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Promising 2024 horror game got a free spinoff and everyone missed it

One of the most anticipated horror games of 2024, Still Wakes the Deep, has a special story teaser available now as a free Steam game.

Promising 2024 horror game Still Wakes the Deep gets free Steam teaser, but everyone missed it - A man wearing a cloth over his shoulder in a cafeteria.

PT, the self-styled ‘Playable Teaser,’ remains a standout moment in horror games. The corridor-crawling nightmare factory made by Hideo Kojima, Guillermo del Toro, and Konami was actually a promotional product for a Silent Hill game that ultimately never arrived. Now, upcoming psychological thriller Still Wakes the Deep, from Dear Esther and Amnesia developer The Chinese Room, has released its own teaser as a free Steam game – but almost no-one seems to have spotted it.

With just a month until the Still Wakes the Deep release date, the atmospheric, psychological horror game set aboard a collapsing oil rig off the coast of Scotland is one we’ve had close eyes on. Prior to its arrival, however, a special Still Wakes the Deep teaser has made an appearance as a separate Steam game. Note that I’m going to name what it is just below, so if you’d rather trawl the depths of Steam in search of it then be warned.

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The game in question is the rather innocuous-looking Oil Strike ‘75, which appears at first glance to be a retro-styled adventure modeled after classic Atari games. “A fun, exciting, and educational new game from Cadal Corp,” this sly satirical spinoff invites you to “run an oil rig and discover new oil deposits at the bottom of the sea – no matter the cost.”

What starts out as a simple series of classic old games involving platforming, drilling, and carrying supplies between locations with a helicopter soon escalates into something more unsettling. Giving you all the details, however, feels like spoiling the fun – it’s available for free, after all, and you can see the full thing in roughly 60-90 minutes.

Still Wakes the Deep teaser Oil Strike '75 - A helicopter carries cargo in an Atari-style retro game.

Oil Strike ‘75 is out now on Steam. It’s a free game for all players. While it’s likely not essential to see its contents prior to playing Still Wakes The Deep, you may well want to check it out if you’re already curious about the story and setting of the coming horror game. At launch, you’ll also be able to play Still Wakes the Deep on Game Pass if you’re a subscriber, alongside its release on Steam.

There are countless more of the best free Steam games to choose from if you’ve got the itch to try something new but don’t want to commit to a purchase. Alternatively, look ahead with us towards the biggest and best upcoming PC games in 2024 and beyond.

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