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Forbes
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘Still Wakes The Deep: Siren's Rest' DLC Review: Dreading Water
'Siren's Rest' is a great DLC for 'Still Wakes the Deep', though it's not without it's foibles. Still Wakes the Deep wasn't just an acting masterpiece — it was 2024's best indie horror game, even in the face of a packed field. The fact that it finally received DLC with Siren's Rest, released today (June 18), is no surprise, even if its announcement just last week proved to be. Taking place ten years after the tragic, spooky, and body-horror-laden events that led to the demise of the Beira D oil rig off the coast of Scotland, Siren's Rest promised to carry the strengths of its forerunner underwater, as you hop into a diving bell to inspect the wreckage and, it seems, bring closure for the victim's loved ones, or at least some answers. In its 1.5-to-two-hour runthrough, it pretty much nails it, even if it doesn't learn from the occasional missteps that took the shine off Still Wakes the Deep's otherwise insidious storybuilding and atmosphere. Simply going back to Still Wakes the Deep fills you with dread. As soon as you choose Siren's Rest from the opening menu — complete with the intact Beira D oil rig — the game immediately plunges you beneath the waves and you think ah, well, this sucks already, as you relive flashbacks of the main game. FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder It's May 14, 1986 — less than a month after the Chernobyl disaster, but also a few days before I was born, so it's a bad time whichever way you look at it. You're Mhairi, a plucky young explorer in a diving bell, being lowered by your coffee-obsessed colleague Hans, who patches through on comms. Meanwhile, fellow underwater compadre Rob is already outside, having plotted your descent to the Beira D. Conversations are impeccable and believable, but also uneasy to listen to; from the beginning, you realize the team has no idea of the horrors that occurred on the platform before its capitulation, but then again, why would they? Once you're given the freedom to move, you'll most likely go to the video settings and switch to performance mode to overcome the shoddy frame rate. Much like the original game, Siren's Rest thrives away from 'quality' mode, but only if you keep motion blur and film grain on for that perfect, throwback look. Set design is impeccable, but it struggles to perform in quality mode. There's more than a touch of Control in this DLC's art direction, between its all-caps titles for its acts and the ominous red lights provided by flares — which become an ever-greater part of the experience — yet it quickly establishes itself as independent from both Still Wakes the Deep and other underwater exploration game, even those grittier outings like Soma or Narcosis. The combination of now-outdated technology, such as your umbilical cord and aging torch, along with the sheer grubbiness and low-lit details of your surroundings, only enhances the direness that your 'adventure' promises. Admittedly, the umbilical cable is one of the first things to break immersion. Initially, it acts as an unknowing antagonist — it looks like an otherworldly tentacle that'll give you the occasional accidental jumpscare in the first few minutes of your trek — but once you get into more complex terrain, it doesn't work like it should, routinely snagging on invisible elements or parsing through solid walls — far from ideal, given Siren's Rest's major focus on optional discoveries. Still Wakes the Deep is, ironically, alive and well in the death and decay of past characters. Between Mhairi, Hans, and Rob, you identify the bodies of the fallen along the way, though only a small handful are on the main story route. Level design, especially in the early stages, thrives on your indecision. Exploration is regularly a binary choice of direction, where the optional dead-end goes on for just a bit too long before you learn if it's a discoverable extra or the core path. You might find yourself turning back to make damn sure you haven't missed a collectible or, more gruesomely, a dead body to photograph. Say cheese! You really don't want to miss these sidebars, either. Characters of the dead are given backstories, like an episode of Bones played out in real time. The highlighting reticles for discoverables are thankfully forgiving — ideal for the murky depths that would otherwise hide them. Nonetheless, after the first 15 minutes, you already feel like you've missed something. Siren's Rest's story building is unsurprisingly excellent, but in offering a less linear approach than its predecessor, you're prone to missing key sights, sounds, or jump scares. The creeping increase in otherworldly formations is immaculate, underpinned by blink-and-you'll miss-them suggestions of horror, usually enhanced by gorgeous lighting. However, the 360-degree field of vision from your underwater antics means you can miss what you're meant to see, rather than what you're distracted by. The first two potential 'scares' were lost on me as I wasn't facing the desired direction; I assume I was unknowingly drifting towards an animation's designated trigger point. All the while, prompts continue to break immersion by taking up too much room, or staying on screen; sometimes, they appear too late. Then there are the glitches and oddities — I can forgive the umbilical's apparent understanding of quantum physics, but a couple of other issues required restarts. In one case, opening a specific rusted door made the right analog stick stop working. One open route sees your torch go out and randomly kills you, with no prompt or reason to believe you've done anything wrong. Sure, it's probably a case of poor signposting, but the following reload trapped me behind a wall. Siren's Rest effortlessly shifts reality with gravity-defying rooms and spaces. Then, as things ramp up in the third act — and without spoiling what's to come in these later stages of Siren's Rest — luck plays a significant part in the experience, to the point you don't know what you're doing wrong. Still, you get there in the end. For $12, Still Wakes the Deep's Siren's Rest DLC has some great moments. However, it falls a tad short, both in length and in comparison to the original game — not least with those extremes of fear, loneliness, and inhumanity, which never feel dialled anywhere close to 10. Still, after completing Siren's Rest, I restarted the original campaign. I'm already two hours in, and not only does this latest outing make me appreciate The Chinese Room's 2024 masterstroke, but it'll force me to return to Siren's Rest very soon, and with fresher memories. Maybe the second time's the real charm — it's already proving to be the case with Still Wakes the Deep.
