SOMA

Left me speechless. I've recently replayed all of Frictional Games and for me this was peak
Story wise definitely..

The richest story by Frictional Games

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That's it, I've officially completed all Frictional Games games. Ironically, this is the first one I bought (shortly after it came out), but for some reason I didn't finish it at the time. I think back then I wasn't particularly engaged with the story or the philosophical dilemmas the game hinges on, and unfortunately, this is SOMA's main selling point.

Is this game for you?

I bet most people would answer this with a resounding "yes, buy it", but I'm not so sure this is good advice. Before accepting the "Overwhelmingly positive" reviews as a universal truth, I would consider the following:

1. Are you a fan of previous Frictional games, and what was it you liked about them?
   
2. Are you after a horror game?
   
3. Are you after a challenging game?
   

If constant dread and difficult puzzles are your answers to question 1, you may want to reconsider whether SOMA is for you or not. If a decent-enough story alone, like in A Machine for Pigs, was enough for you, then I think you will adore SOMA because the story is so much stronger. However, this needs to be stated: the puzzles are straightforward and the fear factor is just not there. Every now and then you'll get a scare or two, but don't let anyone fool you: The Dark Descent this is not.

Sci-fi done right

Anyone making games in the future should play this game before they engage in any kind of brainstorming or design activity. You know who I'm talking about; those guys making the latest zombie apocalypse live-service shit-show set in some city in the US. In SOMA, Frictional Games moved away from their prior Lovecraftian themes and decided to delve into proper science fiction. And no, it doesn't have to take place in space or have aliens in it. Planet Earth has a wide variety of unexplored areas that can make a fantastic location for a sci-fi or fantasy video game. Icy Greenland was excellent in Penumbra and the bottom of the Ocean in SOMA is simply unbeatable. More original stuff like this in the future, please.

A compelling story

SOMA's real strength is the story. Don't get me wrong, the compounds at the bottom of the ocean are brilliant and authentic, the marine life gorgeous to look at, and the ambience is spot on throughout the game. However, you can tell they put some significant effort into making the story the centrepiece of the experience. The gist is, Simon (you) is killed at the very beginning after being involved in a car accident. Luckily, his personality is digitalised before meeting his demise, and right away the player wakes up 100 years later to a meteorite having wiped the human race and the only survivors being in the underwater facilities Simon's in right now. The player soon finds that his body is really a robot with a copy of the meat Simon's personality. He is a bit of a whiny twat, but given the circumstances I think we can all forgive his Canadian flaws.

The reason why the story is so interesting is that it makes you think. I found myself pondering over some of the dilemmas posed in SOMA. What would I want in this or that situation? Would I prefer complete extinction over a sensibly inferior (and far less handsome) version of the real Bort? Would you value a digital life? Cyberpunk 2077 presented the player with similar predicaments, and because they were channelled through such a good story with incredible characters, that game had me fully invested in it. SOMA is no different. Now, we don't have Keanu Reeves or Idris Elba, but still, I must tip my hat to Nell Mooney and Jared Zeus for voicing Catherine and Simon; they did spectacular work and were it not for them, the story wouldn't shine through as it does. They bring true passion and make genuine, believable characters. The rest of the voice acting is really good as well, but I think those 2 deserve a special mention.

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Final thoughts and score

I'm very pleased I decided to go through the Frictional Games catalogue. It's been a lot of ups with a few downs, but this studio is one to keep an eye on. Single player games, no micro-transactions, no live-service crap, no installing additional rubbish software... what's not to love? Like I said in the beginning, if you're after a horror game that will present you with a challenge, this may not be the game for you. Make sure you like the plot and the setting, otherwise you will not enjoy this one. Probably 8.5 or 9 / 10. If I had to rank the Frictional Games catalogue this would be it:

1. Amnesia: the bunker
   
2. Amnesia: the dark descent
   
3. Penumbra overture + black plague (let's be honest here, it's one game)
   
4. SOMA (really close to Penumbra)
   
5. Amnesia: a machine for pigs
   
6. Penumbra requiem
   
7. [...] Placeholder for any future, awful games
   
[*]Amnesia rebirth

At first, I thought it was a horror game — and it sure is, because some sea monster was chasing my ass around. But in the end, the ending just made my depression even worse.

