Computer Still Wakes the Deep Review

Things couldn't be worse for Caz McLeary, an offshore worker aboard the Beira D oil rig; ex-worker, to be specific, as he just got fired. Things are not any better back home as his wife, Suze, wants a divorce. To make matters worse, just after Caz's dismissal from his duties, an incident initiates the Beira's collapse, leading to some of the crew missing.

It quickly becomes clear that this is no normal incident, with tremors felt and strange sounds heard across the oil rig. Communications line are down and the means to get back to the mainland become limited. What is the cause of this phenomenon and will Caz make it out of the Beira? This is what you'll find out by playing Still Wakes the Deep; but beware, as cosmic horrors await…


Across its 6 hours of gameplay confined to the Beira oil rig, Still Wakes the Deep really made me feel like I was in an actual oil rig. From the crew accommodation and the deck to engineering and the marine control, the locations are rendered with impressive detail and feel lived-in. Developer The Chinese Room really nailed the layout and environmental design to deliver an immersive experience.


As a "walking simulator", Still Wakes the Deep has to stand out in terms of presentation and it does. It leans on a cinematic presentation, with minimal to no HUD in an authentic setting. There is excellent voice acting throughout the game, from Caz as well as the NPCs. The cosmic horror atmosphere is also well depicted with haunting and tense soundscapes. I even found that the game gave a The Thing vibe which made me hooked even more.

The game's universe is also fleshed out through exploration. However, this is rather limited given the linear gameplay design. You do get the opportunity to converse with the crew members at the start but it felt like they could have said more, given more exposure. And while you do slowly learn more about Caz, his character development feels slow and it takes time, if ever, for the player to relate to him. That said, the mysterious nature of the story and the anticipation of how Caz's journey will end is appealing enough to keep you hooked till the end.



On the gameplay front, Still Wakes the Deep is very much akin to a walking simulator; but more like a walking sim-adjecent as it has some added gameplay elements. Considering the atmospheric, cinematic presentation approach, such a gameplay suits the game well. It is designed with a linear progression, although you do have some level of freedom to explore your surroundings. There are some additional mechanics such as QTEs and interacting with some environmental elements.


To mix up the gameplay, The Chinese Room added some survival elements that supplement the horror atmosphere; and these elements are why I term the gameplay as walking sim-adjacent. Indeed, Still Wakes the Deep isn't totally stress-free as some segments involve sneaking past cosmic horrors while trying to not get caught. Caz will have to hide in lockers, crawl in tunnels and throw items to cause distractions in order to navigate through the collapsing oil rig in one piece. If he does get caught, you'll have to start over again. Luckily, the game is rather generous on auto saves and is well paced between exploration and stealth segments.


While the attempt to vary the gameplay is welcome, actions do feel repetitive over time. This is due to the limited nature of available actions that the game allows such as unscrewing vents to crawl under, taking down fires with a fire extinguisher and walking across tight ledges. The repetition is felt over time but luckily, Still Wakes the Deep isn't a particularly long game.

About walking across tight ledges, it might be a personal gripe but I found Caz's acrobatic prowess to be somewhat questionable. He fearlessly crosses ledges and rungs over the rough North Sea and in a collapsing oil rig without thinking much about it. The protagonist might be a natural at such activities but we don't get to know much about him from the get-go. As such, relating to him can be a challenge and you can get to question some of his actions.


There has also been discussion about the use of yellow paint to provide a hint as to where to progress. I didn't have an issue with such markers, such as ladders and wheels, especially as they are parts of actual oil rigs for safety reasons. But some yellow markers such as marked trails and splatter felt a bit too obvious. The developer has included an option to take the latter off though, which can add to the immersiveness of the gameplay.


It's a good time to be a walking sim or walking sim-adjacent fan as for the past 6 month or so, this genre has been blessed with strong titles such as The Invincible and Senua's Saga: Hellblade II. And now, you can safely add Still Wakes the Deep to this list. It does have its shortcomings with character development and repetitive actions, but it delivers an interesting story in a compelling setting.