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General discussionRelease: SOMA(41 posts)(41 posts)
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Posted September 22, 2015
Asimov would be proud…

<span class="bold">SOMA</span>, a new take on horor from the creators of Amnesia, is now available for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux, DRM-free on GOG.com

Frictional Games, the guys behind terrifying horror series including Amnesia and Penumbra, are back for another shot of fear. This time around, they're doing things differently. While at first glance SOMA is still a first person horror with a focus on exploration and discomforting atmosphere, the real innovation lies in the creative process - one which resulted in a much different kind of experience from the usual jump-scare fare. Drawing inspiration from the works of Isaac Asimov, Philip K. Dick and Robert A. Heinlein. SOMA is a sci-fi horror game that relies on finely crafted settings to ask the hard questions and tackle unique issues. As you cower for your dear life, you'll deal with the idea of free will, subjective experience, and machine-consciousness. In SOMA, you'll experience tension through thick atmosphere and tangible sound design, and discover the peculiar story through your very own actions.

Do not scream, it will get you nowhere in <span class="bold">SOMA</span>, DRM-free on GOG.com.






In the press:
"I came in expecting something similar to Amnesia, just in a terrifying new location, but what I found is an intelligent game that forced me to think and contemplate ideas as only the best sci-fi is capable of doing. It may not stir the hordes of wailing YouTubers looking for the next best haunted house, but SOMA succeeds at crafting something much more meaningful in a genre that’s deserving of more than just simple jump scares." -- 9/10 -- Gamespot




"I don't know if SOMA will scare people as much as Amnesia did, but it is without a doubt a stronger game, with better pacing, smarter writing and more powerful subject matter. This isn't a horror game about obfuscation; events aren't building to a huge, shocking twist. More than anything, it's about the process of dealing with the horror of reality." -- 9/10 -- Polygon






Stream watch:

Our spooky specialist, Vlad of The Weekend Slice, will be showing off SOMA at Twitch.tv/GOGcom this Saturday, September 26th, at 10pm CEST / 8pm GMT / 4pm EDT / 1pm PDT.
Posted September 22, 2015
As a horror fan I'm super excited about SOMA. It's the number 1 game in my wishlist, and I hope I can get it soon. I'm really looking forward to playing this horror experience!
Posted September 22, 2015
While not interested in either game, you've got to feel sorry for SOMA getting released today alongside System Shock...

I wonder if that's why Ciris made that post yesterday? So no one would forget... XD
Post edited September 22, 2015 by adaliabooks
Posted September 22, 2015
Soma, with that price tag, arriving at the same time as System Shock? That's unfortunate.

On to the wishlist you go.
Post edited September 22, 2015 by ReynardFox
Posted September 22, 2015
Totally sold me with the sci-fi and crazy robots and the uncovering of secret documents. Out of my league at the moment.
Posted September 22, 2015
Been hyped for the game since seeing the various trailers. Wishlisted for now.
Posted September 22, 2015
avatar
Matruchus: Been hyped for the game since seeing the various trailers. Wishlisted for now.
Me too ...
Posted September 22, 2015
I think the people wishlisting it have the right idea. One of the smaller YouTube channels I watch had a review saying the first hour was great but dropped off in quality and enjoyment soon after. He rated it as "wait for a deep discount".

I know Jesse Cox and his "Scary Game Squad" are also planning to give it a try later this week, so with no launch discount, waiting a week to see if it's any good is probably a good idea.
Posted September 22, 2015
Maybe have it on my wishlist at some point. Not quite trusting this yet. Wish there were other sites able to review stuff than the usual suspects. I tend to ignore them after so many times of b.s. on their part.


