What are your thoughts about SOMA? Let's talk! (If you beat it)

[The Hatless Ranger]

I'll first give my general impression; I love this game! I thought that it had an excellent story and offered good gameplay.

• The gameplay felt very AMFP to me, kinda like a middle-ground between AMFP and the first Amnesia. Soma did the walking-simulator-like formula way better though. I appreciated how there were a ton of things to interact with, and that exploring the environment felt natural as well as led to all kinds of interesting discoveries besides just another piece of glowing paper to read. The puzzles were good and I never really felt like I was doing the same thing. The world felt very believable and was designed incredibly well. The fantastic audio also helped bring PATHOS-II to life. (BTW, how was I able to hear thunder 4100 meters underwater)??
  
  
• The monsters were a mixed bag. Overall, they could have been way better. Strobe-light-head was too much like the Slenderman, screaming-head-lady was just a L4D witch, and screaming-turd-man was used a couple times too many. However, the creatures in the abyss as well as the first enemy were done very well, and almost made up for the underwhelming enemies. Also, the giant snake-shark-mouth (EDIT: the giant thing in the abyss) had to catch me THREE times in a row to kill me! Bloody hell. Wasn't it the final boss? Why can Disco-Slender one-shot me and not the thing with the gigantic mouth full of razor sharp teeth?
  
  
• The story was amazing, truly. It avoided becoming predictable and was paced extremely well. Even if I thought the final encounter with WAU was poorly done. Also, everything about this game is very derivative, and I mean pretty much everything. Though its combination of ideas and usage of them makes them feel new and fresh. Not to say this game isn’t smart, it’s all done so well! The descent into the abyss scene and the traversing the trench scene had become some of my favorite moments from any game, ever. The dialogue was great and the voice acting, while otherwise great, hit sour notes only a few times. I understand that the choices the game presented didn't affect the plot’s outcome, but I think that's because they served another purpose. Your decisions were the answers to the questions the game posed. The game gave you those surveys and binary choices to truly test your thought about what the right answers were, or if there were any right answers at all.
  
  
• To sum up, this game hit me hard. I had never felt so hopeless before in a video game, with regards to its narrative. And the end was great too! So tragic… This game succeeded with what AMFP tried to do: make a good game that focused on story more than gameplay. While most games are more about the strategy and skill involved to beat them, like the first Amnesia, Soma is about the player's reaction and response to its concepts and narrative. It's more about the emotions you experience and your thoughts about thoughts. This, of course, could lead to dislike and negative emotion, perhaps more so than other games because of it.

I do want to share more, but this is long enough. I would really like to talk about it with you guys though, so leave a comment!

[_bDp^]

I was gonna write something really long about the game but I can't articulate my thoughts right now. So instead I'll just share that Theta was my favourite area of the game, great pacing, great level design, awesome monster design/theme: you really start to see the extent of the 'destruction' which the WAU has caused.

Also, I loved what Frictional did with some of the ethical issues/themes of the game, with multiple options to progress requiring the played to do one of many things which you would normally consider intrinsically wrong under different criteria. For example, killing a robot with the persona of a human to get their chip, but it's ok because they are just a robot, they have no feelings, no emotions and thus connot rationalise things and only act based on pre-determined algorithms: or do you, as a player think that they are they something more than that? Does the definition of humanity extend beyond the pre-requisite of somatic cells.

Just a fun little experience I had:
When opening the elevator in Theta (after the prototype ARK section) with the security cipher, I didnt notice the monster running towards the elevator, I went inside and checked out the control panel, just as I was selecting the transport bay area (or whatever it was called) the monster ran into my line of sight and entered the elevator and proceeded to knock me the fudge out, only point in the game where I physically recoild from my position on the mouse+keyboard out of fear. I guess the tention building up throughout the level will do that.

[Ikidarsha Branea]

I agree with FeelsBadMan in that it's a bit hard to articulate ideas concerning it currently, the story was just so good and that ending...should have seen it coming after what happened back at Omicron. But the themes and issues were very well presented, and some of those descisions were hard, once again referencing the issue at Omicron with the power suit: Should you actually kill him when he is in fact you, you are both exactly the same and it would be the equivilant of committing suicide, or would it be murder? But at the same if you don't you are dooming him to a life trapped forever on PATHOS-II with all of these abominations strolling about looking for their next structure gel fix.

As for little fun experiance: For me it was after that part, i'd got down into the sewer section and done the little jumping section. Was just reading the warnings and such about staying clear of the pipe while the flushing was in process, as I went to leave the room something didn't feel right and I had the urge to look to the right: Low and behold there was the monster standing at the end of the pipe, naturally paniced and ran straight forward and right in the flushing pipes.

[Elyunn]

Okay so at the end you find that underwater creature manifest that the AI and its gel/fluid infected. One was a squid, the other an Anglerfish, and finally a whale. I saw everything but the whale. I know this discussion thread was more to talk about the philosophy of the game, but I'm super curious to those that beat the game -- anyone see the whale?

[Ikidarsha Branea]

I think the 'whale' might possibly have been that giant worm like thing that chases ya on the way to PHI station, it definately has the WAU infection on it afterall. If we don't ocunt that then I don't think we see it.

[IsaAurinkoinen]

Some free floating thoughts about this game.

I think this is more experience than game. Occasionally I thought that this game would be even better with out any monsters. Story and journey in deteriorating under water facility and trying to find what has happened you and the world would have been just enough for me with out any "horror" elements.