This is far and away the best horror game I've ever played. Doesn't rely on cheap jumpscares and the story will be stuck in your head for awhile afterwards.

10/10 would have an existential crisis again

It is the best story I have ever played in a game ever. And I doubt any game will ever top this story wise.

I don’t even know where to begin. One of the most insane and thought provoking stories I’ve ever experienced. Narratively the game is perfect. It really makes you question what it means to be human. Very philosophical. The game plays with the concept of consciousness very well.

The game really does an amazing job of keeping the real point of the story a mystery until half way through the game. You don’t even know how or why you got there for the first few hours of the game which adds extra value to the moment when you learn what truly happened with Simon in Toronto dying and his consciousness being used as AI template. And then to learn that Cath aims to save humanity by finding and launching the ARK into space the game becomes a lot deeper.

Specifically at the end when they show both Simons, the one that gets left behind and the one that makes it onto the ARK portrays perfectly how the transfer of consciousness works. Both Simons think they are the real one, ARK Simon will live a happy beautiful life and Earth Simon will spend the rest of his days in misery.

The game had many emotional moments like the end where PATHOS Simon realises he is stuck behind but also where you speak to the last living human. Her whole speech about how miserable her state is and that her life used to be beautiful before PATHOS. These moments really impacted me emotionally. Simon and Catherine’s relationship also develops very beautifully and is aided massively by the fact that they are the only two “people” trying to save the ARK.

The point of this game is not the gameplay but I will still speak about it. The creatures although are scary at first once you get desensitised to them they just become annoying as they slow you down from accomplishing your tasks. Also some of the puzzles can feel annoying and long at times they are always rewarding at the end.

Overall this game is one of my favourite experiences narratively that I’ve ever had. The story is very deep and thought provoking. Even though this is an indie game it feels like a AAA game and is better than a lot of AAA games for sure. Even visually this game is amazing for a 2015 indie game. I mean I can’t stop saying nice things about this game it’s absolutely perfect. It would make an amazing movie if made right.

Overall I’d rate it a 10/10.

To me, humanity is intrinsically tied to consciousness. If we ever manage to transfer consciousness into AI, I would consider it a continuation of humanity. That's why I felt such empathy towards the suffering throughout the game. It really hit hard. At first the game fills you with hope, but that hope is slowly and painfully stripped away from you. Such a beautiful lore for such existential horror game. Definitely worth it.

I really can't even imagine how scary it must have been waking up at PATHOS-II. T. Akers was absolutely terrifying. Nearly pissed myself there.

Absolutely the best story game I've ever played, it unlocked a new fear for me and made me rethink life itself 10/10

Here is a spoiler-free review of SOMA for anybody who is thinking of purchasing this game while it is on sale. Many will tell you that you should go into the game blind. For the story half, this is probably true. For the gameplay half, you should know what you are in for. So here is a break down of my experience with SOMA's gameplay.

SOMA does not have gameplay.

I played SOMA for about 3 hours on standard difficulty and encountered no puzzles, no combat, extremely limited exploration, and only the scarcest semblance of stealth. Functionally the game is a walking simulator with the occasional spooky patrolling obstacle to avoid.

The game is also not very scary. Though since I am a jaded horror game veteran, your mileage may vary. The game is extremely atmospheric, but it's more a sense of "huh, that's weird/interesting" than fear for your life.

Now, even if you're looking for a top tier walking simulator like SOMA, there is one more thing you should know. The thing that made me quit SOMA wasn't underwhelming gameplay, it was a headache. SOMA absolutely loves throwing visual distortions at you. Your screen will always be jerking, stuttering, wobbling and glitching as part of intentional game design. Eventually, these things gave me a motion-sickness related headache. I should also mention that as a frequent VR user and veteran of back seat gameboy road trips, I am not usually one who has trouble with these things. But SOMA's glitchy screen got me.

So... be warned. I provide this review not to complain but to help inform anybody who might be on the fence for this one and finding hard to locate spoiler-free criticism.

