SOMA | PS4

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Frictional Games, masters of horror and the sadistic minds behind both Penumbra and Amnesia - games capable of turning even the 'ardest blokes ghostly white - bring us SOMA. 

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​by Sam Sant

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@SlamShotSam

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Platforms: PC, PS4
Developer: Frictional Games
Publisher: Frictional Games
Players: 1

SOMA takes place in an underwater research facility known as Pathos-II; it's an oxymoronic beautiful dystopia in the vein of BioShock's Rapture. Now, Rapture is one of the most iconic locations in gaming, so as you may imagine, SOMA has some Big Daddy sized shoes to fill - but fill them it does! Exquisitely designed interiors and sprawling seabeds alike are an absolute joy to explore. Without any form of handholding, be it a map, objective marker, or current objective listed on the pause screen, scouring every inch of your surroundings is a necessary pleasure. It's through this practice that Pathos-II takes on a life of its own, its performance outshining any living, breathing character. A game hasn't taken us to a location this rich in a long, long time.

Explaining how or why you're there would be divulging more information than we’re comfortable to. Needless to say, uncovering large chunks of the story independently through exploration and the acquisition of emails, system reports, audio logs, notes, drawings and more is all part of the experience. Just know it's a very intriguing journey that will stick with you long after completion and prompt reflection on some profound questions about life, existence and ethics.

​There are some tough decisions to be made along the way, each handled nonchalantly despite their gravitas, their repercussions not overtly forced down your throat. Just living with your choices and continuing on without onscreen prompts and characters reminding you what you did is refreshingly natural.

​Whilst SOMA differs from the likes of a Telltale adventure in that aspect, it follows suit in having all achievements/trophies attainable simply by completing the game. Without the need to worry about meeting any obscure requirements, the game can be consumed in a zen-like state that makes the journey that much more enjoyable.

Though lacking in vitamin D, this reviewer emerged from his dark room richer for the experience of playing SOMA.

An eclectic range of puzzles impede your progress and hide the aforementioned juicy storytelling devices. If you aren’t a huge fan of conventional puzzle games, you'll be pleasantly surprised that none outstay their welcome or become frustrating. You'll likely have to sit and really think at points, but before long the solution will click and you'll feel like a genius for it.
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Whilst there's a constant sense of unease brought about by the suffocatingly thick atmosphere - conjured in part by the outstanding audio - monster encounters, the meat of any self-respecting horror experience, are largely few and far between. When they do rear their ugly heads it's business as usual for Frictional devotees; enemies cannot be combatted in any way and simply looking at their form is enough to damage to the player. The system works as well as ever, combining helplessness and fear of the unknown into an unnerving cocktail.

​Several different enemy types are encountered throughout the adventure and introduced to varying degrees of success. You'll first encounter a lumbering, bipedal... thing, that's incredibly easy to avoid and as such devoid of any real fear-mongery. The first real instance of terror doesn't come until hours into the game with the introduction of the second enemy type. From the jump scare introduction, through to the frantic escape from the constant pursuer, you are entirely immersed in the moment. We shook the controller in a bid to run faster, held our breath and kept still whilst hidden away, muffled cries to have them manifest as pathetic whimpers - it was terrifying. Unfortunately, enemy types to follow are just slight variations on the formula and don't carry the same impact when you've seen it before.

SOMA also suffers technically with long load times and relatively frequent minor hitches, such as slowdown and hanging. Add a freeze into the mix and it isn't the best runner, but it's a sterling effort for Frictional's first console outing regardless.

Though lacking in vitamin D, this reviewer emerged from his dark room richer for the experience of playing SOMA. It's a very clever game that takes the player on an unmissable journey through one of the richest environments and narratives in gaming - all at a budget price point. Buy this game, grab your headphones, turn the volume up, the lights out, and enjoy it.

Pros
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• Outstanding setting
• Dripping with atmosphere
• Strong narrative
• No handholding
• Great puzzles

Cons

• Monster encounters can fall flat
• Technical issues
• Poor character models
• Ending is a little rushed
• Long load times

9/10