From exploring the narrative to discovering the rich heritage of the game’s setting, The Chinese Room has taken us through the many stages of development for the studio’s upcoming title Still Wakes the Deep – a game which will see players discover dark unnerving secrets aboard an oil rig.
The game is due for release on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC later this year – and the studio has been kind enough to reveal inspirations and updates on the game’s progress in a series of dev diaries.
Join us as we take a ‘deep’ dive behind the scenes of Still Wakes the Deep.
PART ONE – An Introduction to Worldbuilding
In the first entry of the dev diary series, Lead Environment Artist Iain Gillespie, Associate Art Director Laura Dodds, and Lead Designer Rob McLachlan shared the first true glimpse of Still Wakes the Deep in action – discussing how the environment will evolve over time as well as the key inspirations behind the game’s horror.
PART TWO – Explore and Discover
Part two of the Still Wakes the Deep dev diary series saw updates from numerous disciplines working on the upcoming narrative horror game. Associate Art Director Laura Dodds guided us through part two of ‘The scale of the rig’, Audio Director Daan Hendriks talked about discovering a traditional Gaelic singer to create the game’s ambience, plus much more.
Read the full dev diary entry HERE.
PART THREE – Pushing the Quality Bar
In part three, the Art team discussed how they have tried to create the infamous ‘Dreich’ weather of Scotland, whilst Senior Lighting Artist Luke Norman explains how the team has been embracing the latest Nanite technology from Unreal Engine to match or even beat the standards set by some of the biggest AAA games.
Part three of the dev diary series can be viewed HERE.
PART FOUR – Inspirations and Internet Sensations
Part Four of the dev diary series looks back at the classic British TV shows that inspired the 1970s look and feel to the game, as well as capturing and composing the eerie audio for the horrors that await you in Still Wakes the Deep.
The team also shares one particular ‘charming’ snippet of the game which became a hit on TikTok.
For the full breakdown, click HERE.
PART FIVE – New Year, New Exciting Updates
The first dev diary entry of 2024, part five delves into the latest stages of development from multi-disciplines. Environment Artist and Researcher Gabriela Woch shares image boards of inspiration for the character and location designs, while Senior Programmer Adam Meredith discusses how the in-game interaction systems have been changing throughout the entire development.
Read all about what the team has been up to HERE.
Still Wakes the Deep is a return to the first-person narrative horror genre for The Chinese Room, creator of critically acclaimed games such as Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs, Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture, and Dear Esther. You are an off-shore oil rig worker, fighting for your life through a vicious storm, perilous surroundings, and the dark, freezing North Sea waters. All lines of communication have been severed. All exits are gone. All that remains is to face the unknowable horror that’s come aboard. Still Wakes the Deep is available to Wishlist on Steam now.
For more information, visit the Still Wakes the Deep website and sign up to the newsletter.