SOMA

This is one of the best sci-fi story I've ever read. The question what is the boundary of human existence is very intriguing and the horror ambience is very good. When a horror game doesn't have cheap jump scare, it's always a good sign of how confidence the writer and the developer presenting their game's narrative. All the great things about this game is marred by 2 things: confusing monster segment (the one in the theta) and terrible bug at later stage. The former almost killed my interest in this game. I didn't undestand the monster's patrol pattern and the correct progression path, and I groaned and I resorted on reading walkthrough. If you haven't got this game and interested on this game, then it's a no brainer, this game is very recommended (and maybe play it on safe difficulty to avoid frustation). If you liked this game, don't forget that there's supersecret file.

As far as the „genre” of walking sims is concerned, SOMA is definitely top tier. I was rather invested for most of it, and it was wonderfully dark and depressing – on that last point much more than I could ever anticipate. SOMA’s graphics are nothing extraordinary on the technical level, but I did enjoy the art design itself. There are some wonderfully creepy enemy designs, although it’s a pity that you seldom get a good look due to the mechanics of the game. But overall, there are certain locations and designs that left a lasting impression on me (*cough* the „moss” *cough*). The ambience audio design is also decent, and the voiceacting is generally okay. In the gameplay department SOMA is pretty much a walking sim. There’s not much to do besides exploration, listening to dialogue and making a few crucial choices. It’s not a disadvantage for me per se – I don’t have anything against „walking sims” if they are engaging, and SOMA happens to be. But I guess where the strength of SOMA is supposed to lie (and does indeed lie, in my opinion) is the story and choices. The choices that SOMA presents you with are some of the most dark, depressing and cruel decisions that a game made me consider, and with each of them I asked myself questions about life, death, the right we have to either of those, the quality of life that is acceptable (or not) and whether we have a right to make ceratin choices for other people, and if so – under what circumstances exactly, and where does the line lie. The story was… a bit less complex and „deep” ™ than the gossip made me believe. I was expecting a 5d existential chess philosophical maze type of story, and I got „just” something that was pretty good. If you would like to see a player exploring it in 2021 for the first time blind, you can see a playthrough on my channel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qt_QwsU3de0&list=PLp4TpsJ7HUWV_l4C-p9RIkuif1uVEAEfy

From the makers of Amnesia they did it again, and better. This is hands down one of the best horror titles that I have ever played by far, right up there alongside Dead Space and Darkwood for GOAT horror contenders imo. The only problem I can even find is don't believe the redditor tiers about "muh philosophical depth." I personally didn't find the story all that necessarily deep or engaging the way some people claim like it's a philosophical treatise, instead basically just being that basic Star Trek tier posed in your materialist Philosophy 101 class turned into a game, which I didn't believe. If you can suspend disbelief about the premise though, it's damn good, so good it's replayable and sticks with you. There are parts that fill you with the kind of deep dread the feel of thinking about going back to that one facility you finally escaped fills you with dread years later. I'm adding this now because it's on sale for the ridiculously low price of $2.99, which is absolute theft. This game is a priceless gem among its genre. Very few games I ever played got remotely near this kind of perfect atmosphere, it's incredible. You must buy it and play it.

immersive, philosophical, existential

That know where you're at all time and Run just to kill you off and this is Normel level near the last level this game is not worth nothing but just to piss you off. I would say wait till it's Free again.