Still Wakes the Deep earned a spot on our best games of 2024 list, specifically in the horror category (sorry, Silent Hill 2).
It hits all the right horror notes: intense scares, visceral gore, and voice performances that take the experience to another level. So naturally, when I heard about Siren’s Rest, the game's new DLC, I was ready to dive in (literally).
I want to say that I loved it, that I had a great experience, and that it’s a DLC I certainly won’t forget anytime soon. But unfortunately, Siren’s Rest didn’t feel as impactful as I had hoped, and since I enjoyed the base game so much, I have to admit I felt a bit gutted.
That said, Siren’s Rest is still a solid DLC and worth playing if you’re a fan of the base game and want something short and sweet to enjoy in an evening. This time, the story takes place below the surface, where you explore the wreckage of the Beira D investigation-style, and it’s certainly a compelling experience.
From swimming through decaying corridors to collecting mementos of the dead to return to their families, there are several intriguing aspects to this DLC. But I can’t help feeling its overall purpose fails to fully shine through.
Tracing history through sunken ruins
The best part of Still Wakes the Deep: Siren’s Rest is its storytelling style, and I’m sure fans of investigative games will definitely enjoy piecing together clues and exploring the sunken oil rig filled with secrets. You’re essentially solving a mystery, even though you already know the outcome.
As you descend into the depths, you confront not only the physical challenges of navigating the wreckage but also psychological ones, including paranoia and the unreliability of memory.
Set in 1986, over a decade after the events of the original game, you assume the role of Mhairi, the leader of a saturation dive team who is tasked with exploring the sunken remains of the Beira D oil rig in the North Sea. The mission aims to uncover the fate of the crew and recover what remains of their passing.
As you descend into the depths, you confront not only the physical challenges of navigating the wreckage but also psychological ones, including thalassophobia, paranoia, and the unreliability of memory. In this DLC, you engage in forensic exploration which means collecting mementos, photographing human remains, and piecing together the crew's final moments.
This type of gameplay is actually very compelling, and you almost feel like a detective breaking into parts of the wreckage, swimming through the corridors into different rooms, and piecing together clues about what happened to the crew.
Communication with a diving partner and a dive support supervisor is maintained through fragile 1986 undersea technology, meaning part of the story is told through their conversations, especially when audio logs from the ship are recovered.
Tools such as a cutting arc, undersea flares, and a crowbar are essential for accessing sealed areas, while a deep-sea camera aids in documenting findings. This is pretty much all the gear you have, and although using the cutting arc to remove rust on doors, and plying cabinets open with the crowbar gets a little repetitive (much like the gameplay mechanics in the base game), it’s still a fun experience.
Even more so when cutting open a door causes the entire wreckage to groan like a steel catacomb, and I had to pause every time out of fear of being crushed by falling debris.
Thankfully, the game doesn’t require you to swim the entire time. While constant swimming might’ve heightened the tension for anyone with thalassophobia or claustrophobia, the story occasionally gives you a break by letting you explore the wreckage on foot when you find an air pocket.
These moments put you back in the familiar boots of the base game’s protagonist, Caz, who navigated the dark corridors in eerie silence. This time, though, Mhairi is searching for the ship’s main audio log, which holds crucial clues about what really happened. During these moments you have to detach the umbilical cord, cutting any type of communication with your team. It’s tense stuff.
Sadly, the horror doesn’t quite surface
Horror is my favorite genre, and that’s one reason I loved Still Wakes the Deep so much. It felt like “The Thing” meets Dead Space, with a bit of The Callisto Protocol thrown in, and it stood out as something genuinely unique in a crowded horror market. Hence my disappointment when Siren’s Rest didn’t manage to scare me.
Don’t get me wrong, Siren’s Rest has horror elements: you explore decaying rooms with only a flashlight, stumble across eerie remains, and dive deeper into the wreckage knowing something’s waiting. But that’s really all there is, and the “true” horror doesn’t kick in until the last twenty minutes of gameplay. Even then, it feels forced.
The 'true' horror doesn’t kick in until the last twenty minutes of gameplay. Even then, it feels forced.
Still Wakes the Deep was terrifying because we had no idea what the threat was, or how we could possibly escape the rig. You were essentially helpless — running, hiding, and trying to survive while the creature’s grotesque groans echoed through tight corridors.
But in Siren’s Rest, you’re fully submerged, which means there’s far less reliance on sound. It’s mostly visual now, and while the visuals are impressive, they’re just not enough to make this feel like a real horror experience.
A compelling dive, but not a necessary one
Siren’s Rest is a genuinely intriguing DLC, and I still had a good time with it. But I can’t help feeling that this particular story comes off as unnecessary. While it’s great finding clues and exploring a wreckage that’s practically falling apart, the element of mystery feels dulled, because we already know what happened. There’s not all that much to uncover.
The one narrative thread that does make sense is the protagonist’s motive, but that’s revealed later on, meaning I can’t get into it here without spoiling anything.
Instead, I feel like this DLC could’ve still taken the diving concept but create a new story not related to the events of the Beira D.
Maybe a group of divers explore another random wreckage in a completely different location, only to uncover the mysterious, otherworldly entity, very much still thriving at the bottom of the North Sea. That would’ve allowed the story to expand the universe without relying on a tale that already had a strong conclusion.
That said, I can’t deny that Siren’s Rest is a fun experience with a cool concept. It only took me around two hours to complete, so it’s perfect for a one-sitting session on a quiet evening. Despite its lack of scares and its questionable necessity, Siren’s Rest doesn’t forget the soul of the base game, and for anyone who endured the chaos of the Beira D, it still offers something worth diving into.
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