Fantastic plot-driven existential horror game with an interesting story and visuals. This is more of an interactive horror story than a skill-based game. There is no combat system to speak of and it isn't challenging at all, but that's not really the point of it.

It has several very interesting moral choices you have to make throughout the game that really make you think. Unfortunately, your choices make zero difference in the plot and there are not alternate endings based on your choices. Also, the game is pretty much on rails 90% of the time. As such there really isn't much to make you want to replay it after you complete the main quest.

My only minor quibble with this game is that you do this wobble motion when you walk, I guess to make it seem more realistic, but it just gave me motion sickness and seemed unnecessary. Also there is a mechanic where you can lean right and left, but never in the game did it seem necessary to do so. In retrospect, MAYBE you could use it to look around corners and see monsters before they see you. After the tutorial in the beginning where they showed you how to do it, I never remembered to bother with it again.

If you like plot driven games and walking simulators like Edith Finch and Stanley Parable, I'd recommend it. However, due to the limited replay value I'd suggest waiting for a sale.

Summary

Steam needs a "Meh" rating. I have thought this many times, but here I am again. This game has an overwhelmingly positive rating, and I assume that's because it's just above the line to be not recommended. I did manage to finish the game.

The Good

The story in SOMA is good, and the puzzles are appropriate and integrated logically into the environment. The game has a great atmosphere and derives a lot of creepiness from it.

The Bad

The story is good, but it's not great. It's predictable. It would have made a better movie than a game.

The game only has one mechanic. Run. It doesn't matter what enemy you face; your only defense is to run away from it. In the early part of the game, I thought I had figured out how to lure an enemy into a room, sneak around it, and lock it in. No joy. Somehow, a creature with no arms can press buttons to open doors. I guess it just head-butts them. Tons of metal pipes and other heavy objects are lying around, but there is no way to use them to defend yourself. You even get a gun at one point that lasts just long enough to disable one robot, after which you inexplicably drop it and can't pick it up again.

So, run. Just run. It's not even run and hide. Hiding doesn't work. You can try to distract enemies by throwing objects to create noise in another direction. That works about half of the time. Otherwise, enemies will find you even if you crouch in a dark corner and stay still. I can understand why just under 31% of players finished the game. (That's not unusual for any given game, but I that should be higher for a game with an overwhelmingly positive rating.)

I honestly have never been more astonished by a game before, this game is definitely one of my favourite games ive ever played before, the story is insane and the ending is one of the best i've seen, overall this game, even in 2025 is a 10/10 in my books.

Do you know the emptiness you feel after a really good movie with a rather sad but happy ending?
Thats what SOMA was for me. The story was just amazing. I ended this game with a heavy heart and thats how I know it was an excellent game <3

If you are a fan of the classic walking simulator type horror games (somewhat like the dark picture anthologies), then this is a game you will enjoy. Suspense builds well, story is interesting, and if you love undersea stuff, this is a gamer for you.

While this game doesn't have that many monster encounters, It makes it up with great atmosphere and storytelling, even when you are safe the game feels like it may suddenly throw something at you, It succeeded in keeping me paranoid throughout the entire game. The ending is bittersweet but that bitter part definitely outweighs the sweet part and is what makes it a thought-provoking and memorable experience.

Great game, really makes you question your morals and ethics. Plus it has a beautiful story and an awesome ending!

This is one of those games that after completing it, it makes you wonder about what it means to be human.
This game is incredible in the storytelling, the atmosphere, the different ways that the enemies work and so much more.

This game was cooked to perfection

Lovely horror game. Not as scary as I expected, but the horror comes more from the existential questions and mysteries it makes you confront. Nice medium length experience too, took me 6 hours.

Super late to the party with this game, but it has aged well and lives up to the praise. It's like Bioshock, except you can't fight back and more philosophical and existential instead of political.

Fantastic story and voice acting in this game! A few spots I got lost in but overall the game was enjoyable. Plenty of scares and creepiness for horror lovers. Not a fan of FPS view but given the good story and other things, I enjoyed this one.

