SOMA Reviews
'SOMA' is scary, but that aspect pales in comparison with the great script and characterization. It is a bit brief at 10-12 hours, but does not over stay its welcome and should not be missed for anyone who appreciates a deep sci-fi tale with a healthy dose of accompanying fear.
SOMA will scare you, no doubt, but it won't be the memory of a gnarled, disfigured mass clumsily ambling towards you in a corridor that leaves you awake and unable to sleep at night. It will be the question of what makes us human.
As an immersive and anxious experience that also manages to be just as beautiful as it is terrifying, SOMA is in a class all its own. The stunningly well-realized world melds brilliantly with the outstanding score and sound design, begging the player to buy into the atmospheric world that Frictional Games has so painstakingly crafted. It genuinely feels like this is the natural evolution of everything that was started in Amnesia, just done with a bit more careful attention to detail and polish. This is an experience that completely justifies its budget price tag and more than validates the game's five-year development cycle.
If loads of jump scares or action are your thing, SOMA might disappoint. It takes its time, is even a little self indulgent, but more than anything it wants you to actually think about what's going on. If you are going to come for this one come for the excellent writing, voice acting and atmosphere.
The game, like the best works of science fiction, understands that horror can come from discomfort inherent to the erasure of boundaries we assume exist. The unintelligible whispers of static and the shattered visuals of glitch provide only the most cursory glances at a machine world inaccessible to us.
A competent and creepy survival horror, elevated by a well-crafted story that really gets under your skin.
SOMA creates a tangible underwater facility with overpowering tension and a haunting atmosphere. It paces the horror carefully and will captivate minds with its narrative.
SOMA is above anything else, an experience. The game's story is bound to stick with you for months after playing it, just like a great movie. It's pacing is damn near perfect and any fan of the genre should hit themselves over the head of they continue to ignore this one.
Soma aims to combine a weird story with a mysterious atmosphere and succeeds to achieve that goal, and although its gameplay might be too simple at times, it’ll still satisfy horror fans.
Review in Persian | Read full review
SOMA is a spectacular adventure game stuck in the jaws of a mediocre horror game.
I've never been deep-sea diving but I think that even James Cameron would be hard pressed to find fault with the level of detail on display here
A chilling and thought-provoking experience that puts Frictional games as one of the best horror game developers.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
'Thought provoking' may be the best way to describe my overall experience with SOMA. With the story being expertly delivered through eloquent voice acting and dialogue, environmental design, and questionable moral choices. SOMA stands out as a deft lesson in storytelling, which many developers should learn from. I'd highly recommend trying SOMA for anyone and everyone.
SOMA makes you think about the impending future that will change the world. As you uncover the story of the world you come to the realisation that... No, it will be your own. The game you simply need to play.
Review in Polish | Read full review
More of a thriller than a pure horror game, Soma creates a world the player wants to explore to understand, and yet will still be afraid of. It’s horror, but horror I was able to enjoy.
SOMA is a great game that brings a perfect blend of survival horror, an intriguing story, believable characters, and the constant dread of failure – things that are all too rare these days.
SOMA first released on PC a couple of years ago, but now it is making its way onto consoles and fans of suspenseful, narrative-driven games should make sure to play this title if they missed it the first time around. I was fortunate enough to play SOMA the first time around a couple of years ago, but never actually reviewed it for this site. I found that the game was creepy, interesting, and it had emotional impact that delivered a memorable experience. Thankfully these intangible types of traits age really well whether a game is two years or twenty years old, and SOMA on the Xbox One is a fantastic overall experience.
A good mix of intriguing story and the obligatory scares here and there, SOMA produces an experience you've probably never pondered over that leaves you thinking about it all well after the credits stopped rolling.
Safe Mode changes the game in subtle ways, causing many of the game’s monsters to ignore your presence until you go out of your way to antagonize them, though a few enemies toward the middle of the game are strangely aggressive regardless. Of course, SOMA is still a thoroughly creepy experience that retains its general atmosphere of there being something horrible just around the next corner, so it’s worth mentioning that this isn’t a “make the game accessible for those who detest scary games” mode. Instead, it’s more akin to a “speed up gameplay by eliminating the need to slowly creep around monsters” mode. Even for gamers like me who avoid most horror-type games, though, SOMA delves into various consciousness and identity issues that you’re not likely to experience in any other game out there, and is well worth fighting through for that reason.
A gorgeous, thoughtful descent into the depths of the ocean and yourself that doesn't pull any punches. The disturbing questions posed by SOMA will linger with you long after the credits roll.