SOMA

This is a dark and deviant science fiction tale well worth a look thanks to some uncomfortable themes and concepts. And, at about 8 to 10-ish hours long, it’s a perfectly formed and satisfying experience to see through to conclusion. Seriously, that ending? You’ll be digesting it months from now.

With intelligent story telling and beautiful imagery, SOMA pushes the boundaries of traditional survival horror in new, psychologically thrilling ways. PS4 framerate issues may cause minor frustration during critical moments, but any console-limited fans of this niche genre are urged to give it a shot, regardless.

SOMA is at its best when it’s challenging you on a philosophical level rather than on a mechanical one. As a horror game, SOMA feels old and archaic. It isn’t especially frightening or even satisfying to play, but the questions it raises are worth exploring and make it worthwhile regardless. It’s an adventure that will stay with you as you roll the fates of Simon and Catherine around in your head long after the credits have rolled. Due to the current state of the PS4 version, however, if you’re going to play SOMA, either wait to see if it gets patched or play it on PC instead.

SOMA is a game that can cause you to question your humanity, if only for a few moments. It’s just a shame that the HPL Engine 3 was not up-to-snuff for the PlayStation 4. Still, this is a great game to play, whether by yourself or with others watching, and considering a play time of around 12 hours, it’s a pretty good thriller for $30.

If you're after more details from on what exactly is going on, stop looking. Your experience with Soma could easily be lessened, quite significantly, if you learn too much about the plot, who you play and what your goals are. The game's slowly-unfolding story, and the choices you live with, make the experience one that will stay with you for some time, the ending hitting all the right notes.

SOMA's an interesting release that succeeds and stumbles in areas that we didn't expect it to. Indeed, given the developer's track record, we'd anticipated a terrifying title – but while it has its eerie moments, it's a bit of a disappointment as a horror game. Where it's more successful is in its ability to depict the moral challenges of AI, and this subject matter results in some of the tougher decisions that we've seen in a game for a while. The plot is compelling, the presentation is generally very good, and the conclusion is outstanding.

I’ve never played a game that’s affected me as much as SOMA, and to be honest I’m not sure I want to ever again, although I’m very glad I did. It has the DNA of movies like Alien, 2001, Sunlight, and Event Horizon, with a splash of the original Dead Space and Bioshock, but brings plenty of new ideas to the table. It makes you think about what it means to be alive, and indeed how you classify life, and is a brilliant example of just how far video games have evolved.

Every time you see that static, your heart sinks. Not just because you know you’re about to reveal how much of a coward you are, but because you resent the fact you’re being taken away from SOMA’s wonderful world. The result is an unhappy marriage of horror and narrative exploration, but – by the end of the satisfying story – you’ll be glad you stuck it out.

There's a philosophical edge to the narrative that elevates this above the rank and file, and although it might lack subtlety in this regard from time to time, this is still a cerebral shocker that provokes the mind as much as it does the senses. Make no mistake, Soma is a really good horror game, and if you've been out of Isolation for too long and want a title to hold you in its deathly grip during the ever lengthening autumn evenings, this is an experience well worth braving.

A thought-provoking journey that creates tension with its brilliant audio work, SOMA lacks some of the jump scares found in other survival horror games, but offers new ideas that keep you totally immersed.

Muchos esperaban que Frictional Games, contemplados como los padres del terror moderno, volvieran a definir el terror con SOMA, pero no ha sido así. El estudio sueco ha preferido mantenerse fiel a la fórmula que les dio la fama, y ha creado un nuevo universo perfecto para ambientar una aventura de terror.

SOMA es un survival horror en primera persona destacable por la originalidad de su historia, con momentos de bastante tensión, aunque escasos. Cuenta con escenarios y sonidos bastante conseguidos que logran recrear esa atmósfera angustiosa en la que se encuentra nuestro personaje a la perfección, por lo que si sois fans del género el juego cumplirá con vuestras expectativas.

Hay tantas aventuras de terror al "estilo Amnesia" que a estas alturas es difícil que un juego así te sorprenda. Y sin embargo SOMA lo consigue sin revolucionar el género ni salirse de las pautas establecidas. ¿Su mejor baza? Una genial puesta en escena aderezada por una de esas historias de terror difíciles de olvidar. Es inteligente, te hace cuestionarte muchas cosas y además te mantiene en constante tensión.

SOMA no cae en los convencionalismos del género y trata de sumergir por completo al jugador en una cautivadora historia de ciencia ficción que nos invita a cuestionar nuestra propia naturaleza y nos pone a prueba constantemente, sin descanso. Con una integración total de enigmas, rompecabezas y narrativa, SOMA no pretende ser un Amnesia con robots bajo el océano. SOMA va más allá y se sirve de tan aterrador contexto para contarnos un relato del que se pueden extraer varias conclusiones.

