Posted on: October 12, 2021

styku

Games: 107 Reviews: 2

Existential dread at its finest

Soma is a story-telling masterpiece on almost all possible levels. The story itself is profound, leaving an everlasting impression if only one stops to ponder upon grave questions it poses. Then, the way the games conveys the story is almost perfect. The main part is told in a direct way and it is enough to appreciate it. But when you start filling in the details from audio buffers, logs, notes and black boxes, you get a much more complete picture of the existential horror you are facing. One of the worst things? (CAREFUL, MAY BE A SOMEWHAT OF A SPOILER!) The protagonist does not seem to grasp the meaning and implications of his endeavors, so you start to subconsciously anticipate the end may be a very tragic one. The only other game that managed to leave a similar impact on me was Planescape: Torment. The jump scares are scarce. The tension caused by the monster encounters is somewhat dependent on your level of immersion and understanding on what is actually happening. Many think this is the weakest and most tedious part of the game, but I personally did enjoy and appreciate it. If you either are too stressed out by hide and seek sections of the game (or find them boring and unnecessary), you can always start the game in safe mode. This will still allow you to meet the monsters but ignore completely the stealth part. Finally, the art direction, visuals, audio, voice acting, writing - they are all top-notch and coherent. I can't recall thinking at any point "this is out of place, it breaks immersion, I would prefer it to be done differently". This game is carefully crafted, cohesive masterpiece.

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Posted on: October 20, 2021

DarkRootGabriel

Verified owner

Games: 46 Reviews: 9

Hide-and-Seek Done Well

This will get your mind going and possibly your heart! It's less about being overtly scary and more about uncomfortable thoughts about the lengths people may go in the aftermath of a terrible event. The enemy interactions are more like puzzles than reactions and quick decisions, so while some people say that lessened their fright, I guess it was still enough for me to get the pulse rate up. There is also a Safe Mode where the creatures will be freaky but not killer-y, if that's more your speed. The environments were well done I thought, and the environmental puzzles, while not too difficult, felt like reasonable actual things you might have to do in the circumstances, and I liked that a lot. For me four stars means "very much enjoyed it but not sure if I'll play it again". I still am not positive I won't play it again though...

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Posted on: December 6, 2015

betwixt

Verified owner

Games: 247 Reviews: 2

Best ever

I've played lots of this kind of game over more years than I'd like to confess and I think so far, this is the best yet. I played the Linux version with Ubuntu 15.10 and had to swap to Nvidia graphics instead of the stock 'Neuvau' ones otherwise the frame rate was too low but from then on it was 100% responsive with no video glitches at all. The only critisism is there is no game instructions in the package but having played the other Frictional games I could see the key actions are more or less the same. At the start I thought "did I just spend money on this garbage??" but believe me, when the lead character visits the clinic, everything changes. The graphics and sound suddenly come to life and you are not only in VERY different scenery but you are left wondering what is real and what isn't. Throughout the whole game you are not sure if you are suffering brain failure, a technical failure in the treatment at the clinic or were hijacked to a different world. The story slowly unfolds and leaves you with some challenging moral choices to make. Like the other Frictional games, there are bad guys but no weapons, you just have to avoid detection or run for your life. The scenes 4,000m under the sea are breathtaking and 'immersive' in more ways than one! Almost everything is interactive. Don't forget to carry Catherine with you, I forgot at one point and had to backtrack a long way, or you will not be able to open doors later in the game. One last thing - keep watching after the final credits roll by, everything is made clear!

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Posted on: June 8, 2016

Kira900

Verified owner

Games: 31 Reviews: 2

A bit of disappointment but it works!

SOMA it's a thriller/sci-fi game with a very light touch of horror. The most important theme here it's the storyline, deep and rich of details. The atmosphere are really good realized, although I don't feel the same emotions like Penumbra or Amnesia. Technically it has nothing special, but it's fine, especially for a game like this. If you expect something like Penumbra and Amnesia, you'll be disappointed; if you're looking for a sci-fi game with a good and deep storyline than you must give a chance to SOMA.

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Posted on: September 18, 2016

extesy

Verified owner

Games: 1452 Reviews: 1

Excellent game

It's a great game that touches upon philosophical concepts of conciseness and what makes you - you. In this sense it reminds me of The Talos Principle. It's much deeper than what I expected from the horror game. There are certainly some horror sections (and some are pretty hard) but the majority of the game is exploration and narrative. The ending left me sad and happy at the same time. Highly recommended, just for the story alone!

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