The oldest and strongest human emotion is Fear, and the oldest and strongest fear is the fear of the Unknown.
The solitary of Providence, that is Howard Philips Lovecraft, knew a thing or two about it, and we are sure that the people at The Chinese Room also drew inspiration from his words when they began working on Still Wakes the Deep, their new horror title also coming to Xbox on June 18, 2024.
The narrative style that the English development house gives to its works is well known, just think of Dear Esther, which I consider a small gem of storytelling, or the terrifying Amnesia: a machine for pigs capable of making you jump out of your seat like a cat whose tail is being pulled.
Trattasi quindi di un first-person survival horror, a perspective that guarantees total immersion for players, however the development of a game that adopts such an approach must be studied in the smallest details, otherwise the gameplay will be ruined by a confusing gaming experience.
The Chinese Room has never fired blanks in that respect fortunately, their titles have solid foundations and the camera handling has always been optimal.
Impersonating a normal worker named Caz, one of many on duty aboard an offshore oil platform.
This is the first of the many interesting aspects of the game: not a foggy city to visit with wary steps, nor a police station besieged by mutant monsters and rocket launcher-wielding nemeses, but an isolated structure in the middle of the sea, where life on board unfolds in a monotonous gray, marked by the crew’s footsteps echoing through the narrow corridor walls and the rhythmic clanging of tools at work during routine repairs.
We are in 1975, let’s forget cellphones, internet browsing and satellites: we are and will remain on the platform until the end of our work period, or perhaps we should say we would remain, if it weren’t for a mysterious accident that will send everything to ruin and we will have to do everything possible to save ourselves from something that will infest the plant in search of sacrificial victims.
In search of us.
Albeit the decidedly claustrophobic plot, among bulkheads and crawlspaces to squeeze into and underwater areas that promise heart-stopping situations in the icy seas that will embrace us without gentleness, the trailers released tell of a rather mature story, in which our alter ego will do everything to survive not only for himself, but also to return to his daughter, a psychological shield behind which he will take refuge to overcome unspeakable terrors, coming from that abyss to which the title refers, a declared homage to Lovecraft's Great Old Ones and in particular the deepest of all his creatures, the notorious Cthulhu
As in Alien Isolation and many other survival games where the hero is not a trained marine armed to the teeth, we will have to wander around the platform hiding, looking for clues about what is happening and avoiding unlikely heroic deeds that would only lead to a grim ending, one of death and blood on the metal floor.
The game directs players’ experience toward a more reflective exploration, immersing us in a dark and unsettling atmosphere, where every shadow could conceal horrors and dangers.
L'crew of PNG promises a grand artificial intelligence behind them, capable of making everyone we will meet during our odyssey come alive and fabulously human.
Ma one must not fall into the mistake of thinking Still wakes the deep a game with slow mechanics: as Amnesia teaches us, the crescendo and the tension that will overwhelm us will make our Caz regret the day he signed the employment contract.
Simon Larocca
Mi chiamo Simon Larocca, e sono un videogiocatore, collezionista e amante della cultura pop in tutte le sue forme. Vado al cinema ogni volta che posso, leggo da quando porto gli occhiali, quindi da sempre, e ho la passione per lo storytelling in tutte le sue forme, così dirompente da farla diventare una professione. Ma come direbbe Doc di Ritorno al Futuro, non ci sarebbe presente se non si guardasse al passato con rispetto e ammirazione, ed è il Simon bambino di più di trent’anni fa, anno più anno meno.
Simon Larocca
Mi chiamo Simon Larocca, e sono un videogiocatore, collezionista e amante della cultura pop in tutte le sue forme. Vado al cinema ogni volta che posso, leggo da quando porto gli occhiali, quindi da sempre, e ho la passione per lo storytelling in tutte le sue forme, così dirompente da farla diventare una professione. Ma come direbbe Doc di Ritorno al Futuro, non ci sarebbe presente se non si guardasse al passato con rispetto e ammirazione, ed è il Simon bambino di più di trent’anni fa, anno più anno meno.
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