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Key · 11-16-2015, 11:02 PM

Game: SOMA
Developer: Frictional Games
Known for: Amnesia: The Dark Descent
Release Date: September 22nd, 2015

Current Status: Disappointment

This year, we were graced with a release by one of my favorite companies in video games right now. Yes, the guys that were responsible for the Amnesia series. They released teasers, screenshots and trailers to a game known as SOMA. I know what you're probably thinking and i'll stop you before you think it, this game is actually going down as one of my biggest let downs of they year, and i'll explain why. So, first and foremost, what is SOMA? SOMA, seemed like it was going to be some sort of immersive and innovative first person horror game that took elements that you wouldn't otherwise think to take, and placed them into a game that would be designed to scare your pants off. Unfortunately, this game fell pretty short. I played about 3 hours before giving up, and it wasn't due to not wanting to be scared, quite the opposite actually. This game has one of the really frustrating elements where if you don't know how to do something or get past it, you're pretty much stuck. However, in the Amnesia games, if you were stuck somewhere, there was a reason to keep trying as you felt a sense of progression and really wanted to get past the obstacle. In SOMA though, I feel like having a big world underwater really takes away from the satisfaction of progression. I understand that being underwater and having things underwater hiding behind corners is meant to make you feel uneasy, but I don't want to just feel uneasy, I want to be scared. I want things to jump out at me and make my character feel as though he's a second away from death. The thing it did have going for it was the ambient noises that you can hear in the background, and hearing those sounds underwater just made it even more satisfying, but it just wasn't enough to really make me feel immersed in the gameplay like I was in the previous releases.

When SOMA was being teased and people were starting to get hyped up about it, there was one noticeable difference that Frictional Games decided to go with, and that is the voice acting of the main character...which I HATE SO ****ING MUCH. I know that when this game first came out, I thought it'd be pretty cool to have a voice actor because it would give the feeling of being attached to the character even more, but they really did a terrible job at getting the right voice for the character. Had it been a voice that was either deeper or more depressing, maybe it would have worked, but they went with a voice that has no business being in a video game. Honestly, it's a voice that I would expect from an indie developer where the only voice he has access to is his own, and hell, even some of the indie horror games have better voice acting, and that's a compliment towards those indie developers, and should hopefully be a wake up call towards Frictional Games.

It's a shame that this game actually ended up being more disappointing than I expected, because although I wasn't expecting too much, the expectations that I had were not met, or they were just destroyed as I tried to progress through the game. There's just enough stuff that doesn't feel very Amnesia-esque that makes this game feel far too different for a game by Frictional Games. I'm hoping by the time they decide to release another game, they go back to what they're good at and have it placed in an asylum or an abandoned mansion or something like that, because history has shown that they are great at making a story with a setting like that. SOMA was a good attempt at a good horror game though, and I know a lot of people have enjoyed the game for what it is, but unfortunately, it just doesn't do enough to warrant me ever wanting to play it again, or anytime soon for that matter.

11-16-2015, 11:02 PM	#326 (permalink)
Key . Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 13,153	Game: SOMA Developer: Frictional Games Known for: Amnesia: The Dark Descent Release Date: September 22nd, 2015 Current Status: Disappointment This year, we were graced with a release by one of my favorite companies in video games right now. Yes, the guys that were responsible for the Amnesia series. They released teasers, screenshots and trailers to a game known as SOMA. I know what you're probably thinking and i'll stop you before you think it, this game is actually going down as one of my biggest let downs of they year, and i'll explain why. So, first and foremost, what is SOMA? SOMA, seemed like it was going to be some sort of immersive and innovative first person horror game that took elements that you wouldn't otherwise think to take, and placed them into a game that would be designed to scare your pants off. Unfortunately, this game fell pretty short. I played about 3 hours before giving up, and it wasn't due to not wanting to be scared, quite the opposite actually. This game has one of the really frustrating elements where if you don't know how to do something or get past it, you're pretty much stuck. However, in the Amnesia games, if you were stuck somewhere, there was a reason to keep trying as you felt a sense of progression and really wanted to get past the obstacle. In SOMA though, I feel like having a big world underwater really takes away from the satisfaction of progression. I understand that being underwater and having things underwater hiding behind corners is meant to make you feel uneasy, but I don't want to just feel uneasy, I want to be scared. I want things to jump out at me and make my character feel as though he's a second away from death. The thing it did have going for it was the ambient noises that you can hear in the background, and hearing those sounds underwater just made it even more satisfying, but it just wasn't enough to really make me feel immersed in the gameplay like I was in the previous releases. When SOMA was being teased and people were starting to get hyped up about it, there was one noticeable difference that Frictional Games decided to go with, and that is the voice acting of the main character...which I HATE SO **ING MUCH. I know that when this game first came out, I thought it'd be pretty cool to have a voice actor because it would give the feeling of being attached to the character even more, but they really did a terrible job at getting the right voice for the character. Had it been a voice that was either deeper or more depressing, maybe it would have worked, but they went with a voice that has no business being in a video game. Honestly, it's a voice that I would expect from an indie developer where the only voice he has access to is his own, and hell, even some of the indie horror games have better voice acting, and that's a compliment towards those indie developers, and should hopefully be a wake up call towards Frictional Games. It's a shame that this game actually ended up being more disappointing than I expected, because although I wasn't expecting too much, the expectations that I had were not met, or they were just destroyed as I tried to progress through the game. There's just enough stuff that doesn't feel very Amnesia-esque that makes this game feel far too different for a game by Frictional Games. I'm hoping by the time they decide to release another game, they go back to what they're good at and have it placed in an asylum or an abandoned mansion or something like that, because history has shown that they are great at making a story with a setting like that. SOMA** was a good attempt at a good horror game though, and I know a lot of people have enjoyed the game for what it is, but unfortunately, it just doesn't do enough to warrant me ever wanting to play it again, or anytime soon for that matter. Last edited by Key; 11-17-2015 at 12:25 AM.