Forbes
14-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
The Analogue Duo Makes Classic TurboGrafx-16 Games Accessible Again
The Analogue Duo can play classic PC Engine and TurboGrafx-16 games without the need for emulation. For fans of the TurboGrafx and PC Engine, the Analogue Duo has a lot to offer and allows these classic systems to breathe life into their software libraries once more. Originally released in 1987 in Japan, the PC Engine started off life as a cartridge console, with its own HuCards storage setup. Technically an 8-bit system, much like the Famicom, the PC Engine did have two 16-bit graphics processors, which allowed it to compete more directly with the Super Famicom. When it came Westward in 1988, it became known as the TurboGrafx-16, with the latter '16' being something of a contentious point, as it technically wasn't a full-on 16-bit system. That said, what the PC Engine, and subsequently the TurboGrafx-16, did do very well was handle arcade ports almost perfectly. The most famous of these was the first R-Type, which was split across two HuCards, which brings me onto the Duo. The Analogue Duo supports HuCards and CD-ROMs. The Duo for both systems added a CD-ROM drive to the setup and allowed games with more audio and graphics to be pumped through the system. It also meant that games like R-Type could have their two HuCards combined onto one CD, with an all-new funky soundtrack. FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder Considering the legacy of R-Type on the PC Engine, it felt only fitting to test drive it on the Analogue Duo, which again uses a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) like their other retro-inspired systems. That means that the Analogue Duo is not emulating its games; it's running them effectively natively. This is an important point, because if you wanted to play PC Engine games, HuCard or CD, on an original system, let alone the even rarer portable PC Engine GT, you're going to have your work cut out for you. Especially as hardware such as the PC Engine GT is notoriously unreliable these days, as these systems weren't sadly built for a long lifespan, especially when it comes to the old CD-ROM drives in the Duo. The Analogue Duo uses an FPGA, so it is not emulating the games it runs. This is where the Analogue Duo comes in and allows classic HuCard and CD-ROM games to be played on modern displays at 1080p. Games like Macross 2036, being one of the earlier Masaya shmups, are very hard to get a hold of these days, and even harder to play on classic hardware (if you can even find hardware that works). This is why Analogue, and its family of retro systems using FPGA hardware, are helping to keep classic consoles like the PC Engine and the TurboGrafx-16 alive. It's also a helpful way to look back and see how the PC Engine's foray into CD-ROM games would, in turn, force Nintendo's hand and their ill-fated alliance with Sony to create the original Nintendo PlayStation. In many ways, the PC Engine was the indirect start of the PlayStation and the legacy it has had on the games industry. Thankfully, the Analogue Duo is still readily available from their online shop for $249.99, and the wirelessly compatible 8BitDo PC Engine Mini controller is still on Amazon for $24.24. Follow me on X, Facebook and YouTube. I also manage Mecha Damashii and am currently featured in the Giant Robots exhibition currently touring Japan.
Forbes
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Today's ‘Wordle' #1455 Hints, Clues And Answer For Friday, June 13th
How to solve today's Wordle. Looking for Thursday's Wordle hints, clues and answer? You can find them here: Today is both 2XP Friday — so be sure to double your points and losses if you play Competitive Wordle — and Friday the 13th, which bodes ill for your guessing game today. Weirdly, I did pretty good and got very lucky, which makes me question if this Friday the 13th business is at all legit. In any case, let's solve this Wordle and get ready for the weekend! The Hint: In the hull. The Clue: This Wordle ends with a vowel. Okay, spoilers below! The answer is coming! FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder . . . Today's Wordle Every day I check Wordle Bot to help analyze my guessing game. You can check your Wordles with Wordle Bot right here. I went ahead and used one of the Wordle Bot's favorite openers today, and SLATE turned out to be a pretty great guess. Just 29 words remained, and only five after CHOIR, though five is generally a bad outcome for guess #2. I could think of two words that began with 'B' at this point, so I went ahead and guessed BILGE (instead of BIBLE which has two B's). Lucky for me—and on such an unlucky day—that was the Wordle! Today's Wordle Bot It is perhaps fitting that today is the day the tides turn on our June score, what with the nautical Wordle. I get 1 point for guessing in three and 1 for beating the Bot (again) and double that for a total of 4 points for 2XP Friday. The Bot loses 1 point for guessing to me and gets 0 for guessing in four. Double that to -2 and our totals become: Erik: 10 points Wordle Bot: 7 points The word bilge comes from Middle English bulge meaning "ship's hull," which itself derives from Old French bouge meaning "leather bag, pouch" and from Latin bulga meaning "leather bag or sack." Over time, bilge came to refer to the lowest part inside a ship's hull where water collects. Let me know how you fared with your Wordle today on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. Also be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel and follow me here on this blog where I write about games, TV shows and movies when I'm not writing puzzle guides. Sign up for my newsletter for more reviews and commentary on entertainment and culture.
