Soma

[Duck]

I couldn't find a thread for this, so I'm guessing no one has played it?

Anyways. I have a confession.. I'm a big horror game wuss. Any game that has a thick atmosphere of dread or I know that will have jump scares, I struggle to play. Games are really good at that kinda thing. *shakes fist*

So when I seen the trailer for this I thought cool, it's a sci fi game set under the ocean like Bioshock. But instead of a 1950's (? I can't remember) art deco it's a industrial Alien type feel. Coooool!

...Then I seen it was by the guys that made Amnesia. Fuuuuuck that.

But I started to hear about the story/premise on GOTY podcasts and I really wanted to play it. I noticed it was on sale this week so picked it up. And so far it is indeed really fucking cool.

I'll try to keep spoilers to a minimum..

So stuff happens.. and you wake up in a underwater base where the shit has well and truly hit the fan. You don't have any weapons so the only way to get by enemies is to hide, peak round corners and try to sneak by.

The story isn't force fed too. But you can explore. pick up objects (letters etc) and twist them about to look at them kinda like Gone Home. You can read computer terminals to try and piece things together. If you want more story it's there.. And you'll probably want more story because most interesting part of the game so far for me is there's robots..

But theses robots aren't any normal ones, theses have started to think they're human. And the game approaches the idea of what does it actually mean to be human and mental health in eerie and cool ways. There's a part early on where I checked myself and was like wait a minute! It's just a robot, why I'm I caring.

I want to speak about more but I'll leave it there. Has one else played it. It's been tense so far but not massively scary...yet. It's in the sale on PS4 for like £15 at the moment. I'd recommend it.

[Hendo]

I bought it the other day, I'm looking forward to giving it a go once I Witcher myself out.

I already know the story spoil stuff due to those same podcasts but I still think the atmosphere will hold out.

[DisturbedSwan]

Been eagerly anticipating this game for a long time, finally bought it in the Steam Xmas sale last year, going to give it a go after finishing Until Dawn.

Only watched one or two teaser trailers for it and want to go in blind so won't be reading your post either Duck

[radiofloyd]

Haven't bought this yet but I'll definitely play through it. I've about 12 hours sank into Amnesia: The Dark Descent but I haven't finished that either. I also own A Machine for Pigs, I liked Dear Esther so I'll probably play through A Machine for Pigs before Soma.

[Duck]

@Nag it's actually been paced quite well so far. It's not been all sneak and peak.

I really like this. It's not really a exploration game but it has elements them sort of games have. The story is getting weirder too, hopefully it all pays off at the end.

Playing it makes me think that Bioshock would of been way waaaay cooler if it was an exploration game and just chucked you into Rapture, left you to explore and work things out for yourself. Instead of having a massive stupid yellow arrow telling you where to go.

[Duck]

Played 2-3 hours more of this and it's gone in directions I wasn't really expecting.

Apart from a few tiny sections there's been no stealth at all. It's still been tense but it's mostly been story and exploring.

You know normally in a game or horror game if you want to progress you have to kill a boss or hunt down a key so you can go to the next area.

In this (so far) it's much simpler but it's just that if you want to progress you'll have to question your own existence and morals. And probably feel really bad after. So no biggy.

The story and what it's trying to ask and say are interesting. I've never really played a game that's made me feel like this one does before. It's cool.

[Hendo]

Played it earlier and got about an hour in, basically up to the first enemy you have to hide from.

I got stuck in the first room after the brain scan, spent bloody ages searching for something. Didn't think the solution would be as simple as it was.

I'm really regretting knowing what I know at this stage, I wish I'd gone in spoiler-free.

[DisturbedSwan]

Played the first 3 hours of this on Friday, and I'm a bit disappointed with it so far I must say.

I liked the start of the game

I like games which start you off in the real world and then begin a descent into madness, really clever getting you used to the controls in the Flat at e beginning too, and its nice you play as a Canadian for once!

