Platform: Windows, OS X, Linux, PS4

Developer: Frictional Games

The creators of the terrifying Penumbra and Amnesia Series, Frictional Games, have yet again launched a product that promises to keep gamers at the edge of their seats. The latest entrant in the sci-fi horror genre, SOMA, intrigues with multiple layers of complex storytelling while maintaining a gameplay that is simple yet effective. Having had immense success with their Amnesia series, SOMA makes an ambitious attempt to live up to the studio’s high standards—succeeding at places, while falling short at others. Here is how the latest survival horror game stands in comparison:  

Story  

You wake up as the protagonist of the game, Simon Jarett, who has suffered from brain damage following a car crash, leaving him with a few months to live. In hopes of a promising new treatment by a team of highly-acclaimed doctors, Simon agrees to a series of brain scans. Things go south from here. Simon wakes up in an abandoned underwater research facility called Pathos-II, where the game begins, as he attempts to uncover how and why he ended up in a lab at the bottom of the ocean. As the game progresses, Simon gets further entangled in a plot that flirts with the borders of consciousness and moral dilemmas—even questioning the very meaning of existence.  

In contrast to Frictional Games’ previous horror titles, SOMA deals with a much more complex and intriguing plot which keeps gamers guessing on what lies around the bend. This is without a doubt the strongest suit of the game. The progression never feels forced or delayed. The meticulously detailed virtual world is fresh and engaging and filled with clues that always add to the narrative, continually shaping a deeper understanding of the storyline. Although SOMA is intriguing and thought provoking, other games, like the masterpiece The Talos Principle, have explored the phenomena of consciousness and the meaning of existence before, yet the level of ambiguity offered by the game’s plot manages to keep things interesting.   

 Gameplay

Staying true to their module the developers have again kept things simple with ample movement and controls offered to the player. The basic jump, crouch, along with the grabbing mechanic allow the gamer to grab and move almost everything in the environment, while actions that progress the storyline are accompanied by an on screen prompt when you hover your hand over certain objects. Much like the Amnesia series, SOMA does not offer an inventory system for storing items of interest, which is a big letdown. Survival horror games thrive on the scarcity of items that force the players to tread carefully with limited resources, yet even this is non-existent in SOMA. The doors and drawers require you to manually shift of the mouse which complements the panic factor created by scary chase sequences. Disappointingly, however, those clinch moments in the game are few and far in between.

Unlike Amnesia which had a single terrifying creature, simply known only as ‘the shadow’, that kept us perpetually on the edge, SOMA has a variety of creatures that are not very intimidating to begin with. In fact, without the accompanying sound effects we might miss them altogether. Amnesia allowed players to run and hide until the time limit on the monster ran out as you could not outrun or engage them in combat, all SOMA does is present a long hallway and an exaggerated background score followed by an unobstructed sprint to get away from dangers— requiring only a few re-runs. The embedded puzzles are lacklustre and even the most challenging ones are easily solved.

Following the grand success of Amnesia, the market was primed for a fresh survival horror title. SOMA, however, struggles to live up to its billing. One cannot help but feel that Frictional Games, having channelled their energies into creating an intriguing plot, have left the gameplay full of holes.   

Graphics

The visuals for SOMA are some of the best work yet from the team and the underwater sequences have been masterfully done. The abandoned underwater research facility and the androids look very believable, and the graphics are pleasing without demanding a lot of GPU. A huge plus.

Sound

Like any other Frictional Games title, background score is the icing on the cake and often the only thing that keeps the horror feel intact. Voice acting is top notch and all characters have unique personas. While the sound effects are largely horror oriented, the voice acting is situational and occasionally offer dark humour, adding a much needed respite to a generally tense gameplay.  

Verdict

SOMA has a very intriguing plot and a satisfying ending but falls short with the gameplay. Although it is a far cry from what Frictional Games has achieved in the survival horror genre, it is still a very good game that will leave you with questions and after thoughts long after you have put your joysticks down.

7.5/10