Still Wakes The Deep: Game set in Scotland draws praise after release

Still Wakes The Deep, developed by the Brighton-based Chinese Room, lets players take control of Glaswegian Cameron “Caz” McLeary who must navigate his way through the rig, avoiding harsh weather and being followed by a mysterious creature.

Significantly, the team behind the game used the opportunity to include voices from all across the country as opposed to just one region, with actors from Skye, Dundee, Aberdeen and Glasgow recruited.

A number of characters in the game are voiced by Scottish actors (Image: The Chinese Room)

Connor Cloughley, a gaming content creator, has already had a chance to play the full game having been given early access and he had plenty of praise for its authenticity.

Speaking to the Sunday National, he said: “This had been on my wish list for some time. The moment I heard about a Scottish oil rig horror game I was in and I loved it.

“I cannot praise the writing and the voice acting enough – it was so refreshing to see. Normally you just have someone putting on an accent and it comes across as so forced.

“But this was like listening to your dad and his pals growing up - the patter was just back and forth.”

Among the cast is Scottish comedian Karen Dunbar, who many will know for her appearances on Chewin' The Fat while Alec Newman, who featured in the popular game Cyberpunk 2077, takes on the role of the main character.

Although Cloughley admits he would still be singing its praises were it not set in Scotland, he says he hopes it acts as a springboard for more Scottish-set games.

The game is set on an oil rig on the North Sea and has been met with positive reviews (Image: The Chinese Room)

“We were seeing a trend in gaming where there’s been a tapering off from a focus on Vikings which was a solid setting for a while,” he says.

“We’ve also seen a lot being set in Japan as well in that Samurai period but this being in Scotland was brilliant.”

Translation into Gaelic

ANOTHER element of the game Cloughley was particularly pleased to see was the option for Scottish Gaelic subtitles.

It’s seldom seen in video games and helps to add that extra layer of authenticity to the narrative.

“It’s not just about what’s being said but it’s in all the menus and the user interface becomes Gaelic which is quite impressive,” Cloughley says.

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“It’s not the first game to come out with this as there are a couple others that have done something similar.

“But to see a game of this calibre do it is big from a reputation perspective.”

He continued: “Normally, a lot of games include achievements that you tick off for completing various tasks and there’s an option for completing it in Gaelic.

“There’s a whole sub-category of people that chase that high of doing it so a lot of people are going to experience that language.”

New exhibition

THE release of Still Wakes The Deep comes at a perfect time given that the National Museum of Scotland is set to play host to a new gaming exhibition.

Game On will launch on June 29 and run until November 3 with tickets now on sale and available HERE.

The exhibit is an interactive journey through video game history and aims to champion Scotland’s history in the sector from worldwide successes like Grand Theft Auto to independent companies.

“It’s a really amazing opportunity to play more than 100 different games from the last 50 years with every single console or form you might think of,” explained curator Geoff Belknap.

“The draw from my perspective is when I say come and play, you’re playing on the original consoles from the period with their controllers and the games as you would have played them back in the day.”

The exhibition will champion independent games like Highland Song (Image: Inkle)

The exhibition comes 20 years after the National Museum of Scotland was its very first touring venue in 2002 following an initial run at the Barbican in London.

Belknap added: “We are now adapting it an updating the exhibition for Scottish audiences and to champion the strong, diverse industry that’s here.

“I hope that many of our visitors are aware of the biggest names but it’s also an opportunity to champion the independent gaming industry across Scotland.

“I hope everyone is able to get some joy out of this. There’s something for five-year-olds and 95-year-olds so you will find something fun that brings you back.

“I was a gamer in the 1980s or 1990s and when you go into the world of curation you don’t think you’ll get the chance to play those as part of your job so it’s been great for me as well.”