A year after the release of the stylish horror Still Wakes the Deep, The Chinese Room released the story add-on Siren’s Rest, which offers to explore the same drilling platform, but now resting on the seabed and 11 years later. Whether the return on board the Beira D was successful – we will tell you in the review.
- Developer: The Chinese Room
- Publisher: Secret Mode
- Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5 , Xbox Series X|S
- Release date: June 18, 2025
The action of the add-on takes place 11 years after the disaster caused by the appearance of an unknown chthonic on the drilling rig. Now the Beira D is rusting at the bottom of the North Sea , and an expedition is sent to it, the purpose of which is to shed light on the events of ten years ago and collect the belongings of the crew members, which could be given to their relatives.
Marie, the daughter of one of the workers who died that fateful day, will directly explore the remains of the rig. Dressed in a diving suit, the girl will go into the ominously quiet corridors of the station, while communication with the outside world will be maintained only by a thin hose through which oxygen and the voices of her colleagues are supplied. Therefore, in moments when it is necessary to disconnect this hose, the loneliness and pressure of the multi-ton thickness of water are especially acutely felt.
In general, few of the protagonist’s actions can be called professional. Marie clearly does not spare herself: she will either unhook the hose and rush forward with unclear prospects for a successful outcome of the adventure, or, for fun, she will take off her helmet in an air pocket, catching a breath of stale air. The persistence with which the girl flies into one trap after another is worthy of admiration – her luck is clearly pumped up to the maximum. In fairness, such behavior helps her uncover the secrets of “Beira D”.
However, this does not save Still Wakes the Deep : Siren’s Rest from criticism. In terms of gameplay, it is still a walking simulator (or, more precisely, a swimming simulator), but, unlike the original game, the gameplay has become much more linear, and the puzzles have ceased to pose any kind of challenge. At the same time, it is much more difficult to navigate underwater, the rusty corridors of the drilling rig look extremely monotonous, and in the episodes when the scriptwriters forcibly turn off Marie’s flashlight, you just want to turn off the game so as not to poke around in corners like a blind kitten.
In addition, the add-on turned out to be quite buggy. Moreover, there are such bugs that you have to restart the playthrough from a checkpoint. In a little over an hour, my character got stuck in textures, the hose became invisible, the screen was covered in pitch darkness, and this is not to mention the localization errors, where entire lines remain untranslated. Although the DLC was prepared for a whole year, there is a feeling that it was made in a hurry, without polishing it properly. But at least they gave the opportunity to see two endings, which is quite good.
Given that the original Still Wakes the Deep told a largely complete story, Siren’s Rest may seem unnecessary. Indeed, you won’t lose anything by skipping it, but if you enjoyed last year’s adventure, you can still return to Beira D for a whole new experience.