A confident step forward after Amnesia. And damn it makes me very happy that this step has been taken in favor of history. No matter how much I love Amnesia, the gameplay nuance of eternal escape from the monster was still depressing, and the fact that in Soma they reduced this to a minimum is pleasing.
Essentially the gameplay remains the same. Sometimes an enemy appears that we must avoid. However, this time the opponents live strictly in their own zone, they are all different and almost everyone is weak in some way. Someone is blind, the main thing is not to look at someone, and someone won’t touch you if you don’t come close to him. Moreover, such skirmishes have become quite rare, which causes more discomfort when you are faced with a more formidable enemy. This greatly facilitates the gameplay, but significantly increases the atmosphere.
As an atmospheric horror, SOMA is one of the best in recent times. Throughout the game, there is a slight feeling of discomfort, which, combined with an intriguing plot, creates an eerie and attractive feeling. Playing at night, on a big screen, with good headphones, there was no desire to interrupt due to discomfort.
And the credit for everything goes to the plot. This is delightful science fiction that would be a bestseller if it were a book. Wise, intriguing, with a likable protagonist and an exploration of what became of a dying humanity. The story itself is simple in presentation, but overgrown with many details of the world and reasoning that decorate it. And having gone all that long way, the ending does not disappoint. Amnesia in this regard was slightly disappointing with its strange gameplay and design decisions, trying to make the ending even more memorable. Fortunately, SOMA took a different path and the last minutes are probably the calmest. And when the credits have passed, you play the scene after them and feel complete satisfaction from the ending, the game again asks you the questions that it once asked. And you are already beginning to understand what the correct answer will be for you personally.
5 out of 5
Wonderful game. I would like to say a big thank you to them for the plot, setting, idea, and all the screenwriting work. Well, I also thank you for the tangible work on the dynamics and number of events. Of course, this is still “horror for those who love to wander, study and listen,” but it is much more diverse and smarter than most of its peers in the genre.