SOMA Reviews
After finishing SOMA, my mind was consumed with thoughts of what it means to be human. Did I torture and kill people in my attempt to escape? Or were they not really people at all and I can sleep soundly? That SOMA made me ask myself these questions is the reason why you should play this game, despite the inclusion of unnecessary and frustrating “video game moments.”
SOMA's campaign will cost the player roughly eight hours to complete. Because it is so narrative-centric, subsequent playthroughs are unlikely to occur. The game's major draw-in is the thirst for answers to Simon's plight beneath the depths. While the story provoked some great philosophical discourse, the game ultimately leaves the player wanting for what could have been.
SOMA is a game that will sit in the memory for a while despite its shortcomings. The sound design, world building and story deserve to rightfully become a footnote in videogame design. Frictional Games do so much right creating a science fiction story. It falls short at times when trying to be a more traditional horror, but the highs certainly outweigh the lows. It's an impressive console debut, and I can't wait to see what the developers create next.
Without sounding too hyperbolic, SOMA is a better BioShock than BioShock managed to be. It nails the atmosphere and hits all of the notes that makes the story one of the best in the horror genre.
If diverse gameplay, interesting mechanics or traditional horror is what you seek, you won't find what you are looking for with SOMA.
SOMA is one of the better survival-horror games of the last decade.