Tag Archives: The Chinese Room

Game Reviews

Survival, Terror, and the North Sea: Still Wakes the Deep (Quick Review)!

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Hey everyone, It’s Kern here…. you know, last year was packed with standout horror titles, and I didn’t really get around to reviewing them the way I hoped for. It’s time I got around to it now; Still Wakes the Deep makes a haunting impression with its claustrophobic tension, atmospheric design, and a chilling dive into psychological horror. This thing won a lot of awards too, which you can see for yourself:

The game was developed by The Chinese Room, the same studio behind narrative-driven games (walking simulators as some call them), like Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture and Dear Esther. Because they’re easy to play, they’re very accessible for novice gamers looking for a good story. You can find both of those games on Steam. For those of us who want some heavier gameplay, though Still Wakes the Deep is a solid choice.

As far as Still Wakes the Deep is concerned, the game is a slow-burning nightmare set against the brutal backdrop of the North Sea in the 1970s. You play as Cameron “Caz” McLeary, who happens to be an electrician working aboard a massive oil drilling platform. After everything goes right to hell in a handbag (as things tend to in horror games), the rig is damaged and everything rapidly descends into chaos. To make matters worse, monstrous entities begin to appear, stalking the creaking metal corridors. So, yeah, you’re screwed!

There’s no way off the rig, no help coming, and nowhere to hide for long. So what do you do? Run, hide, and keep away from the big baddies, that’s what! Still Wakes the Deep foregoes combat entirely. It’s all about survival. You spend time sneaking past unseen horrors, solving environmental puzzles, and navigating the collapsing rig under relentless storms. The first-person perspective heightens the immersion, placing you firmly in the hot seat as Caz, come hell and high water. That’s right, you get both! If you don’t like deep water horror, this is NOT the game for you.

For fans of story-driven horror set on open water and oil rigs, Still Wakes the Deep is a must-play experience. It’s not about cheap jump scares…. nah, instead, it delivers a slow, dread-filled experience that lingers long after the credits roll.

Kresh even made a fan song about it, so take a listen, if you want to! Just keep in mind, spoilers are layered within the song, obviously!

Well, that’s all for now everyone. This has been Kern of The Demented Ferrets, where stupidity is at its finest and level grinds are par for the course.

Gaming, Let's Play Content, Uncategorized

Kern Plays: Dear Esther: Landmark Edition

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Hey guys, it’s Kern here with a little bit of gameplay. Dear Esther is basically a walking simulator with a heavily laced narrative focus. Due to that I won’t be diving too deep on this one, there isn’t much to explain.

Dear Esther is a first person point-of-view exploration first and foremost. Although you might also coin it an adventure game, I’m hesitant to do that. There’s really no enemies or prevailing threats. All that you’ll find here is a riveting story… 

Kern Plays: Dear Esther

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Dear Esther was developed by The Chinese Room for the PC, PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One. The game was first released in 2008 as a free to play model. Later on, the game was entirely redeveloped for a commercial release in 2012.

As I said above, the game features very minimal gameplay at best, which is why it is often called a “walking simulator” a phrase you generally either love or hate as a gamer.

Personally, I think games like these have their own value, particularly if well written prose is the goal ambition of the design from the start. Dear Esther showcases this perfectly. Really, you only have one main objective here; explore the island the narrator stands upon. While you explore around and get your bearings, a troubled man explains his turmoil and reads a series of letters to his beloved, yet deceased, wife. Details of her death are slowly revealed as you explore around the island.

That’s about it… no really… that’s the basics of the game.

It is noteworthy to state that despite the minimalist style and gameplay, the game was critically acclaimed for the story it tells. I wouldn’t go so far as to call it horror, but if you are the imaginative sort, it can be a bit unsettling.

When 2017 came around, an updated version known as the Dear Esther: Landmark Edition was released, based on the Unity engine. That’s the one I’m playing in the video.

This has been Kernook of The Demented Ferrets, where stupidity is at it’s finest, and level grinds are par for the course. ..

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