meter entrance. There's no real danger in either scenario, and little tension. One of the enemy designs I can't imagine was intended to be anything but comical.
Where the game shines though is the atmosphere and sound design. It takes place over the course of a day, and as the wheels start coming off the weather changes appropriately, the rig starts creaking and groaning, the waves become more violent, the lighting gets more and more dramatic as night falls. Revisiting areas and seeing them changed as you trek all over the shop was well done. It's just a shame the presentation wasn't in service of a more engaging experience.
There are a few sections with enemies, one where you get chased and run down the only path available, and one where you're in a room being hunted. Fortunately these places are littered with vents that make you untouchable even if you're barely inside the one square meter entrance. There's no real danger in either scenario, and little tension. One of the enemy designs I can't imagine was intended to be anything but comical.
Where the game shines though is the atmosphere and sound design. It takes place over the course of a day, and as the wheels start coming off the weather changes appropriately, the rig starts creaking and groaning, the waves become more violent, the lighting gets more and more dramatic as night falls. Revisiting areas and seeing them changed as you trek all over the shop was well done. It's just a shame the presentation wasn't in service of a more engaging experience.
An extremely narrative-focused game, with excellent atmosphere, that even in a short time makes you care about the characters.
It's one of those extremely linear narrative focused titles with bits of tedious instant fail stealth sections where you have to dupe some super basic AI stalker enemy by hiding in lockers and under tables only it happens to feature some genuinely brilliant writing. The characters, plot and unique setting were good enough on their own to keep me invested until the very end, with some superb performances from the voice talent elevating all that stuff to something that is proper good.
If I was to throw one complaint at it, it is basically just a version of The Thing but doing a version of The Thing worked out pretty fucking well for John Carpenter, didn't it?
If I was to throw one complaint at it, it is basically just a version of The Thing but doing a version of The Thing worked out pretty fucking well for John Carpenter, didn't it?
L'ocean fait peur
What a wonderful surprise this was. I haven't lived in Scotland for many years now, but with the weather in Australia currently, I was right at home. Being sat in my oh so cold room that never gets any sunlight definitely helped to immerse me, as if the disarming and familiar accents weren't enough. Genuinely some of the most authentic and lovely dialogue and banter I've heard in a game in some time. I can imagine some being a bit confused or put off by constant (very unique) cursing and slang, but for me I of course loved it.
As if that wasn't already great, it also doesn't hurt that this is one of the best settings for a horror game ever. As soon as I read that synopsis and saw 'oil rig in Scotland', I instantly downloaded the game. If the game was just a walking simulator (which I suppose it is) around this oil rig, I'd have probably still felt the same dread throughout. I can't recall many games being set or even including oil rigs in this way, it's an absolutely menacing and horrific almost megastructure to traverse. (Megastructures have been on the mind since Daryl Talks Games' most recent and excellent video on them, they bloody terrify me, so they do.)
Another small detail I loved is how realistically timed the phone calls were. That's very specific, but often times I'd already left a room when a phone would ring and I'd have to go back in to answer it, as opposed to a perfectly convenient phone ring mere seconds after a beat. It's also worth mentioning that I was concerned the game would eventually devolve into Amnesia/Outlast hide and seek style gameplay, but it really doesn't at all. There are lockers to hide in, but the moment-to-moment encounters are brief enough that it doesn't become frustrating at all. I'm pretty sure I only entered one locker and then just braved it from there on.
Good game, though I will say it doesn't have the lasting story and existentialism of a SOMA, but what does?
As if that wasn't already great, it also doesn't hurt that this is one of the best settings for a horror game ever. As soon as I read that synopsis and saw 'oil rig in Scotland', I instantly downloaded the game. If the game was just a walking simulator (which I suppose it is) around this oil rig, I'd have probably still felt the same dread throughout. I can't recall many games being set or even including oil rigs in this way, it's an absolutely menacing and horrific almost megastructure to traverse. (Megastructures have been on the mind since Daryl Talks Games' most recent and excellent video on them, they bloody terrify me, so they do.)
Another small detail I loved is how realistically timed the phone calls were. That's very specific, but often times I'd already left a room when a phone would ring and I'd have to go back in to answer it, as opposed to a perfectly convenient phone ring mere seconds after a beat. It's also worth mentioning that I was concerned the game would eventually devolve into Amnesia/Outlast hide and seek style gameplay, but it really doesn't at all. There are lockers to hide in, but the moment-to-moment encounters are brief enough that it doesn't become frustrating at all. I'm pretty sure I only entered one locker and then just braved it from there on.
Good game, though I will say it doesn't have the lasting story and existentialism of a SOMA, but what does?
Fantastic vocal direction and performance in service of one of the most generic horror game stories possible. Still the setting and visuals are fantastic for the first half before everything kind of melts into a boring through-line to the predictable ending.
Of all the walking simulator horror games, this is probably my favorite ever. Great story and characters, truly awesome creature design, and haunting atmosphere. Greatly crafted horror game that doesn’t overstay its welcome.
This review contains spoilers
Still Wakes the Deep: Não me prometeu nada e sinceramente me entregou tudo.