I wasn't expecting a spooky game to be so thought provoking, but Soma really makes you appreciate life. It's short, but the experience is so worth it.

Strong recommend!

Well that's a game that'll remain in my mind for quite some time.

Incredible story accompanied by servings of existential dread and a thought provoking message. Only relative downside is the unneccesary monster hide-and-seek that doesnt add much at all to the experience, so I'd suggest you lower the "difficulty" once you're allowed to.

THEY'RE NOT US!

awesome game, great story and atmosphere

excellent story, this game is a must play for anyone with a hunch for a good story and play through.

This has no right being as amazing as it is. It made me feel all the things. I did have to pull up a walkthrough a bit more frequently near the second half, but it didn't detract from my experience at all. Most of the sections felt possible to get through. Safe mode was definitely the way to go for me, and it was still such a good experience. Probably the heaviest game I've ever played. This is also one of the few games that has made me feel genuinely uncomfortable, so it gets a lot of props for that. Overall, even though I got it on a crazy sale, it's absolutely worth the base price. If you like robots, horror, and thinking about what it means to be alive, definitely play this.
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SPOILERS
[I will say, a day after finishing, that ending still upset me so incredibly much and kind of ruined my mood for a while. I'm still thinking about it and it sucks. Still an incredible experience, though.]

Possibly the finest horror game ever made. Not the scariest, at least not in the traditional pop culture sense, but it delivers horror in a very personal way that is unique to video games. This is game is about how you perceive it and the world around you to be, and what constitutes lived experience in a world where sensations can be stored and even commodified. These big questions are bookended by memorable monster encounters that amplify the tragedy and moral perversity of the setting.

This is one of the only games I've ever played so rich that I would read it, were it a book.

After playing this every other story in other games feels written by kids

Great story , and really gets you thinking.
Also pretty scary, but doesn't have too many jump scares.

This is a game You should play twice.
Playing through the game for the first time is already an amazing experience. It's unclear what's going on at first and it makes little sense. But as the truth is revealed it simply makes sense. It's fantastic

Knowing how the game goes and how it ends adds a some level of magic to the experience when playing it for a second time.

I wouldn't recommend to play the game a second time right after completing it. Take some time to let it sink in a little. And when on that random afternoon you remember you've played this game and how great it was, then it's the ideal time to start your second playthrough.

Man, that ending tore my heart to shreds. Both the first and second time seeing it.

incredible!! i was honestly malding at the end but when i beat it it was sooo satisfying. such a unique approach on self identity and what it means to be a human being

This game brings a horror experience that goes beyond jump scares and delves into the unsettling depths of philosophy and identity.

What a terrific, terrifying, tense, thoughtful and touching game this is. Please take all my money.

Great story game. Not much of a gameplay loop other than exploration, but that's to be expected. Great voice acting, story, and different twists to keep you guessing.

The game will present you with some of the most extreme dilemmas ever contrived in fiction. It's a journey worth taking, even for people who aren't fans of survival horror. (When starting a new game you can pick the "safe" difficulty which prevents your character from being physically injured.)

GOD I WANTED TO LIKE THIS GAME SOOOOOOOOO BAD AND IT MAKES ME SAD THAT I WASNT ABLE TO.

story wise this game is a 10/10. Discussions of mortality are hard to do and this story was able to pull it off pretty well. The concept behind knowing who the true you is the whole time really messed with you head.

Game play, this game sucked. it was fine at first but eventually the enemies would just get stuck; soft locking me until they left or randomly decided to kill me 10 minutes later. The puzzles are okay? if you have common sense you can solve them but they do leave you scratching your head when they magically get solved.

If you are a big story person, go for it. the gameplay isnt that bad but wouldnt warrant a second play through for me.

7/10

many games now lack story and originality. here is a game with a unique story. not difficult to play. would def recommend to those that seek to pass some time and just to play something offline.

