The mystery

Still Wakes the Deep, developed by The Chinese Room and published by Secret Mode, will be released on June 18, 2024, in early access, and will be available for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S, and Xbox Series X.

It is a game focused mainly on exploration and survival, with a setting built for a horror game, set on a ship and exploration platform in the ocean, full of dangers and mysteries, featuring Caz, the protagonist, initially just an electrical area worker on the ship, with his goal being to survive and return to his family.

The investigation of the facts

The story of Still Wakes the Deep is very interesting, the way the tense and challenging atmosphere is built, all the setting and dialogues, with beautiful graphics, is enough to present a very competent set.

As I mentioned earlier, we play as Caz and our survival skills are tested after an unknown horror boarded the platform. The initial context of the game is the presence of a strong storm, in a situation where there is no external communication and absolutely no other way out.

From there, we begin our journey for survival, encountering some characters that help us initially understand that something is wrong, to then explore the ship, get answers, and seek to defeat the horror that now roams the oil platform, as communications are cut off, we are basically alone, without weapons and basically without resources, relying only on a flashlight and intelligence to make the best decisions.

In this way, the entire survival mechanic is very similar to Outlast, hiding in closets, using distractions, and running a lot to survive.

Still Wakes the Deep does not have resource management systems, that is, besides interactions with the environment, such as opening doors, going up and down stairs, and jumping obstacles, we do not need to worry about other elements, such as batteries for the flashlight.

In addition, we do not have a health bar, nor any auxiliary bar, the interface is very minimalist and at times there is nothing showing, a very interesting strategy to enhance the immersion of the story and the environment.

The weight of decisions

As I mentioned earlier, Still Wakes the Deep does not have a combat system, so what makes the game difficult and at times even challenging is the player's ability to make decisions, in my experience, I found certain areas of the map quite tight, but I believe it is on purpose, especially the lower part of the platform, where there are several tanks and pipes, very little or no lighting, so it is very easy to get lost and end up being found by the enemy.

It is important to note that Still Wakes the Deep is quite punitive in its own way, due to the lack of combat, the rest of the game gains complexity and an extra weight, enough to provide beautiful scares and desperate moments, mainly due to the very high quality of the audio, the sound effects are excellent and the dubbing conveys the tension of the situation.

It is definitely a project with a lot of personality, despite the horror theme already being extremely saturated, Still Wakes the Deep manages to be an excellent game, with its own identity, both for the setting and the construction of situations, and for its excellent graphic and sound quality, which is the key factor for immersion.

A good option for genre lovers

The release of Still Wakes the Deep is a very positive point, I was quite impressed with the quality offered and despite not being a big fan of horror games, here, despite all the scares and constant tension, it was a very good experience, the narrative is engaging and makes you want to keep playing.

The game, in general, is easy to play, mechanically speaking, although there are no tutorials, the mission indicator can provide some specific tips if the player wants, being a good option for those who have difficulty locating themselves on the map or easily get lost.

The game is localized in several languages, but only has English dubbing, in this case, I believe it is a positive point, as the British accent of the dubbing is a very strong immersion point, but it is also a negative point, since subtitles alone may not be enough for some audiences.

The game's audio is excellent, as I mentioned earlier, the quality of the effects is great, the dubbing is the highlight, in addition to the soundtrack that causes constant tension.

A great horror experience

My experience with Still Wakes the Deep was excellent, the game's setting brings a lot of tension and suspense, the dark and shadowy scenarios create good immersion, the constant tension of being pursued and having to react quickly to hide is very interesting, in addition to the soundtrack and sound effects that deserve to be highlighted in the experience.

The game's optimization was very good in the test build we had access to, small graphical changes were necessary, more in terms of comfort with the reduction of some effects, but no changes in the graphic properties were necessary for the gameplay to be enjoyable, the game has various upscaling features, catering to all video cards on the market, however, small bugs that eventually appeared will be resolved with the official release.

The game offers a good quality of life, with the minimalist interface, pertinent tips, and good menus for configuring all elements of the game.

For this review, the game was experienced on PC, using the Steam platform. I thank The Chinese Room and Secret Mode for providing the access key.