Home Gaming SOMA reviews round up – Chilling Science Friction

SOMA reviews round up – Chilling Science Friction

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SOMA, the new horror game from Amnesia and Penumbra developer Frictional Games. This time though, it’s got a science-fiction bent instead of the all-out creepy asylum vibe of previous games. It’s chilling horror done right; the sort of lingering, psychological stuff that sits in your brain, wriggling in your subconscious for ages afterwards, not the cheap-thrills jump scare horror that’s become so popular. And it’s good. Really, really good.

So say critics, who’re calling it one of the best stories in games this year.

Gamespot: 9

SOMA_1

I came in expecting something similar to Amnesia, just in a terrifying new location, but what I found is an intelligent game that forced me to think and contemplate ideas as only the best sci-fi is capable of doing. It may not stir the hordes of wailing YouTubers looking for the next best haunted house, but SOMA succeeds at crafting something much more meaningful in a genre that’s deserving of more than just simple jump scares.

The Jimquisition: 8

SOMA_2

This is not just another horror game. It’s a science fiction story with horrific shades, a game that ponders the human condition in an industry where “the human condition” has become an awkward dead horse of a phrase. A horror game that, curiously, would have benefited from a little less horror.

Simply put – there needs to be more games like this in the world.

Eurogamer: Recommended

SOMA_4

That Frictional has been able to take such an over-used concept as exploring an abandoned research base, populated by bloody corpses and monsters, and turn it into a sombre philosophical adventure that is also exciting and even funny, is quite the achievement. It may not move the genre forwards much in terms of mechanics, but it spins a story you’ll be glad to have experienced.

Kotaku: YES

SOMA_5

Though jump scares are fun in the moment, they don’t last. The best horror sticks with you long after the credits roll, an uneasy feeling that lingers uncomfortably in the moments before you fall asleep. I’ve been thinking about what happened in SOMA for days now, especially the game’s closing minutes, and can’t let it go. Just thinking about it makes me sick to my stomach. If that’s not a sign of success, I’m not sure what is.

Destructoid: 9

SOMA_6

SOMA gets everything right about the survival horror genre. It’s like someone created the perfect video game mixtape — a little bit of abandoned underwater atmosphere from BioShock, detailed environments a la Gone Home, and (of course) the frenzied monster mechanics from Amnesia. Even if you dislike non-combat-oriented games, I dare you to give it a try.

IGN: 8.1

SOMA is a sustained exploration of an original and thought-provoking idea. The concept of artificial intelligence has been explored by lots of science fiction, so it isn’t unique in that regard, but it makes particularly intelligent use of video game conventions to present those familiar ideas in new and surprising ways. At 12 hours long, the story feels a little stretched, especially when so much of its gameplay feels less original than its ideas. That’s not to say it’s scares aren’t effective or intense but I found myself drawn to its quiet moments in which its philosophical yet unpretentious storytelling is allowed to breathe without interference from unintuitive puzzles and monsters that can’t be manipulated.

It’s a good time to be a gamer if you like Sci-Fi horror. This, along with the recently released Stasis means gamers who love Sci-fi settings and regular changes of underwear are well served. SOMA is out now on PC and PS4.

Last Updated: September 22, 2015

19 Comments

  1. Alien Emperor Trevor

    September 22, 2015 at 11:06

    “hordes of wailing YouTubers” That made me lol.

    Reply

  2. Kromas untamed

    September 22, 2015 at 11:08

    I think I’ll SOMA go get it. 😛

    Reply

  3. Jac7

    September 22, 2015 at 11:09

    That’s awesome news. Reasons for loving Alien Isolation – science fiction, no running and gunning and fear. I will get this. On a different note, I haven’t been able to put down Mad Max. Holy shit, this generation of games will be known for using source material the right way and bringing us epic experiences.

    Reply

    • Fnuik

      September 22, 2015 at 12:15

      Mad Max is totally addictive, and most of all FUN!

      Reply

      • Jac7

        September 22, 2015 at 15:30

        It’s mayhem. Jeez. Taking out a convoy is probably one of the single most memorable moments in my gaming history. Shotgun blast to the gas tank!

        Reply

  4. RinceThis

    September 22, 2015 at 11:28

    Ohhhh. I’d get it, but I’m still playing Witched III

    Reply

    • Alien Emperor Trevor

      September 22, 2015 at 11:38

      How’re you liking it? I’m guessing not much seeing as you can’t be bothered to spell its name correctly. ;P

      Reply

      • RinceThis

        September 22, 2015 at 11:41

        Fuuuuuk you! Busy day! Which is why I am here 0-O Loving it man. I cannot stop laughing at how he responds to certain situations. ‘Maybe they don’t share the same father’ ‘Yeah, probably the same can be said about their mother’. hahaha! He is so damn sarcastic. Whitcher III, I love it man!

        Reply

        • Grand Admiral Chief

          September 22, 2015 at 11:55

          WITCHER!
          NOT Whitcher
          NOT Witched
          but WITCHER!

          Reply

          • Alien Emperor Trevor

            September 22, 2015 at 11:57

            He probably plays the game with Geralt drunk the whole time and calls it Witchnail & III.

          • Grand Admiral Chief

            September 22, 2015 at 12:33

            ESKEEEEEEEEEEEL

            Chop chop

          • Alien Emperor Trevor

            September 22, 2015 at 12:39

            LOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL. Dat whole scene!

        • Alien Emperor Trevor

          September 22, 2015 at 11:56

          He’s damn funny, they really nailed it with his facial expressions.

          One that sticks in my mind is when he’s talking to an elf about their legends, and you can choose to ask for a long or short version, I went with the long version and he asks in a sarcastic way, elf doesn’t pick up on it & is about to launch into his story & Ciri tells him you’re being sarcastic, then it cuts to Geralt and he’s got this real “huehuehue” smirk on his face. He’s such a troll.

          Reply

  5. RinceThis

    September 22, 2015 at 11:32

    If it’s out now, where is the Cabbage’s review?

    Reply

  6. RinceThis

    September 22, 2015 at 11:34

  7. DragonSpirit009

    September 22, 2015 at 11:53

    Right… so another game I should stay way from! Ha! Like thats gonna happen XD

    Reply

  8. Grand Admiral Chief

    September 22, 2015 at 11:55

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