Horror Games Like Still Wakes The Deep

Still Wakes The Deep is an exciting horror game from The Chinese Room. It's one of the biggest releases of 2024 but has released to middling review scores. Critics and gamers alike seem to be enjoying the game's beautiful graphics and compelling story but aren't so enamored with its linearity. On top of that, others have complained that the game just isn't that scary.

Lots of people are also pointing out just how similar the game is to other survival horrors. Its developers have clearly taken inspiration from other survival horror titles in crafting a game that is focused on the narrative and building atmosphere, rather than combat. That being said, Still Wakes The Deep does feature a handful of new ideas, and taking inspiration from other games isn't the same as plagiarizing them. Those who enjoyed Still Wakes The Deep and are looking for something similar have plenty of options to choose from.

7 SOMA

An Isolating Horror Game Set At Sea

The parallels between SOMA and Still Wakes The Deep are pretty obvious. SOMA is a first-person horror game set in an underwater research facility where the player explores eerie environments and confronts existential horror. Still Wakes The Deep is basically the same, except it's set on an oil rig instead of underwater.

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Both games excel at creating a claustrophobic atmosphere while focusing on telling a good horror story. The drenched setting and sense of isolation are also vital elements in both games. The biggest difference between them is that SOMA is one of the darkest sci-fi games ever made, while Still Wakes The Deep's terror is more cosmic and Lovecraftian.

6 Amnesia: The Dark Descent

An Intense Survival Horror Game Full Of Oppressive Environments

Readers may notice that there are a few titles by Frictional Games on this list. The reason for this is Amnesia: The Dark Descent. Saying Still Wakes The Deep is inspired by Amnesia is a little like saying Call of Duty was inspired by Doom. The Dark Descent took the internet by storm when it released in 2008, and while it didn't create the survival horror genre, it did change it forever. The game is renowned for its intense atmosphere and psychological horror and is considered one of the best survival horror games ever made.

Both games require the player to navigate dark corridors while avoiding terrifying creatures. The Dark Descent created a sense of vulnerability and fear through its dark, oppressive environments and impressive sound design - things that feel very familiar while playing Still Wakes The Deep. Both games use their environments to evoke a sense of unease. It's just that The Dark Descent is set in a castle, while Still Wakes The Deep is on an oil rig. The Dark Decent also places a much bigger emphasis on exploration and puzzle solving.

5 Layers Of Fear

Follows The Protagonist's Descent Into Madness

At first glance, Layers of Fear and Still Wakes The Deep might not seem all that similar. One is set in an old Victorian mansion, and the other on a Scottish oil rig. Layers Of Fear is about an artist driven crazy as he tries to complete his masterpiece, and Still Wakes The Deep is about an oil-rig worker; there isn't much common ground.

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However, scratch the surface, and it's clear the two games share some design DNA. Layers of Fear is one of the best psychedelic horror games, and Still Wakes The Deep also gets pretty psychedelic in spots. Much of Layers Of Fear's horror comes from its detailed environment and the unpredictable nature of the mansion, something echoed in Still Wakes The Deep. Likewise, both games focus on their protagonist's gradual descent into madness, driven by their unsettling surroundings. Plus, of course, they're both walking simulators with no combat.

4 Alien: Isolation

A Terrifying Title In Which Players Are Constantly Hunted

Alien: Isolation might be famous for being one of the most terrifying games set in space, but isn't a space station kind of like a big, orbital oil rig? Both are incredibly isolated and just about the worst places imaginable to be hunted by something monstrous. The settings of both of these games place the player in a confined, isolated environment to heighten both the sense of danger and suspense.

Still Wakes The Deep's stealth sections will also feel familiar to anyone who's played Alien: Isolation, even if the latter arguably does it better. In Alien, the enemy is pretty much ever-present, while in Still Wakes The Deep, the player is only being stalked during certain sections. Still Wakes The Deep has received a lot of praise for its detailed design, something that can also be said for Alien. The meticulous environmental crafting and leveraging of sound design and lighting in both games create an immersive and terrifying experience, even if their gameplay isn't all that similar.

3 Outlast

Pits Players Against Seemingly Insurmountable Odds And Leaves Them Incredibly Vulnerable

Most of the similarities between Outlast and Still Wakes The Deep are in their gameplay. Both are first-person survival horror games where the protagonist must avoid, rather than fight, monstrous enemies. The stealth mechanics in both games are pretty similar, and they both endeavor to make the player feel as vulnerable as possible.

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In both games, there is a real sense of struggling against overwhelming odds, even if the monsters themselves are very different. Outlast, with its videocamera and nightvision, heavily utilizes atmospheric design and lighting, as does Still Wakes The Deep.

2 Amnesia: The Bunker

Features A Convincing Period Setting

The best games by Frictional Games tend to share a lot of traits, but the problem with this approach is that their games can get a little repetitive as a result. To combat this, the studio tried to mix things up a bit by adding self-defense in the form of a revolver in The Bunker. Unfortunately, the game still fell back on the same tropes that some fans felt had grown stale. In particular, the "complete task-hide-explore-complete task-hide" gameplay loop.

This is a loop that Still Wakes The Deep copied to a fault. Both games have the player fixing an annoyingly high number of generators and pieces of machinery while trying to avoid enemies. It can all become a little bit repetitive. On the upside, however, both games do a great job of using period settings to great effect. Frictional Games put a lot of effort into the Bunker's World War I setting, something that can also be said for Still Wakes The Deep's clearly well-researched 1970s Scottish setting.

1 Call Of Cthulhu

A Lovecraftian-Inspired Horror Game That Examines Ideas Of Sanity

The terms "Lovecraftian" and "Cosmic Horror" get tossed around a lot these days. If a piece of media so much as features a tentacle, it gets compared to Lovecraft's works. However, Call of Cthulhu, one of the best Cosmic horror games, is clearly meant to evoke the great author's writing. Set on a secluded island, the player must investigate a series of mysterious events, uncovering cosmic horrors along the way.

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That lines up pretty nicely with Still Wakes The Deep, which has the player investigating strange events on an oil rig and also uncovering cosmic horrors. Both games also have the protagonist questioning their own sanity thanks to the psychological horrors they've witnessed and focus on the protagonist's relationships with others. Both games proudly wear their Lovecraftian inspiration on their sleeves and do the material justice.

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Still Wakes the Deep

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Released

June 18, 2024

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Developer(s)

The Chinese Room

Platform(s)

PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S

Genre(s)

Survival Horror

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