The Oily Depths

About

The Oily Depths is a single player survival management game with horror and mystery themes. It was developed by Ryan R Burns and was released on February 9, 2026. It received positive reviews from players.

The Oily Depths is a short horror game set in a submarine deep beneath the sea. You must locate and drill for oil or your overlords will stop your supply of oxygen. PILOT YOUR SUB Utilize all your gauges, meters, and monitors as your visibility is limited within the sub. Carefully navigate the sea floor to locate the oil extraction targets. OPERATE DANGEROUS DRILLING MACHINERY Flip levers,…

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87%

Audience ScoreBased on 38 reviews

gameplay7 positive mentions

Immersive and atmospheric setting with great audio and visual design reminiscent of classic submarine horror.
Simple, engaging gameplay mechanics involving managing submarine systems that create tension and fun within a short playtime.
Intriguing worldbuilding and story elements that invite curiosity and encourage replaying to analyze the lore.

Very short playtime (around 30-45 minutes), leading many to feel the experience is more like a demo or prologue.
Lack of depth in story and gameplay progression, with some players wishing for expansions or more content and multiple endings.
Some clunky controls and minimal scare factor; the horror elements rely mostly on atmosphere rather than scares or clear narrative payoff.

gameplay
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
41%
18%
The gameplay is praised for its simple, intuitive mechanics centered around manually managing the submarine's pressure and controls, creating an engaging and immersive experience. However, many users felt the gameplay was limited in scope and duration, wishing for expanded systems, deeper progression, and more utilization of mechanics like oxygen management. Overall, it offers a satisfying but brief gameplay loop that leaves potential for further development.
- “I liked the game mechanics of manually driving the submarine like in Iron Lung, and the added part of manually adjusting pressure and switching between drilling and the oil pump makes it feel like you are running on scrap metal and dreams.”
- “Gameplay with very simple, intuitive mechanics; the gameplay loop is easy to pick up without the need for any complex tutorials. Managing the ship's pressure, alongside the steering mechanics, became really fun.”
- “A short but intense atmospheric horror game, with a simple but neat gameplay (well-oiled machinery).”
- “If you played the NextFest demo a while back, you've already seen all it has to offer in terms of game mechanics; all that's left is the conclusion of the story, and there isn't much of one.”
- “I wish the developer would take this and expand on it, expand on the drilling mechanics, and add progression.”
- “However, almost £7 for 30 minutes of gameplay is a bit difficult for me to wrap my head around.”
atmosphere
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
12%
38%
The atmosphere of The Oily Depths is consistently praised for being immersive, oppressive, and effectively tense, largely driven by its grimy, industrial visual style. While the game is brief, it delivers a compelling horror experience that relies on mood rather than monsters. Many appreciate the unique ambiance but wish the atmosphere—and the game itself—were more fully developed.
- “The oily depths is a charming, but unfortunately very short, horror game that relies on oppressive atmosphere rather than monsters to create tension.”
- “A great bite-sized experience with an immersive and intriguing atmosphere, overall an awesome debut game!”
- “[b]Visual style[/b] - this game looks beautiful, with an art style reminiscent of Iron Lung (this seems to be one of the main inspirations behind the game) - everything looks grimy and industrial, creating an unsettling atmosphere and adding to the tension.”
- “The atmosphere is absolutely there but that's about it.”
- “The Oily Depths is a charming but unfortunately very short horror game that relies on oppressive atmosphere rather than monsters to create tension.”
- “I was overall impressed with the atmosphere of the game, but kind of disappointed when it ended suddenly.”
story
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The story is generally seen as short and limited, with some users wishing for a more fleshed-out and immersive narrative. While the game offers engaging gameplay and dark humor, the story lacks depth and could benefit from additional content or research elements to enhance immersion.
- “A short, immersive (pun intended) story!”
- “Immersive story and gameplay, plus a good dash of dark humor!”
- “Iron lung at least gave you a terminal where you can research and learn more about the story while still leaving a lot up to interpretation which is why that game is great.”
- “If you played the Nextfest demo a while back, you've already seen all it has to offer in terms of game mechanics; all that's left is the conclusion of the story... and there isn't much of one.”
- “Flesh out the story.”
- “Iron Lung at least gave you a terminal where you could research and learn more about the story while still leaving a lot up to interpretation, which is why that game is great.”
graphics
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's graphics feature a beautiful, grimy, and industrial art style that creates a mysterious and tense atmosphere. Visuals effectively enhance the unsettling mood, with environmental details like leaking water and fires adding immersive, stressful elements to the experience.
- “The visual style - this game looks beautiful, with an art style reminiscent of Iron Lung. Everything looks grimy and industrial, creating an unsettling atmosphere and adding to the tension.”
- “The world is mysterious and interesting, and the visuals are really good too.”
- “The moments where something goes wrong (leaking water or fires) offer stressful distractions from the oil drilling, perfectly captured by the art style.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor is well-received, featuring a funny and intriguing concept with a good blend of dark comedy that enhances the immersive story and gameplay.
- “Funny and interesting concept.”
- “Immersive story and gameplay, plus a good dash of dark humor!”
music
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music is notably absent, which enhances the eerie atmosphere, while the excellent industrial sound effects and ambient noises like creaking hulls and distant creatures significantly contribute to immersion and audio design.
- “The eerie lack of music, paired with the brilliant industrial sound effects really helped build the immersion.”
- “Great audio design, especially with the creaking hull and distant creature sounds.”