Still Wakes the Deep Reviews
What it lacks in any challenge, it certainly makes up for in authenticity. Still Wakes The Deep provides some excellent lovecraftian horror on board the eery yet original location that is the Beira D. Dedicated and genuine performances from the cast of often relatable roughnecks drive home an engaging story in what ultimately become one of my favorite horror games in recent memory.
While Still Wakes the Deep offers up its fair share of thrills, railroad-style level design, a short runtime, and a surprisingly superficial story result in an experience that may entertain in the moment, but will likely be forgotten rather quickly. Still Wakes the Deep may well float your boat at a discount, but there are better, scarier fish in the sea.
Still Wakes The Deep may not stick around for long, but it'll have an iron-clad grip on you across its runtime. There's clear inspiration here from horror movie classics such as Alien and The Thing, and we adored seeing those inspirations play out through its highly-detailed settings and salt-of-the-Earth cast of characters. It may not be the most engaging gameplay experience on the PS5, but The Chinese Room smartly lays a solid foundation in the Beira D and its gaggle of staff, that'll keep its viscerally focused horror on your mind long after the credits roll.
Still Wakes the Deep seems dragged out and occasionally devoid of meaning, but it's still very much science fiction, clearly inspired by John Carpenter's classic films.
Review in Russian | Read full review
A short and simple horror game about a man having the worst Christmas ever in quite possibly one of the most claustrophobic and isolated areas imaginable. Fantastic atmosphere, great characters, and some pretty intense moments make Still Wakes the Deep a must play for horror fans. That said, don't go into this expecting some super in-depth story with twists and turns and whatnot. Your journey through the game and the will of the characters to survive is the main story, and it was one I really enjoyed experiencing.
Still Wakes the Deep doesn't quite live up to its potential, but if you have six hours to spend and don't mind a lot of unanswered questions, you could do a lot worse.
Still Wakes The Deep is a work plagued by numerous problems. The coherence between story and gameplay often leaves something to be desired, with heavy consequences on the effectiveness of the narrative and the horror phases.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Although the first few bars didn't tell me much about the title except that it looked like another walking simulator with scares, it was the complete pack that left me excited. The combination of a very powerful visual aspect, incredible sonic fidelity, a rhythm that encourages you to know more and an action that catches you, result in Still Wakes the Deep being one of the best cinematic style titles you can find today.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Atmospherically gripping, but playfully shallow oil rig horror trip with engaging sound design.
Review in German | Read full review
While Still Wakes The Deep doesn't boast the biggest narrative draw, what will really pull you in is the eerie atmosphere it manages to envelope you in. Fighting for your life against the churning sea and the strange creature that rose from the murky depths provided some truly surreal and hair-raising moments.
Still Wakes the Deep is wonderfully, authentically Scottish – even the carpets on the Beira D oil rig are tartan. It's also a singularly immersive and utterly memorable piece of work that's among The Chinese Room's very best.
Still Wakes the Deep is a very capable walking simulator, but that’s it. No sparks of genius here. The game is quite monotonous, fortunately it delivers some fun with a unique setting and a really good, dramatic storyline that would fit a movie far better than a game.
Review in Polish | Read full review
Still Wakes the Deep doesn't fully realize the horrific potential of its intriguing setting, and some might find it to be a bit too light on gameplay, but thanks to an engaging story and gorgeous visuals, it's still a game worth playing.
With a strong setting, nice visuals and authentic performances, Still Wakes the Deep has all the tools to create a memorable experience, but stumbles in providing anything innovative. Its dishevelled oil rig full of mutants is always creepy but never truly scary, and while it's not a poorly made game by any means, it's never really exciting, either. I don't regret my brief visit to a dangerous 1975 oil rig; but when horror as a genre is moving in some seriously impressive and unique directions, Still Wakes the Deep feels a little bit stuck in the past.
Falling short of its potential, Still Wakes The Deep's linearity and simplicity of gameplay does disservice to a great concept. Despite this, it's still well worth a look, owing to its stellar art direction, well-written characters and strong atmosphere. The result is an inviting and alluring world that's a joy to take in, even if it doesn't quite scare the player in ways it intended.
Despite the shortcomings in interaction and gameplay complexity, Still Wakes the Deep has an appeal through its linear, but high-quality set pieces and engaging storytelling.
The team's reputation in visual design and soundtrack are supplemented by a tautened horror thriller that's oftentimes engaging to watch; however, it's degraded by shallow mechanics that are typically unrewarding to play. Like oil and water, there's an incongruous mixture of creativity within its setting (both spoken and unspoken) and utter predictability within its foundation. Genre fans can treat it like oil spill remediation, mentally separating the two enough to at least appreciate its better qualities.
Still Wakes the Deep is a classic walking simulator with few interactions. It's a very linear and guided horror game with a good story and a gameplay that comes from 2010, too simple to leave a mark in this competitive market.
Review in Italian | Read full review
With a cracking setting and emotional narrative that's expertly brought to life by fantastic voice acting and writing, Still Wakes the Deep is a solid horror title that falls short of greatness due to its generic gameplay and limited scare factor.