SOMA (Frictional Games)

[Runciter]

I can't believe I missed this until now. The gameplay is subordinate to the story, true, but the story, detailed environment and immersion make it worth it, and the horror elements just make it more intense. I didn't have the motivation to finish games like Amnesia but I felt compelled to find out what comes next at every stage in SOMA. Your situation depressingly progresses from bad to worse and at the end even though your person turns out tragically unimportant and the final act is futile, you want to carry on because it's the only thing you can do in the circumstances.

 

[Silva]

I can't believe I missed this until now. The gameplay is subordinate to the story, true, but the story, detailed environment and immersion make it worth it, and the horror elements just make it more intense. I didn't have the motivation to finish games like Amnesia but I felt compelled to find out what comes next at every stage in SOMA. Your situation depressingly progresses from bad to worse and at the end even though your person turns out tragically unimportant and the final act is futile, you want to carry on because it's the only thing you can do in the circumstances.

Don't be shy due to Codex despise for storyfags. Soma is amazing.

 

[Darth Roxor]

I still think Simon's stupid chimpout completely ruins the ending tho

 

[Smoker]

I still think Simon's stupid chimpout completely ruins the ending tho

Why when

Spoiler

he's a sucker clone that's gonna rot in that cave

 

[Darth Roxor]

Spoiler

Because it's painfully obvious and is also reinforced throughout the entire game that this is going to happen, but he still goes ZOMG CATHERINE YOU LIED TO ME I TOTALLY DID NOT EXPECT DIS

 

[agentorange]

Spoiler

It's completely realistic. Humans are experts at self-delusion. In his mind he was the lucky winner in every previous body-switch. As outside observers we'd all like to think we'd be rational and level-headed in a situation like that, but we'd be screaming and crying in the end just like like him.

 

[Daedalos]

Never got around to playng this, is it GUD?

 

[Mark Richard]

I still think Simon's stupid chimpout completely ruins the ending tho

Your composure must be the stuff of legend, considering that

Spoiler

being forever marooned on a dead world with no one for company but the senile digital ghosts of former crewmates would probably elicit a hysterical reaction from most people. Heck, I threw a tantrum when I stubbed my toe earlier this week.

Spoiler

It's completely realistic. Humans are experts at self-delusion. In his mind he was the lucky winner in every previous body-switch. As outside observers we'd all like to think we'd be rational and level-headed in a situation like that, but we'd be screaming and crying in the end just like like him.

That damn optimism bias.

 

[Darth Roxor]

Spoiler

Yes, and never, even once, it occurs to this gigantic cretin that he's just going to get copied and pasted again to the Ark instead of cut and pasted, as it keeps happening all the time to him and other entities throughout the course of the game, because reasons and fabulous optimism. ZUMG U LIED TO ME CATHERINE.

Come on.

Never got around to playng this, is it GUD?

yes

 

[Starwars]

It's perfectly believable that he would react like that. Problem being of course that a vidya game can't really present all the crazy nuances of the human psyche even if SOMA does a better job than most of it. So while I feel it is believable, it doesn't really work well for the story told in terms of the player vs Simon's situation. I think it could've been handled a lot better.

It's a bit unfortunate because the story, the characters, and all of the rest of the stuff is really top-notch.

 

[Tancred]

SOMA was IMO unbelievably good in how it made you think about the themes and implications involved...even if Simon was a bit of a slow-on-the-uptake dumbass.

It's the only game that has ever made me genuinely struggle with a moral choice when deciding if I should

Spoiler

leave Simon-2 in that underwater station or kill him

 

[Wirdschowerdn]

There's a modder who aims to restore cut content, such as more dialogues, new chars, new enemies, new puzzles etc.

https://www.moddb.com/mods/soma-restored-ark-dialogue/downloads

Also available on Steam Workshop.

Just the perfect excuse I needed to replay it.

 

[Daedalos]

so is there any essential mods or any shit to paly this?

never played this but its in steam labirary

 

[Spukrian]

Just play it.

 

[RapineDel]

Just finished this and really enjoyed it.

I think horror is one of the few genres where the walking sim style of game works pretty well. Sometimes the "gamey" elements of Resident Evil for instance can break the feeling of you actually being there which Soma does very well.

In saying that most of the monsters felt pretty unique from each other and the few puzzles were enjoyable too.

Only thing I'll say is the ending probably didn't have the same impact on me as it did others. I'm too pessimistic so at no point in time did I expect Simon to get a happy ending let alone successfully launch the Arc, so knowing a version of him made it was at worst bitter sweet to me.

On another note the voice acting was top notch, particularly from Catherine. She was far better then most of the stereotypical AAA girly voices.

 

[Infinitron]

Things Simon could have done after the end of the game instead of freaking out.

The last human in the complex is still alive and WAU is dead (at least in my playthrough). Go find some food and nurse her back to health.

Find more diving suits and try to use corpses and structure gel to create more robot clones like yourself.

You might be functionally immortal, so sit down and figure out the technology. Who knows what you might achieve.

 

[Wirdschowerdn]

I'd have crawled all the way up the space gun and take a looksee. If the gay Earth was all scorched indeed, slide down again and tell the fish. Get lonely. Kill urself.

 

[Daedalos]

Fuck me. I finally got around to playing SOMA, and damn man.. this game will fuck with your head.
If you already got anxiety and existential dread and thoughts like that... better make an appointment with your psychiatrist

Loved the game, loved the atmosphere and world building and the entire premire of a comet ending the world which is totally plausible.

9/10 for me.

Should I play amnesia rebirth btw?

Any other games like SOMA?

 

[AN4RCHID]

Should I play amnesia rebirth btw?

No it is bad. At least imho, and I loved SOMA. The Dark Descent is much better. Alien Isolation is better too.

Any other games like SOMA?

I'd recommend The Swapper. Different gameplay but some similarities in atmosphere and themes. If you're at all interested in puzzle games, it's very good.

 

[Darth Roxor]

Should I play amnesia rebirth btw?

It's horrible, so you'll probably love it.

Any other games like SOMA?

Talos Principle

 

[Daedalos]

Should I play amnesia rebirth btw?

It's horrible, so you'll probably love it.

Any other games like SOMA?

Talos Principle

You never disappoint with the insults, rat boy!

 

[Don Peste]

Any other games like SOMA?

 

[Wirdschowerdn]

Fuck me. I finally got around to playing SOMA, and damn man.. this game will fuck with your head.
If you already got anxiety and existential dread and thoughts like that... better make an appointment with your psychiatrist

Loved the game, loved the atmosphere and world building and the entire premire of a comet ending the world which is totally plausible.

9/10 for me.

Should I play amnesia rebirth btw?

Any other games like SOMA?

Skip Rebirth and wait for The Bunker.

 

[Wirdschowerdn]

Any other games like SOMA?

This is nothing like SOMA.

 

[Daedalos]

Fuck me. I finally got around to playing SOMA, and damn man.. this game will fuck with your head.
If you already got anxiety and existential dread and thoughts like that... better make an appointment with your psychiatrist

Loved the game, loved the atmosphere and world building and the entire premire of a comet ending the world which is totally plausible.

9/10 for me.

Should I play amnesia rebirth btw?

Any other games like SOMA?

Skip Rebirth and wait for The Bunker.

And when in the fuck is that actually coming out though? Im slowly dying here.