Still Wakes the Deep is a survival horror game set in 1975, when a disaster struck the Beira D oil rig off the coast of Scotland. The player's objective: to save the crew before the ship finally sinks, as a storm breaks and a monster approaches.
A horror adventure on a Scottish oil rig, a premise that promises something original.
The game plunges us straight into the atmosphere. We play as McLearly, an electrician who has been laid off, a layoff he considers very unwelcome. The first few minutes are peaceful, under a gray sky, we navigate within sight of the workers, both indoors and outdoors, the images are beautiful and realistic. The voice acting is also excellent, with delightful accents.
The rig quickly becomes the scene of fantastical events, as monsters straight from the depths take over the ship. The game quickly becomes a nautical survival game with a very captivating atmosphere. The threat is disturbing, and it's truly immersive.
What might put some players off, however, is the lack of direct confrontation with the creatures. There are no weapons in the game, nor any combat. For once, I even missed the jump scares.
The game's soundtrack is also very good, but not fully exploited. There was excellent potential; I would have really appreciated seeing even more spectacular things outdoors, especially since the game often allows for this with sequences and wide shots of the ocean... alas, nothing on the horizon.
From start to finish, the game favors and multiplies scenes involving climbing, balancing, and racing. It's very linear and frankly easy. But there's real work on the sensations, which are omnipresent. As for the story, we're intrigued by the events, but the mystery doesn't fully deepen. A blessing in disguise, since we draw the conclusions we want.
On the other hand, the game ends (a little too quickly, 4/5 hours) with a rather pretty and moving ending. This is certainly the only successful emotional touch, since the game can't really say that it really touches our hearts; the characters are obsessive and not very endearing. This is due to its quick prologue, which didn't properly introduce its characters.
All in all, I recommend the game to anyone hoping for a modicum of thrills and a small survival game with a solid atmosphere, graphically perfectly suited to this generation.

14/20