If I understood correctly any of choices what you made through this game dont lead any different outcome. Thou in dialogue some of your choices are mentioned, usually with so awesome timing that those felt unbelievable natural. But choices were what you made and weight of them depents how deeply you have immersed youself. At least I felt like that.

Sound engineering in this game is just amazing. Playing game with quality pair of speakers and 3 monitors was very impressive experience. Normally I am not immersed any game, but this game finally made it.


And then some story what happened me in the game.

When I lost my guiding light robot at "storm" is the first time in any game that I felt totally lost.

I wandered minutes with out any sight of any landmark, but at last I found some red lights blinking through the storm. Running towards those lights and notice that those are same towers where I just left. Have to just jump in the darkness and get guiding from some manifestation which will dissapear as fast as it had come.

When I eventually found cave where to continue journey I was so relieved.

[The Hatless Ranger]

I didn't get a great look at the "snake-shark-mouth" I mentioned. Perhaps that was the whale? Maybe those weren't teeth then, and that's why it struggled to kill me. I did play it starting from 2am so my brain was fried. And I haven't seen the squid, but I ran into the Anglefish. I literally mean RAN into it. I was so happy I saw light that I just blindly walked into its trap. :P

[Jeba]

when people say this game has a good story are they including the backstory, what happened before the events of the game take place, or just the ongoing story. because the ongoing story is rather boring and somewhat predictable and the ending is just awful. but the backstory is very interesting

[Elyunn]

Originally posted by Ikidarsha Branea:

I think the 'whale' might possibly have been that giant worm like thing that chases ya on the way to PHI station, it definately has the WAU infection on it afterall. If we don't ocunt that then I don't think we see it.

I thought that was the squid for sure... Oh well. So no gigantic whale then? That would have probably scared me the most.

[Elyunn]

Originally posted by The Hatless Ranger:

I was so happy I saw light that I just blindly walked into its trap. :P

Same here. And don't worry about it - it was 4pm when that happened to me and I was well rested. Did the same damn thing!!!

[The Hatless Ranger]

Originally posted by Jeba:

when people say this game has a good story are they including the backstory, what happened before the events of the game take place, or just the ongoing story. because the ongoing story is rather boring and somewhat predictable and the ending is just awful. but the backstory is very interesting

I do also mean the backstory! But it was kinda the opposite for me, I got more invested in the ongoing story. I see what you mean though, about it being boring. There's really only two characters talking and reacting to things and it relys on the "disturbing" concepts and things always breaking to create conflict (besides monsters). And what's wrong with the ending? Perhaps the last 10 minutes leading up to the launch were anti-climatic...?

[Elyunn]

Since we are on the subject about the game, its ending and how we feel, let me ask something. Knowing what you know now, having beaten the game would you have left the other Simon version of you alive and the human, Sarah? Knowing a version of you is now alone stranded at the bottom of an ocean on a very destoryed world? Then, I also wonder, was the power going out in the end the WUA breaking down and shutting off, because I poisoned it? If so, I guess it doesn't matter who you left "alive."

[Ikidarsha Branea]

If we assume that power is still there regardless or that it could be restored somehow, then yeah knowing what I know now I would have left him alive rather than having killed him, as for Sarah....I'd have to say no, cause while the 2 Simons could live on for a long while htat is solely because they are robots, they only need energy. Sarah herself still needs food, oxygen and power for both the former and the logs do state that food is practically gone, hence why she's on the life support as intravenous is hte only method for nutrition left to her. Sure she'd have company but much as she said it would be a long, slow, painful death and far better to die sooner rather than later.

[Jeba]

Originally posted by The Hatless Ranger:

Originally posted by Jeba:

when people say this game has a good story are they including the backstory, what happened before the events of the game take place, or just the ongoing story. because the ongoing story is rather boring and somewhat predictable and the ending is just awful. but the backstory is very interesting

I do also mean the backstory! But it was kinda the opposite for me, I got more invested in the ongoing story. I see what you mean though, about it being boring. There's really only two characters talking and reacting to things and it relys on the "disturbing" concepts and things always breaking to create conflict (besides monsters). And what's wrong with the ending? Perhaps the last 10 minutes leading up to the launch were anti-climatic...?

i thought the game was going to end when everything shut down and screen was fading to black. that would not have been the most satisfying of endings but it is still better than the needlessly sappy ending we got. am i to assume that the simon left on earth just died there and woke up in the ark or that we jump to simon in the ark leaving the earth-simon behind? either way such an obvious happy ending is very out of place in this game's world to me

[The Hatless Ranger]

I thought Cath shutting off in the end with the power failing was the result of the combination of the oceanic pressure and the violent shaking of the facility when the launch happened. Not sure tho... BTW here are the choices I made:

I deleted Brandon, I left Robo Simon #1 alive, I stole the ship from the sentient robot and not from the one who is the helper, I poisoned the WAU or WUA or however you spell it. EDIT: Oh yeah! And I pulled the plug on Sarah.

[Elyunn]

Originally posted by Ikidarsha Branea:

Sarah herself still needs food, oxygen and power for both the former and the logs do state that food is practically gone, hence why she's on the life support as intravenous is hte only method for nutrition left to her. Sure she'd have company but much as she said it would be a long, slow, painful death and far better to die sooner rather than later.

I didn't realize she was using the intravenous fluids as providing herself with nutrition, which makes so much more sense than me thinking she was using some kind of antibotics to keep herself from being infected by the machine. I read the logs - I just didn't make the correlation.