Latest news with #StillWakestheDeep
Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Still Wakes the Deep Siren's Rest review – brief DLC hints at stranger things
Siren's Rest delivers more terrifying scares in a bite-sized format, letting you pick back over the base game's chilling events with all-new context. The Chinese Room follows up its BAFTA-winning first-person horror tale with a short but scary expansion that dives even deeper into mysterious territory. Still Wakes the Deep cemented itself as one of 2024's biggest surprises for all the ways it nailed a strong sense of intrigue and horror while trapping you on an oil rig in the North Sea facing a supernatural force. It was linear and mostly guided, sure, but also did well to place you in the shoes of a blue-collar worker and everyday Joe just trying to get home – even presenting some of the most believable Scottish accents in a video game, probably ever. It shouldn't be shocking to learn then that, though a tad short, the new surprise Siren's Rest DLC brilliantly balances similar emotional beats and scares once again, just from a completely new angle. It's been over 10 years since the Beira D mysteriously went down, and you're the diver searching for answers. Getting the obvious out of the way immediately, though playable from the menu right after purchase, Siren's Rest is the type of expansion that demands knowledge of the base game. While set over a decade after the events that put Caz and crew through the worst day of their lives, most of your time is spent picking through them with your comms link and camera, swimming through the Beira D's dilapidated ruins and trying to piece together what happened. It's an interesting approach for developer The Chinese Room to take given how we as the player already know what happened. It means our new main character, Mhairi, spends a lot of time playing catch-up. And yet, the new underwater setting and her much different tone of voice help keep this adventure fresh. I was genuinely taken aback by how much getting to explore familiar locations like the mess hall, cafeteria, and manager's office from this new watery perspective overall felt. Having walked through these halls previously while dodging all manner of eldritch body horrors as Caz, Siren's Rest allowed me to properly digest these locations and appreciate them at a much slower pace. One of my only real complaints with the Still Wakes the Deep base game is just how quickly the crap hits the fan after the story begins which meant being given a brief period to get to know your crewmates before they descend into madness. Oddly it's here, when discovering their bodies and taking pictures of them to give their families on the surface for closure, that I suddenly feel like I know them more. READ MORE: The 10 best Nintendo Switch 2 games you can play right now – must-play titles to try at launch Last breath A lot of this comes down to the great voice performances, which are on par with what already came before. There are only three or four real characters (including yourself) that make up this DLC in total, but every actor does a great job at portraying a great sense of context and, when required, urgency as part of a story that took me just a little over an hour-and-a-half to complete. It's made instantly clear how much of an intelligent, passionate person Mhairi is, which only made me empathise more with her personal reasons for wanting to explore the rig. Siren's Rest doesn't do a lot to shake up the formula too much compared to the base game, although the scenarios you're placed in really do make this more of a 'swimming' simulator as opposed to a walking one The Chinese Room is known for. This means regularly having to swim through tight corridors, tubes, and more in order to reach objectives, gaining speed by using conveniently placed pipes and other ephemera whenever a quick escape through such spaces is necessary. Other than this, the only new mechanic is a cutting tool, which is often needed to remove pathways of rust that have built up on the Beira D in the years since it first went down. Fortunately, though definitely a lot shorter than the base game's 5- to 6-hour runtime, there are a few fleeting moments in Siren's Rest where time isn't working against you and you're afforded to explore. A lot of the time, this results in finding optional collectables or more bodies that may or may not explain what happened to missing members of the main cast from before – all worth it for players who really want to put together the full picture of Beira D's catastrophic events and properly roleplay as Mhairi. Being shorter does mean that the horror is more focused this time around, too, as The Chinese Room smartly plays its cards close to its chest before anything remotely resembling a stealth or action sequence shows up. Overall, I preferred this since it meant I could enjoy an unnerving atmosphere but also still take in the narrative texture the submerged location provides. Siren's Rest serves as an equally mysterious and oftentimes chilling coda to Still Wakes the Deep that brings extra weight and context to that original Beira D disaster. New mechanics like the umbilical cord tether, cutting tool, and swim boost give this shorter, more contained story a slightly different flavour, but much more impactful is the ability to explore previous horrors from a new underwater perspective at a slower yet still terrifying pace. If you're seeking answers, this brief follow-up adventure is well worth a dip. Just don't expect them to be the exact ones you went in seeking.
