Richard Wakeling (Gamespot) has reviewed the sci-fi horror adventure Soma:
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SOMA Review
What lies beneath.
While SOMA may have been dubbed a spiritual successor to the terrifying Amnesia: The Dark Descent, it would be reductive to simply call it a ‘science-fiction Amnesia’. For all its foreboding dread and ghastly creatures that go bump in the night, SOMA is driven more by an enigmatic narrative than any chilling moments of bloodcurdling terror.
It’s a sophisticated and thoughtful game, with some grand, exciting, and frankly strange ideas, that proves to be a welcome sign of maturation for developer Frictional Games. It’s clear the Swedish developer isn't content to simply revisit well-trodden ground with another haunted house filled with ghouls and Lovecraftian horror, but instead eager to forge forward with something unpredictable and fresh. SOMA may not routinely rouse a quickened heartbeat, or cause beads of sweat to trickle down your forehead as regularly as Frictional's previous work, but it’s also all the better for it.
Plunging deep into the murky depths below, your time with SOMA is spent in the water-logged boots of Simon Jarrett. How he ended up on this derelict subterranean research facility is just one of SOMA’s many mysteries; gradually revealed over the course of a story-driven experience that never stopped surprising me.
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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.
Score: 9/10 - Superb
The Good:
The Bad:
- Engaging and thought-provoking story
- Impressive writing and voice acting throughout
- The atmosphere is drenched in dread
- Keeps you on the edge of your seat
- Sound design is particularly chilling
- Enemy encounters can be tedious
- Walking the ocean floor is dull and plodding
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