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,…

Skip User Reviews

90%

Audience ScoreBased on 49 reviews

gameplay8 positive mentions

Atmospheric and immersive with a tense, unsettling underwater setting.
Simple and intuitive gameplay mechanics involving submarine operation and resource management.
Engaging art style and sound design that effectively build mood and tension.

Very short gameplay duration, often under an hour, leaving players wanting more.
Lack of story depth and unclear lore, resulting in an unsatisfying or abrupt ending.
Some players find controls clunky and gameplay lacking in complexity or reward.

gameplay
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
48%
14%
The gameplay is praised for its simple, intuitive mechanics and engaging subsystem management, especially controlling ship pressure and manual operations, creating a fun and immersive experience. However, many users feel the gameplay is too short and lacks deeper expansion or progression, leaving potential untapped for a larger, more developed game. The compact length prevents repetitiveness but also limits long-term engagement.
- “Super fun and intuitive mechanics that could seriously be expanded on for a bigger game.”
- “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.”
- “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.”
- “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.”
- “It is a very short game, with less than 1 hour of gameplay.”
- “I wish the developer would take this and expand on it, expand on the drilling mechanics, and add progression.”
atmosphere
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
11%
33%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive, oppressive, and grimy industrial setting that effectively builds tension without relying on monsters. While the experience is brief, it offers a charming and intense horror vibe that many find intriguing and well-executed, though some wish it were more fleshed out or longer.
- “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!”
- “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 atmosphere is absolutely there but that's about it.”
- “I was overall impressed with the atmosphere of the game, and kinda disappointed when it came to an end as it seemed very sudden.”
- “The Oily Depths is a charming, but unfortunately very short horror game that relies on oppressive atmosphere rather than monsters to create tension.”
story
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
34%
33%
The story received mixed feedback, with some users finding it short and lacking depth, while others appreciated its immersive nature and dark humor. Several suggested the game would benefit from a more fleshed-out narrative or additional background elements to enhance engagement. Overall, the story was seen as a secondary feature to the gameplay, with room for improvement.
- “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.”
- “Aside from duration, I didn't enjoy the story either, so for me this is a no.”
- “If you played the Nextfest demo awhile 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.”
graphics
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
80%
20%
The game's graphics feature a striking, grimy industrial art style that creates a mysterious and tense atmosphere. The visuals are beautifully designed, with detailed environmental effects that enhance the immersive and unsettling mood.
- “The visual style is stunning, 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, like 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 highlighted by a funny and interesting concept, with a good dose of dark humor that complements the immersive story and gameplay.
- “Funny and interesting concept.”
- “Immersive story and gameplay, plus a good dash of dark humor!”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for being enjoyable and quick, with good replayability that encourages multiple playthroughs.
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users indicate that grinding in the game is demanding and may require additional effort or resources, such as extra lives, to progress effectively.
music
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music is notably minimal, with an eerie absence that enhances immersion alongside brilliant industrial sound effects. The audio design is praised for effectively using environmental sounds like creaking hulls and distant creature noises to create a tense atmosphere.
- “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.”