But once you're into the main part of the game I just felt everything was a bit underwhelming, there just isn't that sense of dread that should be present and when I first saw the enemy I just laughed, it didn't scare me at all, which is not a good sign.

The atmosphere is a bit lacking too I found, there isn't that unnerving atmosphere that I thought there would be, at the moment it just seems like a Walking Simulator with exploration elements rather than a Horror game which I'd hoped for.

Hopefully things get better the further I go down the rabbit hole.

[Hendo]

I'm enjoying this but I am frequently getting stuck. In both senses of the word.

I'm currently in an under water section trying to find a way out and not succeeding but also got stuck in the scenery so had to exit out without saving.

I liked Carl. Poor bastard.

[Duck]

I'm enjoying this but I am frequently getting stuck. In both senses of the word.

I'm currently in an under water section trying to find a way out and not succeeding but also got stuck in the scenery so had to exit out without saving.

Weird. Were you going off on a wonder? There's paths and lights that kinda guide you. It's a pretty linear game.

But once you're into the main part of the game I just felt everything was a bit underwhelming, there just isn't that sense of dread that should be present and when I first saw the enemy I just laughed, it didn't scare me at all, which is not a good sign.

The atmosphere is a bit lacking too I found, there isn't that unnerving atmosphere that I thought there would be, at the moment it just seems like a Walking Simulator with exploration elements rather than a Horror game which I'd hoped for.

Wut?

The atomsphere isn't lacking at all. The level design and feel are always making me nervous going down a walk way or shaft. There's a run button but I'm not really using it in case something happens.

It's not as scary as a amnesia type game. But I don't think it's trying to be. It has a story it wants to tell, so they'll be quieter moments. But it's definitely a horror game, especially with the decisions you're asked to make.

I really hate the term walking simulator. It's a lazy term. It's like calling all the games where you play a character life simulators or something. It's doesn't describe games like Gone Home, Rapture, Ethan Carter properly at all. There's a lot more to them than 'walking'.

Played abit more of Soma. It's leaned back into the stealth side more but it's been mixing it up compared to the earlier stealth sections.

The story and discovering stuff that went down is still super interesting.

I'm playing this, stopping and deciding I'll have break.,. Then loading it up again 10 minutes later because I want to see what happens next. It's got it's hooks in me can't put it down.

[Hendo]

I think a couple of those games can be described as walking simulators - Rapture, especially. And Dear Esther was that way too for me. It's not necessarily a derogatory term for me, it tells you fairly clearly that they'll be likely no combat and it'll be more or less a radio play in game form.

I don't think it's fair to call this that though.

I got past that bit I was stuck on, I've no idea how, I just found the exit.

Now I've had a bit more plot, a new enemy and a sequence where I get chased and presumably have to run like fuck back to where I came in, but every time I try, I get myself killed.

Is it built on Source? They're the only games I've seen that have the same stuttering when it saves or loads a new area as you're moving.

[DisturbedSwan]

But once you're into the main part of the game I just felt everything was a bit underwhelming, there just isn't that sense of dread that should be present and when I first saw the enemy I just laughed, it didn't scare me at all, which is not a good sign.

The atmosphere is a bit lacking too I found, there isn't that unnerving atmosphere that I thought there would be, at the moment it just seems like a Walking Simulator with exploration elements rather than a Horror game which I'd hoped for.

Wut?

The atomsphere isn't lacking at all. The level design and feel are always making me nervous going down a walk way or shaft. There's a run button but I'm not really using it in case something happens.

It's not as scary as a amnesia type game. But I don't think it's trying to be. It has a story it wants to tell, so they'll be quieter moments. But it's definitely a horror game, especially with the decisions you're asked to make.

I really hate the term walking simulator. It's a lazy term. It's like calling all the games where you play a character life simulators or something. It's doesn't describe games like Gone Home, Rapture, Ethan Carter properly at all. There's a lot more to them than 'walking'.

Played abit more of Soma. It's leaned back into the stealth side more but it's been mixing it up compared to the earlier stealth sections.