Frictional Games demonstriert mit SOMA hinsichtlich der Konzeption der Spielwelt, der Regie und des Storytellings seine Stärken. Obwohl die Schweden auf Sparflamme kochen, was Rätsel, Aufgaben oder die Entwicklung von Fähigkeiten angeht, zeigen sie vor allem in den Begegnung mit Maschinenwesen ihr dramaturgisches Können - das sind tolle, angenehm subtil inszenierte Momente. Allerdings erreichen sie im Spieldesign nicht die Klasse der Abenteuer, die sie zitieren.

Sur la forme, il est déjà plus classique mais a au moins le mérite de reprendre bon nombre de mécanismes dont l'efficacité n'est plus à prouver tout en s'évitant les plus faciles d'entre eux, jumpscares et hausses de sons artificiels en tête. Frictional Games a également su franchir un palier dans la modélisation de ses titres, mais peine encore à se débarrasser des quelques ralentissements et défauts d'optimisation qui lui collent aux basques. SOMA n'est certes pas parfait mais il réussit où on l'attend, c'est bien là l'essentiel.

Un pur moment de "bonheur" ! SOMA ne vous plongera peut-être pas dans l'horreur ultime, mais le jeu vous fera passer dix heures dans une angoisse savante au fil d'un scénario intelligent à la narration subtilement menée. Mis à part quelques petits ralentissements inévitables rencontrés aux points de sauvegarde automatique et une IA de temps à autre parfumée à la fraise, il offre une expérience fluide et savoureuse.

Plusieurs dilemmes moraux nous sont présentés, mais ils ne changent finalement rien. Ceci dit, cette lacune est peut-être volontaire, les développeurs donnant ainsi à croire au joueur que la sombre conclusion de l'histoire est entièrement sa faute, avant de… Non, impossible d'en dire plus ici sans spoiler, ce qui serait un véritable gâchis étant donné la haute volée scénaristique de SOMA. Le mieux, c'est encore que vous y jouiez !

SOMA n'a pas l'enrobage visuel ni la consistance technique les plus soignés dans sa catégorie, ni la conclusion la plus surprenante en matière de science-fiction. Malgré des designs qui font froid dans le dos, il n'arrive pas non plus à rendre chacun de ses "monstres" assez unique pour éviter l'installation d'une routine sur la fin. Pourtant, le nouveau Frictional Games est si habilement construit, mûrement réfléchi et irrésistiblement perturbant que l'on y plonge la tête la première en faisant tout pour ne pas la perdre.

SOMA è uno di quei titoli che vanno giocati a prescindere da ogni possibile opposizione perché riescono a fare bene quello che molti altri titoli neanche tentano: raccontare una storia profonda sfruttando i mezzi espressivi propri dei videogiochi, stupendo il giocatore in più di un'occasione talvolta prendendolo anche in contropiede. Detto questo è anche un horror di grande levatura, con momenti terrorizzanti, anche se più radi rispetto ad alcuni concorrenti.

Frictional Games, bizi okyanus dibindeki tesislerde heyecanlı, dramatik ve birazda ürkütücü bir yapımla buluşturdukları için teşekkürlerimi sunuyorum. Korku öğeleri keşke biraz daha fazla olsaydı, ama bu açığı hikâyesi ve oyun içi müzikleri ve karaktere seslendirmelerindeki başarılarıyla kapattıklarını söylemeliyim. Gerçi Thomas Grip, Amnesia tarzı bir korku oyunundan daha çok, farklı bir hikâyesi olan bilim kurgu türü oluşturduklarını söylüyor.

Allt som allt är Soma en värdefull upplevelse, kanske speciellt om du gillar dystopisk science fiction. Men den bristande skräcken lämnar ett tomrum, och den förutsägbara handlingen lämnar även den mer att önska. Samtidigt är stämningen, om än något skräcklös, väldigt tät. Att besöka havets mörka botten har inte känts så här aktuell sedan det första Bioshock, och den gestaltning av mänsklighet som spelet tar upp lämnar mig fortfarande nöjd med mitt äventyr.

Soma är inget mästerverk och det blir aldrig lika läskigt som Amnesia. Inte ens nära. Det finns dock stunder som skrämt mig rätt ordentligt och atmosfären är suverän - hela spelet igenom. Temat samt berättandet är klockrent och det finns tänkvärda poänger som gjort att jag fortsatt tänka på Soma flera dagar efter det att jag bevittnade slutsekvensen, vilket naturligtvis är positivt.