Summary
Still Wakes the Deepsees developer The Chinese Room returning to the horror genre, a space it hasn’t worked in since 2013’s Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs. This horrifying tale follows electrician Caz McLeary as he attempts to escape the Beira D oil rig, which has become invested by a monstrous entity.
Tension in horror stories is always high, as the audience never knows if any of the characters (or even the protagonist) will survive to the end. Still Wakes the Deep’s writers play with this genre convention a bit, creating an ending that is thought-provoking and full of symbolism. It’s one that can be understood with effort, but begs the player to come to their own conclusions.
Caz Confronts The Creature
At the end of the game, Caz and his only remaining crew mate, Finlay, find themselves at a crossroads.Caz is trying whatever he can to escape the rig, while Finlay is arguingthey must destroy the monster at any cost, even their own lives.
After an impassioned plea, urging Caz to give up on getting back to the mainland,Finlay dies, crushed under debris. After much consideration,Caz acquiesces to her dying request, and enters the monstrous growth, lighter in hand. Once inside,he lights it up, and drops the flame into the oil below,blowing himself and the creature to kingdom come.
Caz And Suze’s Relationship, Revealed
The screen goes black, and you eventually sees a light in the distance.Cazmoves steadily towards this beacon, and it becomes clear he is in a tunnel of some kind.
The player doesn’t have any control during this sequence, and a dialogue between Caz and his wife Suze begins to play. Although we’ve only heard about their marriage struggles up to this point,their conversations tell a different story, tracing the beginnings of their relationship up until they got married and had kids.
It’s a pleasant departure from the tone the game has operated with for the rest of its run, andhelps illustrate that their life together hasn’t always been so turbulent.
Is Caz Dead?
Once the player reaches the light at the end of the tunnel,they’re treated to one last playable section. Caz is brought to his bedroom, with Suze asleep. The player canexamine the photos in their room, showing their marriage, kids, and the life they once had together.
It’s implied thatthis is Caz’s personal purgatory; the tunnel imagery in the previous sequence is apopular trope used to convey one’s passing to the next plane of existence, andthe recall of his best memories in his final momentsalso supports this idea.
Of course,a soul must eventually pass from purgatory to the great beyond. The player is given only one option, which is toexit the bedroom through its doorway. When they open the door,they aren’t greeted by a hallway, but insteadthe vast, dark expanse of the North Sea.
In a callback to the game’s opening moments,the player is read a letter from Suze against the backdrop of the crashing waves. Unlike the letter from the beginning,this one is much more loving and appreciative in tone. Suze talks about how much Caz means to her, and howthey should always fight for their relationship because it makes their lives better. After that, the credits roll.
What Does It All Mean?
The ending of Still Wakes the Deep is certainly trippy, butmanages to align itself with a core theme, that being thedifficulties of interpersonal relationships. Throughout the game,Caz speaks of Suze with a regretful tone, unsure of what waits for him when he gets home.
However, as Suze’s letter at the end demonstrates,she still carries a serious love for him, and wants to make their relationship work. Whether Caz understands the depths of his wife’s feelings is never explicitly stated,leaving his character’s investment in the marriage up to audience interpretation. Thisimbues their romance with an aura of tragedy, as it will never be resolved due to Caz’s passing.