The story and discovering stuff that went down is still super interesting.

I'm playing this, stopping and deciding I'll have break.,. Then loading it up again 10 minutes later because I want to see what happens next. It's got it's hooks in me can't put it down.

In my opinion, the first 3 hours were a bit lacking in atmosphere and that pervasive sense of dread which I expect from a Horror game, you say about Soma not trying to be Amnesia, and the further I get into the game the more I realise that too, but in that first 3 hours I had no idea what to expect, had read nothing about the game and had only watched the 2013 announcement trailer, I only knew it was a 'scary' game made by the people that made Amnesia, that's literally it. So I was disappointed in that opening 3 hours that it seemed more like a Walking Simulator (a term I use not out of lazyness or disrespect but because I have no idea what else to call those games) than a Horror/Survival Horror game which I expected going in.

Also, as you said in your opening posts you're much less attuned to Horror games (than me), so what atmosphere and SFX there are in the 1st 3 hours would've affected you more, when you play a lot of Horror games you get desensitised to it all to a degree.

Anyhoo...played another 3 hours earlier and am really enjoying it now, the plot is just so damn mystifying, intriguing and brainbendingly brilliant and every data journal I read or conversation with Cath I have I feel I delve further and further down the rabbit hole and my brain starts to hurt more and more definitely some incredibly lofty, deep concepts and theories in there, fantastic story.

The atmosphere and sense of dread have definitely got much better today too and I have been genuinely freaked out by it (albeit fleetingly so) at times. I've liked the little puzzles they've put into it too, never too difficult or complex but just nice little additions to keep the plot ticking along nicely and keep you invested and hooked to find out more.

More tomorrow!

[Duck]

Just finished it. One of the GOTY for sure. Possibly the best story I've seen in a game.

I'd like Blakey to play the last 2/3 hours and come back and say it's lacking atmosphere.

Now I've had a bit more plot, a new enemy and a sequence where I get chased and presumably have to run like fuck back to where I came in, but every time I try, I get myself killed.

Is it built on Source? They're the only games I've seen that have the same stuttering when it saves or loads a new area as you're moving.

That's the only section like that. Thank god. I died a few times there too.

I'm not sure if it's source. It might be their own engine. I had a good few frame rate drops and even a crash near the end.

[Hendo]

I've made a bit more progress now, got to Theta.

It surprised me how quick he cottoned on that he was a robot and how to deal with this, what must be a devastating situation.

I'm guessing that we went from brain scan in 2015 to robot in 2103 because they found his scan at some point and used it for a new robot, so Simon the robot has no memory of after the scan. At least at this point.

From here I'm all spoilered out.

I knew he was a robot going in and I'd heard that at some point you get to look in a mirror and see what you've become, which I've just done.

It wasn't as fucked up as I was actually expecting, at least it's relatively human shaped, it could have been like Carl and the poor woman outside Theta that I viciously unplugged like the psychopath I am.

So from here on, I have no real clue how this is going to pan out, which is good.

[DisturbedSwan]

I'd like Blakey to play the last 2/3 hours and come back and say it's lacking atmosphere.

Have a read of my last post above

[Hendo]

Finished the Wan section, made it into the next area. That's me done for a day or two.

[Duck]

Have a read of my last post above

I have already. Play the final third and then we'll talk.

Been thinking abit about the ending and the overall themes today. I want to speak about it, hurry up and finish guys!

[DisturbedSwan]

First off, here's some lovely screenshots for everybody:

Played another 3 hours today, now 9 hours total.

I enjoyed it again today but not quite as much as yesterday, I love all the twists and turns the story is taking, you never know where you'll be going next and what brain-bendingly complex neuro-theory they're going to throw at you, but it keeps you guessing, it keeps you invested and it keeps you interested throughout.

