on Still awake in the Deeppanic comes in many forms. Eldritch creatures straddle the Beira D oil rig on thin, long branches that shoot from their bodies like severed bungee cords. Human-sized pustules and bloody ribbons grow along the corridors, emitting a sickening cosmic glow. The North Sea is a relentless threat, moaning beneath every step. And then there’s the rig itself, a maze-like industrial platform supported by slender tension legs in the middle of a raging sea, groaning as it is torn apart from the inside.

Gameplay on Still awake in the Deep is traditional first-person horror fare, executed with the flair and skill of The Chinese Room. Its action includes jumping on broken platforms, balancing on stairs, running through corridors, climbing stairs, swimming through claustrophobic holes, and hiding from monsters in vents and lockers. There are no guns in Beira D, and the protagonist only has a screwdriver to help him break open locks and metal panels, focusing on pure survival rather than combat. The game is fully voice acted and its crew – most of them Scottish – are extremely charming, which only makes the murders more disturbing once the monsters board the rig.

Still awake Deep down an instant horror classic. It’s filled with gory horror and hilarious dialogue, and all of this takes place in a setting rarely explored in interactive media. Between sneaking, swimming, running and climbing, Still awake in the Deep managed to tell a heartfelt story about relationships and sacrifice. -JC