October 21, 2026
Still Wakes the Deep
A North Sea oil rig in the mid 1970s is the setting for this 2 year old horror game from UK based developer The Chinese Room. Over 5 streams, I have been playing it and having finished my playthrough last night, I must say that this was rather better than I expected.
I am normally not a fan of pure stealth games where one has no ability to fight one's tormentors, but this genre is at it's peak in this game.
You play as "Chaz" a working class Scot who, having gotten in trouble with the law (barfight), decides, much to the chagrin of his wife, to take a job on the oil rig Beira in the North Sea. As the game starts, you have integrated fairly well into the crew and are at least somewhat respected for your electrical ability....when you learn to your great disappointment that police investigators can make note of the fact that their prime suspect has taken refuge on an oil rig AND fax a request for info to said oil rig. This results in your getting fired and sent to the helipad to await transport to the mainland when....stuff....happens, and the game begins.
Biera, the rig itself, is a superb piece of set design. I did ship inspections in the Coast Guard and the presentation of the myriad mechanical and safety violations of the broken down facility is both believable and at times subtle. ( the electrical issues are an early bit of gameplay, but there are unremarked upon issues like companionways blocked by supplies and equipment). By the time that...stuff...happens, you already feel like you are in a struggle to survive the facility itself.
Once the...stuff...happens, the horror elements of the game are absolutely next level. The portrayal of the Lovecraftian threat ranges from subtle but very palpable unease to visceral body horror.
The jump scares are REAL.
This game is absolutely terrifying in a way that few manage, the monsters are not just scary, but genuinely horrific in very disturbing ways. The balance between seen and implied horror is absolutely NAILED by this game's creative team. The combination of cosmic horrors, the failing infrastructure of the outpost, and the games OTHER monster (the north sea weather) is weaved together adroitly into a story that starts out absolutely cynical, then becomes a study in redemption, and finally explores the meaning of heroism.
This game was superb, FAR better than I expected and much better than it had any right to be.
So yes: I recommend it.
Posted by: The Brickmuppet at
09:16 AM
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