Still Wakes the Deep is a wonderfully authentic Scottish horror story

The term ‘walking simulator’ has, rather unfairly, become shorthand for a game lacking in interactivity.

In reality, not every game has to be an open-world romp, and games like What Becomes of Edith Finch and its ilk are perfectly legitimate forms of entertainment.

The reason a number of these games tend to suffer is that action-focused games can get away with shonky writing and performances, but when the game’s main aim is to carry the player through a narrative, that narrative has to in turn carry the game.

Few studios manage to pull this off effectively – which may be why the genre has developed its unwarranted reputation – but The Chinese Room, the UK studio behind Dear Esther and Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture, has already proven its ability to deliver engaging plots which keep the player engaged.

Still Wakes the Deep is the studio’s most ambitious attempt at a narrative-led adventure, and it’s another impressive effort that, despite a couple of niggles, gets it right where it counts.

Set in 1975, the game takes place on an oil rig off the coast of Scotland. The player is Caz McLeary, a Scottish worker who’s about to be sacked and made to leave the rig for reasons we don’t yet know.

Before he gets to board the helicopter that takes him off the rig, however, a loud bang rattles the rig and Caz finds himself thrust into an escape mission where he has to not only help his colleagues get off the rig, but also figure out who – or what – has caused the incident.

An aside is really needed at this point: as a proud Scot who’s lived through decades of awful Scottish accents in video games, this writer beamed with delight throughout the entirety of Still Wakes the Deep thanks to the brilliantly believable dialogue and deliveries.

The cast mainly consists of experienced Scottish actors and the writing features plenty of Scottish slang, all of which is used properly and doesn’t feel forced. The Scots are masters of colourful language and gallows humour and both are perfectly replicated here.

From the opening sequence to the final monologue, it’s the most wonderfully authentic presentation of our language this writer has ever seen in a game, and for that reason alone Scottish players should celebrate it. Of course, outside of Scotland the game actually has to get the job done too, which it does.

It’s difficult to say too much about Still Wakes the Deep without giving the game away entirely, but the fact that the game’s original pitch was ‘The Thing set on an oil rig’ means anyone familiar with John Carpenter’s film should have an idea of what to expect.

There’s also more action here than in The Chinese Room’s previous walking sims. While Dear Esther and Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture dabbled with paranormal themes, this is an all-out horror game with chase scenes, stealth sections and moments where the player has to escape areas with steadily rising water.

As a result, there are plenty more opportunities to die in this game than there are in most others in this genre. It’s less a walking simulator and more a ‘running away screaming and frantically swimming simulator’.

“There are plenty more opportunities to die in this game than there are in most others in this genre. It’s less a walking simulator and more a ‘running away screaming and frantically swimming simulator’.”

Special mention has to go to the creature designs too. Most of the time you don’t get a really good look at them – there’s no combat here so the aim is to hide and look for alternate paths so you don’t get caught – but there’s one in particular that you come face-to-giant-face with and it makes for one of the most (deliberately) stressful moments in the game.

As clichéd as it is to say it, the oil rig itself is one of the best characters in the game. From the crew’s quarters to the inner workings it’s a fantastic environment to explore, and the combination of Unreal Engine 5 and much of the game being lit by torchlight makes for believable immersion.

There are some issues. Toggling running on and off doesn’t always feel effective, and we died during some swimming and chase sections because we were too busy messing around with it. Speaking of which, one of the chases is in a dark area and doesn’t immediately point the player in the direction to run following a cutscene: we died a couple of times here, though thankfully the checkpoints are generous throughout.

As is also the case with games of this genre, length will be an issue for some. Speedy players who use hints and play in Story mode (where the opportunities for death are less frequent) will be able to get through the game in around four hours, while playing without assistance will bump this up an hour or so. There’s no real replay value to be had here, so once the credits roll you’ve basically seen it all.

Other players will be annoyed at the sheer amount of signposting guiding the player through the game. Anyone who gets a kick out of the yellow paint meme will have a field day here because 90% of the game is literally a case of looking for the next yellow ladder, splotch of paint, cloth or what have you.

The Chinese Room has said that there’s a patch coming to the game after its release – there’s still no indication when – which will reduce the number of yellow markers in the game, with the exception of things which actually would be yellow on a ‘70s oil rig.

This should extend the game’s length a little more, though it may also throw up more frustrations because some sections – most notably when water is rising in a large room and you have to find small gaps to swim through, handily framed with yellow paint – will likely lead to multiple drownings before the player figures out the route to take.

Personally, this writer doesn’t get the fuss about the yellow paint drama, especially in a game where the player has to be guided through the story, so we’d recommend just getting stuck in instead of waiting for the patch.

Just as ‘walking sim’ has unfairly become a pejorative term, so too has ‘a perfect Game Pass game’, but that’s exactly what it is. It’s available on Game Pass on day one and we can think of no better example of the benefits of Xbox’s subscription service than the ability to play tight, well-crafted, shorter games like this which can be beaten in a night or two.

As long as the short length and heavy signposting (at least at launch) aren’t an issue for you, Still Wakes the Deep is a brilliantly presented, authentically written and wonderfully performed narrative adventure.