The game itself though has not quite been as good as it was yesterday, first of all I got stuck on a puzzle

in the Theta Ark Lab

and it took me about half an hour to crack it which wasn't incredibly fun I must say, then there was another few hide-and-seek sections which outstayed their welcome slightly but this then led nicely into an sea-faring bit and more exploration/puzzles and no hide-and-seek which I enjoyed again, currently going

down the Climber into the Abyss....not looking forward to what's down there. All the stuff with switching brain functions from one body to a new one to get into the Power Suit was incredibly spoony and just spaced me out incredibly, all the stuff about 'what it means to be alive' as well, just so incredibly deep topics, especially for a game.

.

Think I'm probably quite near the end now and should finish it off tomorrow.

[DisturbedSwan]

Finished it earlier, took me 11 hours in total.

Really enjoyed it I must say, Frictional are a hell of a studio and I can't wait to see what they do next, just hope we won't have to wait until 2020 to find out!

The ending was a bit unsatisfying (but this was intended I'm sure) and made life, humanity and the Earth's plight seem incredibly hopeless and made me ponder my own existence somewhat, incredibly deep. I genuinely felt for Simon and thought he hadn't made it to the Ark and hard been betrayed by Cath. I got a strangely emotional as the credits rolled, a deeply powerful, moving ending.

I was pleased to see Simon and Cath made it to the Ark after all though, presumably the 'Simon' left to die on Pathos II committed Suicide which sent him there.

The game itself was great, an original and genuinely interesting, mysterious plot coupled with an Original locale, a foreboding atmosphere and one that inspires moments of awe and wonder at times.

The ebb and flow of the game is a just right too, the length is just right and the peaks and troughs between exploration, chase sequences and Hide and Seek sections are almost perfect.

You, as Simon, go through a fantastic Journey throughout the game and by the time you reach the end you feel like you've been through the wars and actually been to these places you've explored throughout, in this regard it is quite similar to Journey in some ways.

The only complaints were the frustration at times with the Hide and Seek sections (I would've preferred to be left alone longer to just explore), the performance of the game wasn't great and seems poorly optimised and lastly its just not that scary really, that doesn't matter overall as the game is trying to do something different and new and its definitely not Amnesia, but I'm still slightly disappointed I didn't get more freaked out by it more frequently like I hoped and expected going in.

Its a must play I think.

[Duck]

The ending was a bit unsatisfying (but this was intended I'm sure) and made life, humanity and the Earth's plight seem incredibly hopeless and made me ponder my own existence somewhat, incredibly deep. I genuinely felt for Simon and thought he hadn't made it to the Aerk and hard been betrayed by Cath. I got a strangely emotional as the credits rolled, a deeply powerful, moving ending.

I was pleased to see Simon and Cath made it to the Ark after all though, presumably the 'Simon' left to die on Pathos II committed Suicide which sent him there.

I liked the ending, it had so much going on. *takes deep breath*

This is my take on it.

I think WAU awoke when the earth was hit by the comet wasn't it. So in a weird way was it actually some sort safety mechanism to kinda perserve life?

Cath set up the Ark system and put the scans in so there was a 'pure' versions of humanity left for '1000's of years'. She tried to launch them into space when the WAU started taking over but was killed by a member of that last areas crew who didn't want to lose them. Was Cath right? Is she saving humanity or is she just trying to do a pointless task when here crew needs her? Are the WAU infected humans more humane than the scans on the ARK? Possibly.

The actual ending. Were you screwed over by Cath and left behind or did you help save humanity. I'm not sure if you killed your master copy and the last human Blakey. The idea of being alone on a planet at the bottom of the ocean is grim but as your are told at the start of the game. It's just a robot..is he actually human?

Your copy waking up on the ARK post credits with Cath drifting off into space. Was this Simon's 'soul' going to heaven or something similar? Or was his scan and humanity 'saved' from the WAU?..not sure how I felt about this scene. I hope they make another. Maybe based on the ARK.

My head actually hurts from writing that. Some fucking deep shit, in a cool way.

Edit: reading that back i realise I've asked more questions than answer them. fucking Sooooooma! *shakes fist*