I started playing this game 10 years ago, but only managed to beat it now. So I can relate to the main character waking up in the future. Anyway really good and engaging story. The graphics are amazing and still hold up. The horror bits are some of the best in any Frictional game. Some of the dialouge is a bit annoying and wants to be profound too hard, but whatever I still came to like the characters near the end. 8.5/10, really enjoyable

Soma is a highly recommend horror game but not the sort of horror you'll find too commonly elsewhere. There's a bit of gore and a few scares but the main horror theme that drives this game is existential horror through the story... and yeah its story is awesome.
Soma is a horror game with existential themes that takes place mainly in the bottom of the ocean and thats just the inital premise for the story, the pacing and the way certain reveals are made are nothing short of perfection at times. Definitely its biggest positive. The atmosphere is tense, the aesthetic is cool and some of the enemies are some really creepy looking monstrosities.
One downside I have with the gameplay it can be a little bit generic at times, an easy puzzle here a bit of backtracking there makes for some sections to be a little more slow than is needed but nothing is a deal breaker. In fact there are some puzzles (not wishing to spoil) play into its themes surprsingly well and are very creative.

Soma is phenomenal horror game but not your traditional horror experince bear in mind and covers some heavy themes about existence. Certainly a game worth experincing.

I've never been more unsettled about screen static. Thanks SOMA!

A great story with twists and turns. Definitely got the ticker going at times.

I've played a lot of non-combat survival horror and this is without exception the most well written one. Immerse yourself because the real terror of SOMA is in its plot.

There are some things to note. The downtime (parts of the game where you're safe from threat) can feel rather lengthy and linear; however, SOMA's fundamental idea gives you a lot to think about so I don't see this as a flaw. It's also a much shorter experience than other games in its genre.

8.5/10

the most "atmospheric horror" a game could get, although it is slightly ruined with MCU levels of dialogue delivery

Need to finish the story but i watched it on youtube, 10/10 story line and game. I am obviously late to the party

well, the gameplay is okay i guess. you just walk around do puzzles read notes etc, sometimes run away from monsters. i hated how your vision got 200 effects when your health gets very low though, the limping is fine but thats just annoying.
story was incredible got me hooked. 9/10

This game did a really good job at prompting me to question my morals, feel bad about doing the thing, and then cry. 10/10

I love this game. It has an interesting premise, and although the beginning can feel a bit slow, its narrative is well-crafted. At times, I found myself lost, unsure of where to go, which led to some frustration. However, aside from that challenge, it is a truly solid and enjoyable game.

Acabo de terminar el juego y... la sensación es rara, sin spoilers, si bien el juego no es el más vistoso, o las mecánicas no son las más pulidas, te hace pensar como pocos. Una atmósfera 10/10 y unas difíciles decisiones moralmente ambiguas que, a pesar de no afectar la narrativa, te dejan regulando. Una experiencia que no termina en los créditos o en un game over, sino que invita a la reflexión sobre la naturaleza del ser humano. Si te gustan el terror psicológico y las cuestiones existensiales, no puedo recomendarte suficiente este juego. Me sorprendió!!

I played this game like 4 years ago now, but a 2.5hr play through with commentary came up in my YT algo and I gladly watched the whole thing end to end, because the story and plot points of the game are just that good. I reminded me that I really need to come back and make sure I'd left a positive review.

I'd choose this absolute masterpiece over any triple A title from the last decade now.
I love when my game is strictly storytelling and nothing more, nothing less. The SOMA team really, uh wehat do the kids say nowdays... cooked with this one.

A game designed to make you sad- and executes it exceptionally well

Explores the idea of what makes you, YOU, why we persist to continue the human race,

Great atmosphere, great story.

The gameplay is pretty normal stealth gameplay... nothing too innovative or crazy, some puzzles are nice, and they do help connect you to the story and make you feel like you're the one actually figuring out the machinery.

This game is astonishing. In terms of story, characters and themes and improvement from Amnesia TDD. Though horror from Amnesia is still unbeatable. Setting itself is beautiful and haunting at the same time.
It's one of those game that stick with you for the rest of your life. Ending lives rent free in my head.
Sound design is astonishing. Definitely recommend playing this one with headphones.
Looking forward to what Frictional games will cook up next and hope whoever is reading this will enjoy this game as much as I did !