We just had yet another look at the Beira D oil rig in Still Wakes the Deep during a digital ID Xbox showcase. This time, instead of just showing the silent aftermath of an attack, the protagonist Caz and his best bud Roy made a short appearance, along with some melted and stretched human flesh.
After retreating inside the rig and sheltering from the cold and harsh Arctic wind outside, Caz realises pretty quickly that the Beira D is no place to be. He travels deeper inside to try and find his best friend Roy, the rig’s chef and the person who got him this unlucky break.
He gingerly makes his way through hallways covered in liquified human skin and warily avoids dark rooms that echo the screams of his crewmates. Finally, he makes it to Roy, who has barricaded himself inside the kitchen’s store room. With nowhere else to hide and survival looking painfully slim, the pair aren’t left with many options, other than to brave the rig and try to find a way off.
I really hope nothing bad happens to Roy, especially after he emotionally asks Caz not to leave him alone, which truly tugged on all my heartstrings. But I’m trying not to get too attached, since the lead designer, Rob McLachlan, assures us that it’ll only get worse: “As the rig succumbs to the disaster under the cold waters of the North Sea, you will face more and more situations where you can and likely will die. You will need to keep your wits about you to survive as you navigate the sinking rig and come face to face with deadly unknown horrors.”
But if navigating grotesque fleshy rooms with the imminent threat of death sounds a bit too stressful for you, then don’t worry—there is another way. There will be a story mode option for those who’d rather not fight for their lives on an oil rig off the coast of Scotland. This will hopefully remove most of the adrenaline-filled moments from the equation “to allow you to immerse yourself in the story and worry less about dying,” McLachlan explains.
While I’ll brave the rig without using the story mode (at least for the first time), it’s great knowing that there’s an option to sit back and appreciate the Beira D without the possibility of passing out from stress—especially now I know what its inspirations are.
“The original elevator pitch for Still Wakes the Deep was The Thing on an oil rig,” McLachlan explains. “And our intention was always that the atmosphere of the game would feel authentic to the era of horror movies that were the 1970s and 1980s.”
If you haven’t watched The Thing, then think Among Us in the Arctic. But for those who do know the retro horror film, you’ll likely share my excitement and dread at the prospect of exploring an isolated location where that’s the main inspiration—I just hope there aren’t any dogs on board.
From the sound of things, there will also be a couple of Easter Eggs for fans of The Chinese Room’s previous games. “You will find a few things that are thematically similar to previous games; I would tell people who are familiar with Dear Esther to watch out for the ending of our game,” McLachlan concludes. “And we’re really excited for the fans of the Chinese room to see if they can draw any further parallels.”