I don't write reviews. For SOMA I will make an exception. I played this game without knowing anything about it at first. I also never played a horror game before - it is not quite my type of genre. I was looking for something with a decent immersion factor, and - oh dear - did SOMA deliver. I was completely and utterly terrified by the world this game took me into. I got lost in there. In the darkness. But despite being thoroughly repelled by the atmosphere (because it is delivered so effectively) there was a curiosity in me that was stronger than my fear. If you want creepy, if you want weird, if you want to completely eject from your daily life for a moment, this game can give it to you. I do recommend though, to play it alone, in the dark, with headphones turned up a bit louder than usual, and to surrender to its story and let it pull you in. Identify with the main character and the completely horrifying situation he is thrown into. And take his journey as seriously as you would, in his situation. Then you can have the maximum experience. I do have to add though that on a second playthrough, the creatures were a little less frightening, although still very disturbing. People in reviews sometimes complain about them being annoying. I personally think that is exactly as it should be. As this is not a shoot and run game, it needs to draw its awe-inducing qualities from other sources, such as instilling the feeling of helplessness, which is amplified by the fact that you have absolutely no way of defending yourself. If the creatures weren't annoying, they wouldn't be taking their jobs very seriously. At any rate, I found the balance in this game, of all its components and styles, absolutely perfect. SOMA, with its top-notch story, has made it to the number one of my inner favourite games list and I have some serious doubts it will ever drop down from there. That all being said, I wouldn't recommend it to a kid.
