Game Review: Still Wakes The Deep: Siren’s Rest (DLC – Xbox Series X)

Released in 2024, Still Wakes the Deep is a psychological horror game developed by The Chinese Room and published by Secret Mode. A game that took many people, including me, by surprise with its immersive story and excellent characters. A game we summed up in our review as:

One of the most immersive horror games in recent times, Still Wakes the Deep can be simply summed up as John Carpenter’s The Thing but set on an oil rig. Yet, as exciting as that is, a simple summation does little to explain the emotional heft that the story has, nor does it truly convey the depressive terror that the environment creates.

Read our full review here.

The story seemed to be done. It certainly felt like there was nothing left to say, but in a surprising move, we now have additional content that picks up over a decade after the events of the main game. Be warned, we’re about to enter spoiler territories for Still Wakes the Deep.

The Beria D (the oil rig) sunk in the North Sea over a decade ago, taking everyone aboard with it. Now, having finally found its remains, a small group of divers are heading down to explore it and try to find out what actually happened to it. While also, hopefully, finding some closure for the families to lost loved ones aboard it.

Players take on the role of Mhairi, a deep-sea diver, who is desperate to explore the wreckage of the Beria D. She herself has unanswered questions but will find out that sometimes it’s better to let the dead lie.

On the one hand, Still Wakes the Deep: Siren’s Rest is an excellent slice of atmospheric dread and story-based horror wrapped up in a depressive tone, and those who loved the main game will relish exploring the sunken rig, I certainly did. On the other hand, it’s a short and inconsequential DLC that doesn’t deliver enough of anything to be satisfying. I didn’t dislike it, on the contrary, I liked it a lot, but I recognise that it’s light on content and tells an unremarkable story.

To begin with, your job is simple. Explore the twisted remains and find the rig’s data logger. While keeping an eye out for keepsakes and corpses to take photos of. It’s grisly stuff but oozing in atmosphere, especially as you begin to work your way through the crumbling halls of what remains. However, as the decay gets too much, Mhairi’s journey becomes much more hazardous, changing gameplay from exploration to survival. Albeit, severely limited by the fact that it is, at its core, a walking simulator. Even if you spend more time swimming.

Just like the main game though, right? No, not quite, as Siren’s Rest is much more egregious in this regard, and rarely does it let you off your leash. Which, in this case is the ‘umbilical’ that connects Mhairi to her diving bell. The few times when you take it off (for reasons that won’t be spoiled) are some of the most atmospheric and terrifying, mainly because of the sound effects. The umbilical is more of sensory reminder of the DLC’s limitations and thankfully, The Chinese Room have made it so that it visually clips through walls and doors. Sure, it might not look great, but it’s a hell of a lot better then finding yourself caught up because they decided to make it more real.

It’s about the only thing that doesn’t feel real though, and The Chinese Room have done a spectacular job of recreating familiar areas of the Beira D that have been submerged in the salty sea for over a decade. Something that also has an effect on the thing that had seen its occupants and the rig itself transformed. Those moments, when you stare at the frozen remains of a hellscape that was, are some of the best.

Unfortunately, they are few and far between and even more limited when it comes to actual gameplay. Aside from a couple of ‘action’ sequences and a short ‘swim and hide’ section at the end, there’s very little to actually do here. Which would have been more forgivable if the game delivered a more satisfactory story and really made the emotional connection stronger.

Mhairi is cool, voiced well, and has an interesting backstory, but she’s no Caz. Though it’s hardly a fair comparison when you consider this DLC can be wrapped up in around two hours. There’s not a lot of ‘bang for the buck’ here and those hoping for more will find themselves coming away disappointed. Especially those hoping for answers. What we have here is a tomb.