Forbes
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Today's ‘Wordle' #1452 Hints, Clues And Answer For Tuesday, June 10th
How to solve today's Wordle. Looking for Monday's Wordle hints, clues and answer? You can find them here: Another day, another Wordle to solve. It's another gorgeous June Tuesday and there's a whole world of summer to explore, so let's not dilly-dally with a preamble. Let's solve this Wordle! The Hint: Corporate. Governing. Advisory. Cheese. The Clue: This Wordle has two vowels in a row. Okay, spoilers below! The answer is coming! . FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder . . Today's Wordle Every day I check Wordle Bot to help analyze my guessing game. You can check your Wordles with Wordle Bot right here. I started off rather badly with BREAD. 305 words remained and one lonely 'A' wasn't doing much for me. I have no idea where AMITY came from for my second guess, but at least it slashed that number down to just 7. TANGY wasn't a great choice for guess #3, leaving me with four words. Thankfully, the first word I came up with — TABBY — was no good because I'd already used the 'B' but this led me to TAFFY and I just went for it. Lucky for me, it was the Wordle! Today's Wordle Bot I can't believe the Bot got this one on its third guess with just one yellow 'A' and one green 'T'. Lucky lucky Bot. This means I lose 1 point for losing to the Bot and it gets 1 for guessing in three and 1 for beating me. Our June totals widen once again: Erik: 3 points Wordle Bot: 9 points The word taffy (the chewy candy) comes from British dialectal taffy or taffie, recorded in the early 19th century, meaning "candy made by boiling sugar." The exact origin is uncertain, but it may be imitative of the stretching and pulling sound or action used in making the candy. It is unrelated to Taffy as a slang term for a Welsh person, which comes from the Welsh name Dafydd (David). Let me know how you fared with your Wordle today on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. Also be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel and follow me here on this blog where I write about games, TV shows and movies when I'm not writing puzzle guides. Sign up for my newsletter for more reviews and commentary on entertainment and culture.
Forbes
07-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Today's ‘Wordle' #1450 Hints, Clues And Answer For Sunday, June 8th
How to solve today's Wordle. Looking for Saturday's Wordle hints, clues and answer? You can find them here: It's lazy Sunday which means that I'm going to spend all day working and working on the house getting projects done that I've been putting off and basically doing whatever it takes to not be lazy despite calling it lazy Sunday. I've been lazy enough this week, so I figure it's time to get cracking on some productive affairs. But before I do all that, we have a Wordle to solve! The Hint: When you don't want to buy. The Clue: This Wordle has a double letter. Okay, spoilers below! The answer is coming! FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder . . . Today's Wordle Every day I check Wordle Bot to help analyze my guessing game. You can check your Wordles with Wordle Bot right here. I started off strong today with PLANE. I didn't even realize I only had six words remaining — scale, lease, whale, leave, shale or swale, according to Wordle Bot — but I had two green boxes and one yellow box, so I knew I was close. I rearranged the 'L' with SCALE and that left me with just one remaining option: LEASE for the win! Today's Wordle Bot Just like yesterday: A tie, which leaves me with 1 point for guessing in three and the Bot with one point for guessing in three. We both inch forward for our June totals: Erik: 2 points Wordle Bot: 8 points The noun lease ('contract for use of property') dates to the late 14th century, from Anglo-French les (Old French lais, lez 'a letting, a leaving'), the verbal noun of laissier 'to let, allow' (from Latin laxāre 'to loosen,' based on laxus 'loose'). The verb lease ('to grant or take a lease') appears in the late 15th century via Anglo-French lesser, also from Old French laissier < Latin laxāre. Let me know how you fared with your Wordle today on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. Also be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel and follow me here on this blog where I write about games, TV shows and movies when I'm not writing puzzle guides. Sign up for my newsletter for more reviews and commentary on entertainment and culture.
