Still Wakes the Deep

Lore & Background

Still Wakes the Deep was developed by The Chinese Room, the studio behind Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs and Everybody's Gone to the Rapture. The concept was created by co-founder Dan Pinchbeck, who directed the game until his departure in mid-2023, after which art director John McCormack was promoted to replace him. Pinchbeck pitched the game as 'The Thing set on an oil rig,' with Who Goes There? inspiring the overall atmosphere. The team also cited The Poseidon Adventure and Annihilation as inspirations. The ocean was described as the game's secondary enemy, and the setting was intended to evoke fears of vertigo, drowning, and claustrophobia. To ensure authenticity, the team interviewed engineers who had worked on oil rigs and viewed BP's documentary archives. Scottish actors were recruited, with Alec Newman voicing the protagonist. The game was announced in June 2023 and released in June 2024 for Windows, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and Series S. An expansion titled Siren's Rest was released on 18 June 2025.

Reader's Guide

Still Wakes the Deep received generally positive reviews, with critics praising its story, atmosphere, graphics, sound design, and voice performances, while criticizing its gameplay, linear structure, and overall length. The game received two nominations at the 28th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards and eight nominations at the 21st British Academy Games Awards, winning three. The game is played from a first-person perspective with no head-up display; players must rely on stealth, hiding, and throwing objects to distract enemies, and solving environmental puzzles. The environment gradually evolves as the rig is destroyed or flooded, and yellow paint is used to direct players toward objectives. A story mode offers lower difficulty. The expansion Siren's Rest, set eleven years after the main game, follows saturation divers Mhairi and Rob on a recovery mission to the Beira D wreckage, presenting a branching ending based on player choice.

Did You Know?

• The team interviewed former oil rig engineers and viewed BP's documentary archives for authenticity.
• The game has no combat system; players must use stealth and environmental puzzles to survive.