Tom's Guide
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Tom's Guide
My favorite horror game of 2024 just got a new DLC — but Siren's Rest drifts too far from what made Still Wakes the Deep terrifying
Still Wakes the Deep earned a spot on our best games of 2024 list, specifically in the horror category (sorry, Silent Hill 2). It hits all the right horror notes: intense scares, visceral gore, and voice performances that take the experience to another level. So naturally, when I heard about Siren's Rest, the compelling new DLC, I was ready to dive in (literally). I want to say that I loved it, that I had a great experience, and that it's a DLC I certainly won't forget anytime soon. But unfortunately, Siren's Rest didn't feel as impactful as I had hoped, and since I enjoyed the base game so much, I have to admit I felt a bit gutted. That said, Siren's Rest is still a solid DLC and worth playing if you're a fan of the base game and want something short and sweet to enjoy one evening. This time, the story takes place below the surface, where you explore the wreckage of the Beira D investigation-style, and it's certainly a compelling experience. From swimming through decaying corridors to collecting mementos of the dead to return to their families, there are several intriguing aspects to this DLC. But I can't help feeling its overall purpose fails to fully shine through. Still Wakes the Deep: Siren's Rest: $11 @ SteamStill Wakes the Deep: Siren's Rest is a 2‑hour narrative DLC set in 1986. You play as Mhairi, leading a deep‑sea saturation dive into the Beira D wreckage to recover remains, investigate the crew's fate, and uncover answers in haunting underwater ruins. The best part of Still Wakes the Deep: Siren's Rest is its storytelling style, and I'm sure fans of investigative games will definitely enjoy piecing together clues and exploring the sunken oil rig filled with secrets. You're essentially solving a mystery, even though you already know the outcome. As you descend into the depths, you confront not only the physical challenges of navigating the wreckage but also psychological ones, including paranoia and the unreliability of memory. Set in 1986, over a decade after the events of the original game, you assume the role of Mhairi, the leader of a saturation dive team who is tasked with exploring the sunken remains of the Beira D oil rig in the North Sea. The mission aims to uncover the fate of the crew and recover what remains of their passing. As you descend into the depths, you confront not only the physical challenges of navigating the wreckage but also psychological ones, including thalassophobia, paranoia, and the unreliability of memory. In this DLC, you engage in forensic exploration which means collecting mementos, photographing human remains, and piecing together the crew's final moments. This type of gameplay is actually very compelling, and you almost feel like a detective breaking into parts of the wreckage, swimming through the corridors into different rooms, and piecing together clues about what happened to the crew. Communication with a diving partner and a dive support supervisor is maintained through fragile 1986 undersea technology, meaning part of the story is told through their conversations, especially when audio logs from the ship are recovered. Tools such as a cutting arc, undersea flares, and a crowbar are essential for accessing sealed areas, while a deep-sea camera aids in documenting findings. This is pretty much all the gear you have, and although using the cutting arc to remove rust on doors, and plying cabinets open with the crowbar gets a little repetitive (much like the gameplay mechanics in the base game), it's still a fun experience. Even more so when cutting open a door causes the entire wreckage to groan like a steel catacomb, and I had to pause every time out of fear of being crushed by falling debris. Thankfully, the game doesn't require you to swim the entire time. While constant swimming might've heightened the tension for anyone with thalassophobia or claustrophobia, the story occasionally gives you a break by letting you explore the wreckage on foot when you find an air pocket. These moments put you back in the familiar boots of the base game's protagonist, Caz, who navigated the dark corridors in eerie silence. This time, though, Mhairi is searching for the ship's main audio log, which holds crucial clues about what really happened. During these moments you have to detach the umbilical cord, cutting any type of communication with your team. It's tense stuff. Horror is my favorite genre, and that's one reason I loved Still Wakes the Deep so much. It felt like 'The Thing' meets 'Dead Space,' with a bit of 'Callisto Protocol' thrown in, and it stood out as something genuinely unique in a crowded horror market. Hence my disappointment when Siren's Rest didn't manage to scare me. Don't get me wrong, Siren's Rest has horror elements: you explore decaying rooms with only a flashlight, stumble across eerie remains, and dive deeper into the wreckage knowing something's waiting. But that's really all there is, and the 'true' horror doesn't kick in until the last twenty minutes of gameplay. Even then, it feels forced. The 'true' horror doesn't kick in until the last twenty minutes of gameplay. Even then, it feels forced. Still Wakes the Deep was terrifying because we had no idea what the threat was, or how we could possibly escape the rig. You were essentially helpless — running, hiding, and trying to survive while the creature's grotesque groans echoed through tight corridors. But in Siren's Rest, you're fully submerged, which means there's far less reliance on sound. It's mostly visual now, and while the visuals are impressive, they're just not enough to make this feel like a real horror experience. Siren's Rest is a genuinely intriguing DLC, and I still had a good time with it. But I can't help feeling that this particular story comes off as unnecessary. While it's great finding clues and exploring a wreckage that's practically falling apart, the element of mystery feels dulled, because we already know what happened. There's not all that much to uncover. The one narrative thread that does make sense is the protagonist's motive, but that's revealed later on, meaning I can't get into it here without spoiling anything. Instead, I feel like this DLC could've still taken the diving concept but create a new story not related to the events of the Beira D. Maybe a group of divers explore another random wreckage in a completely different location, only to uncover the mysterious, otherworldly entity, very much still thriving at the bottom of the North Sea. That would've allowed the story to expand the universe without relying on a tale that already had a strong conclusion. That said, I can't deny that Siren's Rest is a fun experience with a cool concept. It only took me around two hours to complete, so it's perfect for a one-sitting session on a quiet evening. Despite its lack of scares and its questionable necessity, Siren's Rest doesn't forget the soul of the base game, and for anyone who endured the chaos of the Beira D, it still offers something worth diving into.
