Soma

What lies beneath.

With intelligent story telling and beautiful imagery, SOMA pushes the boundaries of traditional survival horror in new, psychologically thrilling ways.

Frictional Games has stood up to the challenge – SOMA is by far the biggest, most scary and elaborate project of the Swedish studio. However, it got lost in its fundamental premise.

Frictional Games, known as a leader in this genre, delivers a compelling story in SOMA that makes you question the essence of humanity. Layered with moral undertones, SOMA takes you on an intense journey that doesn’t let up, even at the very end. It stands out as one of the best-crafted survival horror games I’ve played in a long time—if not ever—despite the underwater setting being well-worn territory (as seen in BioShock).

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 unpretentiou...

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SOMA is a spectacular adventure game stuck in the jaws of a mediocre horror game.

SOMA is a survival horror game that is undoubtedly one of the best of the genre, and its setting and plot are shining examples of how to engage an audience. Frictional Games has done a great job in sustaining their horror game reputation through narrative alone, by way of a game that's filled with probing questions of the soul and helped along by an engrossing plot. While the monster encounters feel forced and are certainly a weak point of the game, it does little to lessen the experience.

Frictional Games returns to survival horror with SOMA. Here is our review!

SOMA tells an interesting albeit convoluted story but is a chore to play through.

While it is an enormously satisfying and well-crafted game, SOMA never managed to convince me that its themes and plot were in tune with its more traditional first-person frights. It scared me and it gave me cause to think about some of the issues raised, but now that I'm done, I doubt it'll stay long in my mind, or plucking at my nerves.

All the stumbling around trades away any sense of suspense. It's hard to feel scared of monsters after you've walked circles around them several times. Not even tricks like suddenly switching off the lights saves the mood. Soma does a great job of making me feel lost and frustrated. Perhaps too good.