Meu primeiro contato com Still Wakes the Deep foi assistindo o trailer no Xbox Games Showcase do ano passado (?) nem me lembro, só sei que depois disso eu nunca mais ouvi falar sobre o jogo, mas achei interessante ser um jogo de terror que se passa numa plataforma de petróleo, o que é uma ideia um tanto inovadora e original comparado a todos os jogos que eu já vi, o máximo que eu vi foi uma série, sla, da globo que se passa numa plataforma de petróleo, nunca um filme, e muito menos um jogo, não tô falando que não exista obviamente, mas eu nunca vi, então quando eu vi o trailer do jogo ele já chamou a minha atenção, porque, essa ideia não é bem explorada e eu acho que poderia sair muitas coisas boas dessa ideia, então porra, um jogo de TERROR numa plataforma de petróleo tinha tudo pra dar certo não é mesmo?
Bom.... Até que sim, eu acho, o jogo já começa até que interessante, e bem calmo como todo jogo de terror, mas sla, ele começa num ritmo lento, interessante, bonito, calmo aconchegante, ver as gotas de chuva pela janela de cada cabine, a luz do sol na janela, a interação com os npc's, os dialogos, tudo é muito natural, a dublagem é muito boa, algumas pequenas coisas relacionadas a gameplay me deixaram interessados, coisas bobas como a interação com os botões sempre que você faz algo como fechar um registro ou coisa do tipo, é tudo muito simples, muito básico também talvez, mas me interessa, ainda mais pra mim que sempre quando entra em alguma animação em algum jogo eu dou uma espiadinha no celular, acho que isso me ajudou a não fazer isso e prestar mais atenção no jogo kakakak, em relação a mecânicas é tudo realmente muito básico, nada que realmente se destaque na minha opinião, poderia ser muito melhor.
A qualidade gráfica do jogo é... Boa, é um jogo bonito, a ambientação eu diria que é espetacular, muito boa mesmo, ele consegue criar uma boa atmosfera de terror, por mais que ele não seja tão bom nesse quesito... as animações não são LÁ das melhores, tem algumas animações quebradas que chegam a ser engraçadas, poderiam sim ser melhores mas isso não me incomodou, em relação ao level design do jogo, ele existe? Porque tudo o que eu vi foi um jogo extremamente linear onde o objetivo fica na sua cara sempre a frente, sempre e sempre seguindo em frente até o objetivo, não muda em nenhum momento, momentos que deveriam ser assustadores, não são. "por que os bixos não dão medo? A ambientação é ruim e não dá medo?" Não, os bixos poderiam sim dar medo, a ambientação é sim boa e assustadora, mas o jogo não te coloca numa situação em que você realmente sinta medo, tem uma mecânica de se esconder no armário pro monstro não te ver, eu não usei essa mecânica UMA vez, por que? Porque é inútil, o jogo DÁ medo, ele só não te coloca em uma situação que você possa sentir o medo que o jogo poderia te proporcionar, ou seja, o jogo não da medo NENHUM em nenhum momento, essa é minha maior decepção sobre ele, se ele tivesse lugares um pouco mais abertos, e eles focassem no quesito terror do jogo seria mil vezes melhor.
A história do jogo foi o que mais me pegou, é uma história um tanto quanto simples, não é muito profunda, mas ela funciona MUITO bem com o jogo, ele te apresenta um pouco do background do protagonista, a esposa e as filhas, o que futuramente vai ser a única motivação que o nosso protagonista vai ter, personagens TAMBÉM não são aprofundados, mas que funcionam bem no jogo, por mais que seja um jogo curto, eu ainda me senti mal pela morte dos últimos 3 personagens, e a morte do... Roy? O padrinho das filhas do Caz, foi triste, a reação do Caz a morte dele foi muito natural, realista, e cheio de emoção, o sacrifício do protagonista no final do jogo, abandonando tudo o que mantinha ele vivo, pra justamente, proteger eles, eu gosto dessa ideia de que, eles lutaram e lutaram tanto pela vida, e no fim, foi em vão? Acho que numa situação dessas na vida real a gente não chegaria em um terço da gameplay do jogo, então explorar um lado mais "realista" desse tipo de jogo, onde mesmo com tanto esforço, o protagonista acaba não alcançado seu objetivo, ou com todos morrendo, mostra só, como a vida realmente é, analisando "realisticamente" o jogo, existiria sim chances do protagonista sair dali com vida e tudo mais, e talvez se ele não tivesse escolhido se sacrificar ele saíria sim com vida, mas ele teve que tomar uma escolha ali naquele momento, ele sacrificou sua chance de viver pra DAR chance pra família dele viver, pode parecer uma decisão fácil mas não conte tanto com isso, e eu confesso que, o jogo QUASE me fez chorar no final, eu achei realmente lindo, emocionante, e triste, enfim, Still Wakes the Deep é um jogo que PRA mim, não prometeu nada, e simplesmente entregou tudo.
