I know I've been hiding in the same locker for far too long, but the choked guttural ramblings of an unseen horror still sound way too close for comfort. It's the first time during my two-hour hands-on session with Still Wakes the Deep that I've had to employ these Alien: Isolation or Outlast-like tactics against a patrolling enemy. Still, the oppressive isolation of its setting on an oil rig makes the game feel plenty terrifying on its own, even without physical foes. With no weapon in hand, nothing to throw as a diversion, and the ominous directional cues of bubbled, burned film stock still edging one corner of the screen to indicate an enemy's presence, I steel my nerves and force myself to press on.
Stepping into the ill-fated shoes of oil worker Caz McLeary was never going to be a journey of sunshine and rainbows, but I'm fascinated by how well Bloodlines 2 developer studio The Chinese Room executes its claustrophobic hide-and-seek gameplay in such a unique setting.