Scotsman
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Still Wakes the Deep returns to North Sea oil rig with new Siren's Rest DLC
Still Wakes the Deep: Siren's Rest is set to emerge from the depths on Wednesday, June 18. Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Developer The Chinese Room has a new story expansion to their North Sea set horror game Still Wakes the Deep. Titled Siren's Rest, the DLC will be released on Wednesday, June 18, exactly one year on from the release of the original game which won three BAFTA Games Awards earlier this year, including Best New Intellectual Property. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Set more than a decade following the events of Still Wakes the Deep, players will be able to return to the Beira D off the coast of Scotland to explore exactly what happened to the ill fated oil rig's crew. A screenshot of Still Wakes the Deep Siren's Rest. | Secret Mode / The Chinese Room In the official announcement, The Chinese Room say: '1986. The Beira D is now a groaning steel catacomb interred in the inky depths of the North Sea. What really happened that December day in 1975, when communications to the mainland were severed and the rig sank without a trace? What answers can be given to families who still grieve, ten years on? 'You are Mhairi. And you will find those answers. As the leader of a saturation dive to the wreck of the Beira D, you descend, a fragile light in the crushing dark. Your mission: uncover the fate of the crew and recover what remains of their passing.' Armed with a cutting torch, crowbar and camera, players will explore the remains of the underwater wreckage to piece together the crew's final moments, all while an unknown force lurks in the depths. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Written by Helldivers 2's Sagar Beroshi, the new story will be led by Lois Chimimba who plays Mhairi. Best known for her roles in Shetland, Nightsleeper and Vigil, Chimimba will be joined by Lorn Macdonald (Deadwater Fell), and David Menkin (Alan Wake 2). The game is once again directed by Kate Saxon. Lois Chimimba (on the far right) in Nightsleeper. | BBC/Euston Films/Anne Binckebanck Available on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, Still Wakes the Deep: Siren's Rest will cost will cost £9.99 with its release set for June 18. Those purchasing via Steam will receive a 15% launch discount. To play, a copy of the base game will be required.
BBC News
09-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Karen Dunbar wins Bafta for Still Wakes the Deep video game role
Actor and comedian Karen Dunbar is celebrating winning a Bafta for her debut in the world of video games. The Chewin' The Fat star was named best performer in a supporting role for Still Wakes the Deep, a first-person horror set on a Scottish oil rig, at the 21st Bafta Game and fellow Scot Alec Newman won best performer in a leading role at the ceremony in London on told the audience: "I've been nominated for many a Scottish Bafta but never won. And yet here I am in the gaming community , thank you so much." Still Wakes the Deep follows offshore electrician Caz, played by Newman, and his co-worker Finlay, played by Dunbar, who are trapped on a damaged North Sea drilling platform in are pursued by mysterious monsters and have to deal with terrible weather conditions. Players must rely on stealth and puzzle-solving to stay developers - Brighton based games company The Chinese Room - cite classic horror and science fiction films and TV shows such as Annihilation, John Carpenter's The Thing and Sapphire and Steel as inspirations. The trailer for the game and its soundtrack features the Gaelic song 'Fath Mo Mhulaid A Bhith Ann' (Being Here Has Caused My Sorrow), performed by Maggie MacInnes, and the game has a Gaelic subtitles director John McCormack said this was an attempt to reflect its "uniquely Scottish story"."After listening to 'Fath Mo Mhulaid A Bhith Ann' for the first time, it was clear that the game experience wouldn't be complete without a full translation deeply connected to the history and people of Scotland," he Alec Newman is perhaps best known for playing head master Michael Byrne in the BBC series Waterloo Road from also played Paul Atreides in the 2000 mini-series of Dune, and has appeared in Outlander, Shetland and Call The Midwife.A prolific games actor, he thanked the makers of Still Wakes the Deep for giving him the role."Your attention to detail is phenomenal, and was an inspiration to me from the moment I first read for Caz McLeary," he Secret Mode said they were delighted with the awards."We're thrilled for Alec and Karen who played a huge part in bringing this wonderful game to life," the company's James Schall said. Dunbar told BBC Scotland News she was "gob-smacked" to have said she attended the awards with the hope of meeting one of her favourite actors Matt Berry - star of vampire comedy What We Do in the Shadows. "Part of the surprise is I was up against Matt Berry and I love him," she said. "I felt I had to go