In Still Wakes the Deep, the monster isn’t even the scariest part

December 19, 1975. Someplace within the reaches of the North Sea, the hardworking crew of Nonetheless Wakes the Deep’s Beira D oil rig put together for his or her Christmas festivities – a small second of pleasure and rest beneath the darkness of the clouds and the thunderous crashing of the waves. For the RPG game‘s protagonist, Caz McLeary, the season brings about reflection finest not remembered – reminders of a torrid 12 months that has left his life in tatters, finally resulting in his project aboard the offshore platform. A naive effort to place false distance between himself and his life’s issues.

However whereas escaping to Beira D appeared to be one thing of a solution to McLeary’s woes, all it’ll do is result in new nightmares, nearly past comprehension…

…One thing depraved this fashion comes.

Still Wakes the Deep is the following challenge from The Chinese language Room, famend for its psychological thriller titles comparable to Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs, Pricey Esther, and All people’s Gone to the Rapture. The expertise and renown constructed off the again of these releases will discover kind in what’s seeking to be the studio’s greatest and most cinematically pushed challenge thus far whereas evolving its penchant for telling tales of horror, each summary and throughout the thoughts of the protagonist.

At Gamescom, I used to be invited to check out Nonetheless Wakes the Deep’s first gameplay demo, a brief preview that supplied context-free experiences pulled from McLeary’s terrifying odyssey. We have been first proven on a regular basis life aboard Beira D, as a crew of drained women and men labored to carve out a life and society for themselves miles away from the shores of Scotland. The vulgar language and sighing attitudes current people who find themselves, for essentially the most half, weary of their work, but stay dedicated to sustaining some semblance of camaraderie. Sadly, the unhappy Christmas decorations do little to masks the dismal, clanking, metallic partitions round them.

Shifting forward, an incident identified solely as ‘The Occasion’ takes place. An ethereal, otherworldly disaster that leaves the crew scattered and the rig in a state of perpetual collapse. As McLeary, you’re tasked with negotiating what stays of Beira D, selecting your means by way of treacherous walkways, collapsed balconies, and unsafe shafts as the entire construction threatens to break down at any second. If the hazards posed by the rig itself weren’t sufficient, then McLeary can be being pursued by… one thing. An unseen assailant that skulks the wreckage – inhuman roars bouncing off the partitions, pipes, and girders.

McLeary’s journey to discover a path to rescue will likely be hampered not solely by the true and unreal risks, but additionally by his personal human limitations, and the developer is eager to notice that our protagonist isn’t any superhero, hampered by their bodily limitations and pushed by relatable and sensible feelings. The Chinese language Room, no stranger to terror, is aiming to capitalize on a number of naturalistic fears to bolster Nonetheless Wakes the Deep’s concern issue – with parts of deep water, the darkish, heights, confined areas, and isolation all utilized to current a nerve-wracking bodily and psychological expertise.

The event workforce describes the sport’s inspiration as “Annihilation meets The Poseidon Journey,” and whereas that is extraordinarily clear from the video, it’s additionally arduous to not acknowledge parts of sci-fi/horror classics The Factor and Alien within the environment and tone of the piece. Whereas nonetheless some methods from launch, Nonetheless Wakes the Deep is shaping as much as be a taut, evocative, and tense battle towards the unknown. Pushed by themes of isolation, guilt, and loneliness, maybe its final theme will show to be that of going through your fears. Whereas we will all place distance from that which is chasing us, all of us should ultimately look our demons within the eye.

Nonetheless Wakes the Deep is anticipated to launch in 2024 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Sequence X/S, so why not take a look at another horror games within the meantime to get within the temper? Or, alternatively, we’ve bought an inventory of the most effective survival games should you love the sensation of getting the chances stacked towards you. Take a look at our lists of new PC games and upcoming PC games for extra.