The ocean has always been a canvas for our deepest anxieties—unfathomable pressure, absolute darkness, and the feeling of being trapped in a tin can while something massive stirs outside. Today, solo developer Ryan R. Burns (an industry veteran with credits on World of Warcraft: Legion and Assassin’s Creed Mirage) taps directly into those fears with the launch of The Oily Depths.

If you’ve been looking for a psychological horror experience that values atmosphere and mechanical tension over cheap jump scares, your quota has arrived.

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Obey or Drown: The Premise

In The Oily Depths, you aren’t a hero; you’re an employee. Locked inside a claustrophobic, low-fi submarine, your task is simple yet soul-crushing: navigate the lightless seafloor to locate and drill for oil.

A mysterious voice crackles over the radio, delivering orders with a chilling indifference. The stakes are binary:

• Meet your quota: You get to breathe for another hour.
• Fail your quota: Your corporate overlords remotely cut your oxygen supply.

Gameplay: Tactical Claustrophobia

Inspired by the “sub-horror” genre defined by titles like Iron Lung, the game forces you to interact with the world through a limited interface. You aren’t looking out a window; you’re staring at gauges, flickering monitors, and a series of tactile levers.

• Manual Mastery: You must physically grab and operate the submarine’s machinery. Flipping locking-arms and setting drill bits feels heavy and deliberate, heightening the panic when things inevitably go wrong.
• Limited Visibility: Navigation is a game of sensory deprivation. You rely on sonar and external cameras to avoid the jagged terrain—and whatever else might be hunting in the silt.
• The Weight of the Deep: The sound design is a standout feature, filled with the groans of shifting metal and the rhythmic thrum of the engine that masks the sounds of the abyss outside.

Short, Sharp, and Terrifying

The Oily Depths is designed as a focused, “short-form” horror experience, clocking in at around two hours. It’s the perfect length for a single-sitting descent into madness. Between the looming threat of oxygen depletion and the unsettling lore surrounding the corporation you serve, the game stays tense from the first hatch-seal to the final, crushing conclusion.

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Where to Play

The Oily Depths is available now on Steam for PC. To celebrate the launch, there is a 10% discount for early adopters who are brave enough to dive in during launch week.

“Fail your quota, and they’ll cut your oxygen. This is deep-sea horror. Obey or drown.”

Find out more here – https://ryanrburns.com/

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