Meu primeiro contato com Still Wakes the Deep foi assistindo o trailer no Xbox Games Showcase do ano passado (?) nem me lembro, só sei que depois disso eu nunca mais ouvi falar sobre o jogo, mas achei interessante ser um jogo de terror que se passa numa plataforma de petróleo, o que é uma ideia um tanto inovadora e original comparado a todos os jogos que eu já vi, o máximo que eu vi foi uma série, sla, da globo que se passa numa plataforma de petróleo, nunca um filme, e muito menos um jogo, não tô falando que não exista obviamente, mas eu nunca vi, então quando eu vi o trailer do jogo ele já chamou a minha atenção, porque, essa ideia não é bem explorada e eu acho que poderia sair muitas coisas boas dessa ideia, então porra, um jogo de TERROR numa plataforma de petróleo tinha tudo pra dar certo não é mesmo?
Bom.... Até que sim, eu acho, o jogo já começa até que interessante, e bem calmo como todo jogo de terror, mas sla, ele começa num ritmo lento, interessante, bonito, calmo aconchegante, ver as gotas de chuva pela janela de cada cabine, a luz do sol na janela, a interação com os npc's, os dialogos, tudo é muito natural, a dublagem é muito boa, algumas pequenas coisas relacionadas a gameplay me deixaram interessados, coisas bobas como a interação com os botões sempre que você faz algo como fechar um registro ou coisa do tipo, é tudo muito simples, muito básico também talvez, mas me interessa, ainda mais pra mim que sempre quando entra em alguma animação em algum jogo eu dou uma espiadinha no celular, acho que isso me ajudou a não fazer isso e prestar mais atenção no jogo kakakak, em relação a mecânicas é tudo realmente muito básico, nada que realmente se destaque na minha opinião, poderia ser muito melhor.
A qualidade gráfica do jogo é... Boa, é um jogo bonito, a ambientação eu diria que é espetacular, muito boa mesmo, ele consegue criar uma boa atmosfera de terror, por mais que ele não seja tão bom nesse quesito... as animações não são LÁ das melhores, tem algumas animações quebradas que chegam a ser engraçadas, poderiam sim ser melhores mas isso não me incomodou, em relação ao level design do jogo, ele existe? Porque tudo o que eu vi foi um jogo extremamente linear onde o objetivo fica na sua cara sempre a frente, sempre e sempre seguindo em frente até o objetivo, não muda em nenhum momento, momentos que deveriam ser assustadores, não são. "por que os bixos não dão medo? A ambientação é ruim e não dá medo?" Não, os bixos poderiam sim dar medo, a ambientação é sim boa e assustadora, mas o jogo não te coloca numa situação em que você realmente sinta medo, tem uma mecânica de se esconder no armário pro monstro não te ver, eu não usei essa mecânica UMA vez, por que? Porque é inútil, o jogo DÁ medo, ele só não te coloca em uma situação que você possa sentir o medo que o jogo poderia te proporcionar, ou seja, o jogo não da medo NENHUM em nenhum momento, essa é minha maior decepção sobre ele, se ele tivesse lugares um pouco mais abertos, e eles focassem no quesito terror do jogo seria mil vezes melhor.
A história do jogo foi o que mais me pegou, é uma história um tanto quanto simples, não é muito profunda, mas ela funciona MUITO bem com o jogo, ele te apresenta um pouco do background do protagonista, a esposa e as filhas, o que futuramente vai ser a única motivação que o nosso protagonista vai ter, personagens TAMBÉM não são aprofundados, mas que funcionam bem no jogo, por mais que seja um jogo curto, eu ainda me senti mal pela morte dos últimos 3 personagens, e a morte do... Roy? O padrinho das filhas do Caz, foi triste, a reação do Caz a morte dele foi muito natural, realista, e cheio de emoção, o sacrifício do protagonista no final do jogo, abandonando tudo o que mantinha ele vivo, pra justamente, proteger eles, eu gosto dessa ideia de que, eles lutaram e lutaram tanto pela vida, e no fim, foi em vão? Acho que numa situação dessas na vida real a gente não chegaria em um terço da gameplay do jogo, então explorar um lado mais "realista" desse tipo de jogo, onde mesmo com tanto esforço, o protagonista acaba não alcançado seu objetivo, ou com todos morrendo, mostra só, como a vida realmente é, analisando "realisticamente" o jogo, existiria sim chances do protagonista sair dali com vida e tudo mais, e talvez se ele não tivesse escolhido se sacrificar ele saíria sim com vida, mas ele teve que tomar uma escolha ali naquele momento, ele sacrificou sua chance de viver pra DAR chance pra família dele viver, pode parecer uma decisão fácil mas não conte tanto com isso, e eu confesso que, o jogo QUASE me fez chorar no final, eu achei realmente lindo, emocionante, e triste, enfim, Still Wakes the Deep é um jogo que PRA mim, não prometeu nada, e simplesmente entregou tudo.
Muito bom jogo com uma história e mistério interessantes!
Bom joguinho de survival horror para passar o tempo, realmente parece que você tá jogando um filme de terror dos anos 90 que achou na locadora. Curtinho e divertido.