EDIT: Looks like Escapist also wrote something on it.
Post edited September 22, 2015 by Arinielle
Posted September 22, 2015
looks interesting... don't think I'll add it to back log for full price, but will keep my eyes on it for a later purchase..
now to look over SS...hehe...
Posted September 22, 2015
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adaliabooks: you've got to feel sorry for SOMA getting released today alongside System Shock...
I would've thought with the similar themes and age gap, buying one might lead to buying the other.
Posted September 22, 2015
high rated
Hope you guys don't take it as a GOG.com ad but I wanted to take some time and share some of my thoughts about SOMA. So here goes ;)

First of all, maybe because I don't have as much time for gaming now as I used to when I was 20, nowadays I'm either looking for something simple and fun, that allows for 40minute one-time sit-downs (like a game of football in FIFA, a run in Rogue Legacy, a quick match of Towerfall etc.) or something different, special, that captivates me for a longer while. Aside from playing games I watch waaaay too many movies, as my wife is a movie critic, and try to read as many books as possible. So my perspective when it comes to computer games is a bit peculiar... They are important for me, but I don't play day-in day-out.

With that in mind: enter SOMA.

The game took over my life for the entire weekend and not because it was huge, long, addictive etc. But because I couldn't shake the basic concepts it deals with. "What makes us human? Will we change form as a life-form in the future? Will it be for the better?" And you can't escape them - they attack your brain again and again. Then SOMA does another brilliant thing - it makes you emotional. Sure, it's scary, but the feelings that stick with you for much longer than the monsters and jump scares are isolation, regret... It forces itself upon you - even if you don't feel comfortable, even if it makes you lonely and terrified.

For that alone - an ability to take over my life as a story-telling experience - I have to give it the highest praise. It did to me what Phillip K. Dick's best mind-fucks do - you stop, and THINK. and then think a little more. Sure, there might be some irks and quirks along the way, maybe some core horror fans can be disappointed with few jump scares etc. but ultimately it is one of the best sci-fi stories I have ever experienced, and definitely the best one I have PLAYED.

So again, it all depends on your approach to games but for me SOMA is a benchmark of what games CAN be - a medium on par with literature and film - taking advantage of its unique immersive and interactive qualities to eventually become better than those two. :)
Posted September 22, 2015
That's a difficult thing, Cypisss. When such arguments are brought up about games being "on par" with other mediums such as literature... they aren't all that similar yet are alike in some ways. They're different ways of telling a story. Literature tends to be more flowery in how words are strung together to make a good story. In that sense, how things are worded help get you feeling like you are in the story seeing things happen.


..writing-wise, gaming isn't like that. It's still there to some to tell a story but you actually experience it by wandering around and interacting. This isn't something new, though This has been going on for some time but everyone has their own ways they experience stuff that others don't.

Gaming already, to me, feels on par if not above writing and movies. They just all have their own ways of getting the person involved on the stories they try to tell.

I say they all do what they do best and trying to make one like the others doesn't seem or even sound right. They do a similar function but do so differently.
Posted September 22, 2015
Sounds like Frictional went all out on this one. Thanks for sharing, I might have overlooked it.
Posted September 22, 2015
high rated
avatar
Arinielle: That's a difficult thing, Cypisss. When such arguments are brought up about games being "on par" with other mediums such as literature... they aren't all that similar yet are alike in some ways. They're different ways of telling a story. Literature tends to be more flowery in how words are strung together to make a good story. In that sense, how things are worded help get you feeling like you are in the story seeing things happen.

..writing-wise, gaming isn't like that. It's still there to some to tell a story but you actually experience it by wandering around and interacting. This isn't something new, though This has been going on for some time but everyone has their own ways they experience stuff that others don't.

Gaming already, to me, feels on par if not above writing and movies. They just all have their own ways of getting the person involved on the stories they try to tell.

I say they all do what they do best and trying to make one like the others doesn't seem or even sound right. They do a similar function but do so differently.
Agreed. Allow me to rephrase. Not many games tell a captivating story. You look at most AAA titles they are mediocre/borrowed/cliche ideas when compared to literature/film but they shine because of gameplay mechanics, innovative controls, interactivity. A good example: Until Dawn. I enjoyed the hell out of this game fully aware it was a generic teen slasher.

I would disagree however that we should treat them differently. Obviously, not in terms of how they are constructed and how they affect the "user". Games are still a very young medium. That means they try to cater to what we WANT, like and enjoy. Rarely, compared two the other two media, they challenge our intellect and have courage to make us feel something against our will. And when they do it is somehow much harder for us to accept. That needs to change.
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Community
General discussionRelease: SOMA(41 posts)(41 posts)
(41 posts)