to possibly meet him and maybe mingle a bit."When they said my name I started clapping, thinking it was Matt Berry. Then I was like 'Oh my God, it's me'."This isn't false modesty," she added. "I know when I'm good and I know when I'm not and I was good in that game."This was her first video game acting role, an experience she enjoyed and compares to working on a radio play. Sonic the Hedgehog's mum Dunbar performed remotely from Glasgow while her co-stars and director were in a studio in London and she believes her relative lack of experience in the genre may have helped free her up to play the role."I didn't have any preconceptions, I just played the character. I was ignorant," she made the move into a new genre, she is now keen to continue working in games."Just to be in that world was so exciting. To see all those new people. I had no idea before and I really liked it, especially at my age when I have done most things," she said. And while the 54-year-old admits she has never been much of a gamer, the role of Finlay has opened up new opportunities for the future."The last game I played was Sonic the Hedgehog, so I would like to to play Sonic the Hedgehog's mum," she said.
Sky News
08-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Sky News
BAFTA Games Awards: Astro Bot tops leaderboard - with psychological horror close behind
Astro Bot was the big winner at this year's BAFTA Games Awards, taking home five prizes, including the coveted best game. The 3D platformer, which was launched to critical acclaim in September to mark PlayStation's 30th anniversary, was nominated for eight gongs, while Senua's Saga: Hellblade II, led with 11 nods. But in the end, the critics - some of whom had dubbed Astro Bot a "perfect game" - were right as it dominated the awards at London's Queen Elizabeth Hall. BAFTAs for audio achievement, game design, animation, and best family game completed the set for developers Team Asobi, who designed multiple galaxies and dozens of levels for the titular Astro to journey through, retrieving spaceship parts and rescuing lost robots. "We're a team based in Japan, but we have over 12 nationalities. We really mix it up and get ideas from everyone," Nicolas Doucet, president of Team Asobi, told Sky News. "We do a lot of jokes in the game, but the joke has a different meaning depending on where you are in the world. So it's really, really nice to go around and ask everyone 'is that joke fine in your country?' And then together we come to a kind of universal playfulness." It's a very different atmosphere than that generated by British psychological horror Still Wakes the Deep, which won three awards for best new intellectual property and best supporting and leading roles. Compared to John Carpenter's 1980 sci-fi horror The Thing but on a Scottish oil rig, the game sees players take on the role of an electrician trapped on a damaged facility while being pursued by monsters. Developer The Chinese Room has been praised for using home-grown talent to voice the characters, including comedian and actress Karen Dunbar, who picked up best performer in a supporting role for voicing Finlay. "I've been nominated for quite a few BAFTAs in my time in Scotland, and I've never won one," said Dunbar. "It was such a great category, so many great performances. When they shouted my name, I think I started clapping for someone else!" Meanwhile, best multiplayer game went to Helldivers II - a satirical, sci-fi shooter that sees players fight bugs, aliens and robots with the gumption and gullibility of the characters in Paul Verhoeven's Starship Troopers. It has gained a cult following since launching in February 2024 with so much initial interest it created server problems. "Games for me are about connecting people and forging those bonds of friendship and the multiplayer award is exactly what it stands for," said Johan Pilestedt, chief executive of Arrowhead Game Studios. From outer space to a fictional Yorkshire town called Barnsworth. Thank Goodness You're Here, a cartoonish, comedy platformer, won Best British Game. Like Still Wakes the Deep, it has won praise for the authenticity of its actors and setting. " I think it's been a real privilege to be able to represent Barnsley on the silver screen," said Will Todd, who is from the town and one of two game designers behind the project. Co-creator James Carbutt added: "Me and Will wrote everything in our tone of voice, quite literally. The further along development we got, the more we lent into it. I think the voices from different parts of the UK and different voices in gaming are super important, and hopefully we're one of them." By the time the BAFTAs wrapped up, Senua's Saga: Hellblade II was only handed one of the 11 BAFTAs it was nominated for, technical achievement. But developers Ninja Theory are already adding this year's win to a tally of five BAFTAs they were awarded for the first game in the series, which created a protagonist with psychosis by drawing on clinical neuroscience and the experiences of people living with the condition.
