Xbox has revealed some of the inspirations for upcoming horror game Still Wakes the Deep. Developed by The Chinese Room, the game draws from quite a few different media for its inspirations, ranging from classic movies to science-fiction stories, and even the real world.
For example, lead designer Rob McLachlan says that the game’s original elevator pitch for Still Wakes the Deep was “‘The Thing‘ on an oil rig'”.
McLachlan also goes on to talk about the structure in Still Wakes the Deep, which is seemingly inspired by 1972 movie The Poseidon Adventure. The movie inspires the dramatic structure for Still Wakes the Deep, especially when it comes to featuring ominous build-ups where the player knows that something is going to happen, but the characters don’t.
When it comes to the game’s atmosphere, associate art director Laura Dodds says that inspiration was taken from 1968 horror movie Rosemary’s Baby. According to Dodds, the game taps into the sense of dread that comes from seeing an innocuous scene where nothing overtly frightening is happening, because something is seemingly lurking under the surface.
Dodds also talks about inspirations taken from 2018’s Annihilation when it comes to coming up with horror that features ‘a terrible beauty’. Another movie inspiration, according to Dodds, is 2019 horror movie Midsommar, thanks to its use of bright colours and florals in its depiction of horror.
Still Wakes the Deep is slated for release in early 2024, and will be coming to PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. The game will also be available on Game Pass on day one of its release. For more details about the game’s world-building and art direction, go here.