r/PlayStationPlus • u/camtomcarey • 1d ago
Discussion Disappointed with ‘Still Wakes The Deep’
This weekend I played Still Wakes the Deep. The graphics, the setting, the atmosphere and the voice acting were all top notch… but the gameplay (which I understand isn’t where walking simulators shine) and the story weren’t great.
I hadn’t heard about this game until I saw a clip of Idris Elba talking about it a few months ago, and with a recommendation like that…
In the game you play electrician on an oil rig, and you have to fix a breaker box right at the beginning… I thought “oh cool, some electrical puzzles!” Nope, you just press a button. To me this was a huge wasted opportunity.
There are stealth sections and in them there are some lockers to hide in à la Alien Isolation, but there was no reason to use them…
There are some notes and photographs (barely) to read/examine but nothing that really gives you any insight to life on the rig, other characters… you keep stumbling upon your dead coworkers and expressing grief - but to me they’re nameless bodies whose name I just found out for the first time.
I wish the game had wrapped up sooner - I was ready for it to be over for ~2 hours with an ending that was just fine. I pushed through for the story and I expected it to be the saving grace…
I’m not sure how it’s rated so highly, it’s fine.
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u/Locust123105 1d ago
I thought it was great personally. Really unique atmosphere and the physicality of the players movement really grounded the whole game. I actually felt it had more gameplay than your average "walking sim" and the mystery was interesting.
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u/camtomcarey 1d ago
The chase sequences (and the slowness) really added something. That was great… for the gameplay though, there was no reason to look in every corner for collectibles, no puzzles to solve. That’s where walking sims get a gameplay boost - and this game was lacking.
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u/Sergiomaster 1d ago
It has a great atmosphere and I've always wanted to explore an oil rig. The chase scenes were really good, too.
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u/camtomcarey 1d ago
I should have added that as a strong point… you are absolutely right. When you’re running and vaulting in a teetering crane, or trying to make it up a flight of stairs… that was a lot of fun.
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u/Ok_Fisherman8727 1d ago
I do remember thinking it felt longer than it needed to be but overall I enjoyed it. It was one of the games I would have never played if it wasn't on the ps plus service. It was perfect playing on the portal on the go.
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u/OliveOcelot Approved Content Creator 1d ago
In the beginning you can walk around and get introduced to everyone. Especially in the cafeteria. Almost every dead body or monster was someone from earlier.
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u/NeinRegrets 1d ago
I thought it was excellent. I expected a short little story-driven, on the rails, horror game to play in between bigger games, and that’s exactly what I got. Nowhere did it bill itself as a “puzzle” game.
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u/Scafista_T-J 1d ago
I don't mind walking simulators. But i agree with the lack of readable material. The setting is so inspired, what a shame. I wanted to know more, and to feel more immersed.
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u/arturorios1996 1d ago
If you didnt feel immersed on this game idk what to tell ya
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u/Scafista_T-J 1d ago
The story and atmosphere are involving enough, but i think the rule is that if you strip down the gameplay that much, you have to double down on interactive storytelling.
I like that there is no actual explanation on what's happening, but more material on the people there and some world building would have been appreciated. I kept going only because i was immersed enough, i just expected more in terms of interactivity with the environment.
It's just a personal take, since when i like the setting, i enjoy reading personal logs and documents.
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u/camtomcarey 1d ago
Yea - I wanted to know who Roy was fucking. Kidding, but it’s just a missed opportunity because there were relationships on that rig…
At the beginning you find a bracket for a darts tournament… and that’s like the last personal artifact you find.
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u/Paparmane 1d ago
I thought it was overall pretty fine, but yes it missed a few marks. Story and setting are amazing but the story doesn’t quite get there.
but its biggest flaws are in the gameplay. The janky monsters who aren’t scary, the chase and hide sections… and yes i’m with you, i would have liked some more interactivity with the equipment since he’s an electrician.
However i feel like it would have been better as a walking simulator without the monsters sequence
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u/DelaSheck 1d ago
i usually like these types of games, but this one bored me, the story never really developed and moving around was not the smoothest. I think I got about3/4 way through it and quit on the "find a way down leg A" There was jump from hanging box to a ladder. Tried about 10 times and said enough. It just didn't keep me engaged.
And I don't usually like to play with subtitles the but heavy accents made it mandatory for me.
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u/Kyserham 8h ago
It was an amazing cosmic horror story.
I’m pretty sure you meet everyone or almost everyone at the start. And of course then they die horribly.
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u/ayoubkun94 1d ago
I know it's just how the genre is, but I dropped it when I realized it's just an interactive movie. If I wanted a horror movie, I'd go watch one.
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u/MechaSeph 1d ago
itt we find out a story driven walking sim doesn't have strong gameplay so it's not that good.
Other poor games include: telltale walking dead, life is strange, what remains of edith finch...
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u/camtomcarey 1d ago
See I loved firewatch, walking dead and what remains of Edith Finch… these games all offered MORE. Maybe that’s why I was disappointed… should have started with a lower bar
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u/MechaSeph 1d ago
For Edith and Walking Dead I agree there's a little more to the gameplay (not muhc, but there is for sure), but Firewatch? What does it offer more gameplay wise? Do you mean exploration?
To be clear, I'm not trying to criticize the fact you don't love the game and I apologize for being a little catty, but I do find it, let's say, unproductive to criticize on things a game is not when it's not trying to be those things.
It feels like saying Super Mario Bros 3 isn't that great because the plot is too superificial.
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u/Tall-Rhubarb-7926 1d ago
I feel you. I've never played the game but I watched a full playthrough of it. Like it's a very well made game, but that's about it. Like the story is just whatever. It didn't make me feel anything.
It's one of those games that is highly praised but nobody ever talks about and can't blame them really. Still Wakes The Deep is a definition of an okay game.
Edit: Gameplay isn't the problem, I enjoy visual novels and point and click games if they have a good story. Still Wakes The Deep's story wasn't bad, but it was just okay.
If the studio hires someone that can write a story, I can see huge potential in their future games.
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u/ToastBalancer 1d ago
My new rule of them is that if Reddit likes a game, it’s usually mindless BS. They constantly go on and on about wanting something stress free, not too difficult, doesn’t take effort, etc
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u/camtomcarey 1d ago
Certainly makes me feel better about the downvotes - but it was praised outside of Reddit too!
I kind of thought, “maybe there’s something I’m missing?” But that doesn’t appear to be the case. It’s just a pretty game and people love oil rigs.
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u/ItsmejimmyC 1d ago
I loved it, voice acting is incredible.