17
For years the term walking simulator It has been used to describe a type of video game, but also in a derogatory way to refer to them. We are talking about narrative experiences in which most of the interaction is reduced to walking through the settings while discovering new details about the story. What Remains of Edith Finch, Gone Home, The Stanley Parable or Firewatch would be successful examples of the genre.
In this sense, the British company The Chinese Room became strong for years in this genre with representatives as beloved as Dear Esther, Everybody's Gone to the Rapture or Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs. Although the Brighton-based studio was very prolific between 2012 and 2015 (when the three aforementioned games came out), the last decade has been less active. That is why today we are happy to bring you our analysis of Still Wakes the Deepwhich marks The Chinese Room's return to psychological horror and walking simulator.
Scotland, 1975
The Chinese Room was born as a mod development team for Half-Life 2 and soon expanded its boundaries well knowing that they were capable of much more than that. Dear Esther was the title that made them known, but being in charge of the sequel to Amnesia framed them in a genre like the psychological horror in which they have been very successful. Although Everybody's Gone to the Rapture was much more thriller and mystery than horror, The Chinese Room found its calling and now, almost a decade later, they return with Still Wakes the Deep.
But what is Still Wakes the Deep about? You may be wondering at this point. The game takes us to year 1975where you play in the shoes of a worker in the Beira D oil platform, in Scottish waters. After an unexplained incident, all lines of communication have been cut and all exits seem impossible to reach, so you must find the rest of the crew and try to survive at all costs the supernatural terror that has taken over the platform.
For obvious reasons we will not go into more details, since The Chinese Room itself has wanted to keep the plot surprises so that the story intoxicates and intrigues you as you progress through the video game. However, it is necessary to add that Still Wakes the Deep has a touch lovecraftian that permeates everything and without which the experience could not be understood, but we will let you see it for yourself.
The cat and the Mouse
Walking simulators usually boast a gaming experience focused on narrative and with limited playable mechanics. Still Wakes the Deep is no exception. We don't say this as a negative thing, but to make it clear to you what kind of game it is. However, it has a few more details than average. To give an example, it would be closer to an Outlast than to Dear Esther in terms of playability, but somewhere between the two.
The action sections are close to the aforementioned Red Barrels work. Basically The Chinese Room has designed areas with hiding places that we must go into, advancing little by little and when the enemies do not have us in sight so that they do not detect us. We have no way to defend ourselves, so if they see us we will be in serious trouble. In these scenarios we also find objects that we can use as a distraction to gain a few seconds of time that will allow us to advance to the next hiding place. Needless to say, these phases generate fantastically well-crafted tension, a ten for Still Wakes the Deep in this sense.
Although it may not seem like it, there is much more to Still Wakes the Deep beyond the “action”. Although we have missed a little more interaction with narrative elements (the game begins by making us think that there will be some but little by little it dilutes until there is practically zero), the work of The Chinese Room surprises with its “platforming”. Our character can jump and grab onto ledges in the environment to advance. The truth is that the mechanics are very well polished and feel great. The already typical yellow color that shows us the way to follow also helps, although in this game it is not always so obvious, which sometimes leads to some silly deaths due to not knowing where you had to jump.
The rest of the playable experience comes down to fixing things to unlock new areas. Our character is the electrician of the oil platform, so, armed with his screwdriver, he is capable of almost anything: open panels, repair elevators and a long etcetera more than necessary to meet members of the crew and unlock new sections of the place, still unexplored.
An audiovisual delight
As we have mentioned previously, Lovecraftian horror is a fundamental part of the Still Wakes the Deep experience and that is demonstrated with its visuals. The Chinese Room has given birth to a video game that looks great, especially by the standards of the independent development scene, but which also boasts an incredible artistic style in terms of its most terrifying side. We have already said that we will not go into details in this regard to keep the surprises, but it is worth experiencing it for yourself.
The sound is not far behind. In the parts more focused on terror, it helps to make our hair stand on end and keep us tense at all times. To this we must add a voice cast with a thick Scottish accent which works like clockwork and gives us the most emotional moments, although the story has not always convinced us throughout the approximately four hours that the game lasts.
Conclusions
The Chinese Room has returned to its roots, to walking simulators full of tension and emotional charge that they gave us so much joy in the past and that is always good news. They do it with Still Wakes the Deep, their most ambitious game in almost a decade and which enjoys a sublime setting on an oil platform in Scottish waters and located in the 1970s. Although the walking simulator may sound limiting, the new The title from the British studio has quite a few playable elements that come together perfectly to give life to an entertaining experience.
Still Wakes the Deep is strong in moments of tension and in its Lovecraftian-inspired terror, although it does not always convince on a narrative level. Despite this, it is a title that horror lovers will love and that can be played in its entirety in about four hours, perfect for playing over a weekend or even in a single sitting. It also comes to Game Pass, so if you are a subscriber to the service you can enjoy it at no additional cost. You will not regret.