Mini Review: Still Wakes the Deep: Siren’s Rest (PS5) – Scottish Horror Loses the Magic

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2024’s Still Wakes the Deep was among our top favorites that year, and hearing about the upcoming DLC titled Siren’s Rest was like sweet music to us.

In this sequel, set a decade following the original storyline, Mhairi, our diver protagonist, ventures deep into the ocean to unearth the mystery surrounding the Beira D oil rig. This intriguing plotline retains the genuine Scottish accents that enriched the atmosphere in the initial game, making it even more engaging.

Regrettably, much of what gave Still Wakes The Deep its unique charm seems to be absent here. While the former game painstakingly created a realistic oil rig setting filled with detail reminiscent of its time and intertwined it with body horror akin to The Thing, Siren’s Rest appears rather lacking in character development by comparison.

Much of the experience lies in the environment – the corroded ruins of the Beira D. You’ll find yourself spending most of the game navigating identical passageways and solving straightforward puzzles that can be frustrating because of the awkward control scheme.

Initially, the core of the original game lacked complexity in its mechanics, yet it possessed an alluring cinematic flair. Regrettably, Siren’s Rest does not share this quality, and to add to the disappointment, it seems to be filled with technical issues and glitches even before its launch.

In various instances, the character would don an invisible helmet, dialogues would overlap and echo, and the critical air-tether, intended to heighten suspense, often passed through walls, got tangled on the main character’s arms, obstructing our view, or even vanished entirely.

It’s unfortunate indeed, given our fondness for the narrative that the DLC had set up, and how skillfully it built suspense by gradually hinting at the eerie elements. However, it didn’t quite live up to our expectations in the end.

If you’re a fan of the original game, you might find enjoyment in this too, as it offers some genuinely tense moments and interesting insights into the Beira D disaster. Yet, it primarily leaves us desiring to revisit and play the original game more.

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2025-06-18 12:06