Still Wakes the Deep | Fully Ramblomatic

I now want to eat some fish and chips and watch Countdown in a run-down chip shop but the closest fish and chips shop to me that would even remotely have a chance to be playing Countdown anywhere in it's establishment is 3000 miles across Atlantic sadly. I've got a 12-letter word: disappointed.

Speaking as an American that reads philosophy texts for fun, did well with French classes in high school and college, and read novels like House of Leaves and Infinite Jest for fun... I have to say I was grateful for the subtitles translating the vernacular in this game. I think this is because in a game, there's a lot more to focus on at any given moment, including where the creeping horror might be coming from and the details of the setting (and there's a good amount here, especially early on)... so yeah... glad the subtitles were helping there.

I think this one clicked for me.. The oil rig design is pretty good. I also love the accent..its done very good. However the ending to this adventure was kinda meh..I wish i could explore alien ship, or their nest in the end of the game but that never happened..

I did not know about this game at all.

I think what people miss about walking simulators is that they're supposed to be about exploration. Exploration can be loads of fun, just look at Myst or literally any metroidvania. But too many developers use a walking sim as just an excuse to make player read a bunch of diaries that would be better served at being a prose novel, or at least visual novel. Like, if you're gonna make the game about exploration, make it about exploration.

"Still works the shaft" made me choke on my chewing gum, thank you

As a side note, the studio name is a reference to a psychology thought experiment arguing that AI cannot be sentient.

just wait till they finish ruining "Bloodlines 2" (quotes because it in NO way a sequel in ANY way except by name)

Anyone else fully worried about Vampire TM Bloodlines 2?

comment tribute

I love how Yahtzee managed to acknowledge the difficult position that these developers are in, and the confusing fact that even he doesn't know what he wants from these games, while still keeping up his veneer of criticising everything and insulting everyone, including himself

I'm not even being sarcastic. Stuff like that is what makes me enjoy ZP and FR

What a strange coincidence, I happen to be in Scotland right now (for the first time in my life). And they are hard to understand, unless they realise you're not Scotish and tone down the accent.

One of my personal favourite horror games is Observer, and there are very very few moments in that game where you're under threat - the suspense and horror both come from unravelling the mystery and making you want to press on regardless of the threats. I think more horror games need to lean into the same sense of dread that inspires people to keep picking up a horror novel - we know we're not in any danger but we're tense and nervous to move on anyway.

i would have rather the game focus on the plight of the working class tbh, game was still good though.

"The Chinese Room is actually a British developer, which initially struck me as weird and possibly racist". So they got you too, huh Yahtzee?

I mean... There's a Canadian band called Rare Americans. (Great band, btw)

As a scottish person who recently visited the US, like actual US not tourist US, yes subtitles were 100% required for this game. Have to repeate yourself 4-5 times before they get what your saying and stop looking at you like youre the spawn of cuthullu speaking some dark eldritch tongue.

Dialogue was awful. Same words and sentences over and over again. Gameplay was fun and story though.

It is worth mentioning that one can choose the "story mode" in the difficulty settings, and basically, the stealth sections are so easy that it is as if they were not even there. That being said, i absolutely loved the story of this video game, and I hope more of them will be developed in the future ❤

I moved to Scotland being highly educated in English language, highest obtainable certs etc.

I went to coffee chain, ordered an iced coffee, and the very nice girl behind the counter spoke some words that I'd normally reckon came straight from Necronomicon. It took me a moment to include "Scottish English" and "Scots" (two different things, of course) in my repertoire xD

Also, BBC does put subtitles e.g. for some interviews with Scottish folk xDDD

Yhatz. Please read or listen to the audio book of The Color Out Of Space by H.P lovecraft.

It's... pretty obvious that the horror is never explained because This Accepts Everything In Color Out Of Space As True, and then asks "But what if it was an oil well?"

The story is short, the audiobook is like 20 min

I cant help but think that if this really were a Scottish horror game, you'd be playing as an Englishman

I dunno, I don't think horror games need any action gameplay at all. The Vanishing of Ethan Carter was a really goddamn good horror game, and it's almost purely a walking simulator.

Still Wake the Deep pretty clearly wants to be a movie. I think having it be a VR experience would really help.

Still, the voice-acting and story-telling is generally very compelling, and the visuals are definitely top-class.

As for not explaining the monster, well, there's no scientists or anyone else smart enough not to work on an oil rig in the North Sea in December.

Wait, Yahtzee liked Doki Doki Literature club? That's news to me! I always thought he was put off by how off the rails it gets toward the end of the story.

I might have checked it out, but I can't stomach forced stealth sections

When I got about an hour in and realized that all I would be doing is pressing W to walk forward and occasionally climbing a ladder, I stopped playing. There. Is. No. Gameplay.

I want to know more about Fish Finger Colin

Caz IS an unusually fun protagonist to control, not just because of his thick accent, but also on several occasions, he said exactly what I said, it really stood out to me how I ran to a narrow space to avoid a monster, and almost at the exact same time as I was going to say it, Caz whispers "Fuck, I think he heard me"

Nice Vid!

"Chinese room" is a reference to a philosophical thought experiment by John Searle about AI.

Apparantly this is the dev now in charge of Vampire the Masquerade 2

the real horror was the Scotland we found along the way

i appreciate a shout out to The Beginner's Guide.

Ill donate the second you successful clevel jerks donate back, cheers. Til then, dance monkey dance

I think the difference is between good interactive media and walking sims is that it’s not just walking around an environment, and takes advantage of the medium. If you have to ask “why wasn’t this just a movie”, or something like that, the game’s likely not taking advantage of its medium.

The Chinese room is also a philosophical argument about A.I.

I think the hold on mechanic is mainly because the main character you play as, Caz, is still holding on to the little bit of hope he has that he can get home… which would make even more sense why at the end of the game it says let go not throw or drop.

Wait, The Chinese Room made Dear Esther? So I can blame them for the invention of the then not yet named Walking Sim genre?

Chinese room is a thought experiment it’s not literally a room in china 😭

I liked the heaters. They made me feel, along with the voice actor, just how cold and miserable he is and reminded me of times when I've had to do exactly what he does (minus a monster).

As a Scotsman🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 i found this hilarious, also even yatzee does a better Scottish accent than Mel Gibson in Braveheart😂

just can't get into games like this

Two words. Claddy. Gobshite.

There's an achievement for finishing the whole game in the Gaelic language (luckily only the text) which is honestly one of the weirdest achievements I have ever seen after years of achievement hunting and 100% many many games. Only games like the Stanly Parable had cheevos like this and I enjoy them deeply.

To be faaaaaaaaair - “Chinese Room” is probably a reference to the Searle argument about understanding/consciousness. So Cambridge, UK 🇬🇧

Creators should always remember The Role Of The Critic. As the saying goes, you can offer someone the best most perfect peach in the world... but some people Just Don't Like Peaches, and will complain its not an apple.

The complaint is not hoping to improve the peach, it is communicating "I like apples a lot more than peaches"-- it's expressing a preference.

If you try to appease all preferences, you will pound yourself into a fine red mush before you succeed. Appease YOUR preferences because its YOUR creation. The critics can Not Like Peaches all they like, They're The Ones Who Keep Showing Up At The Peach Expo Looking For Apples.

Nick has asked me to post here to state that this week's thumbnail was entirely my idea and I take full responsibility