SOMA

Thoughts

A gripping, complex, philosophical tale of dread and discovery wrapped in some rather odd design decisions when it comes to gameplay. It's akin to being pulled out of a great book every second chapter to go play hide-and-seek for twenty minutes before being allowed to keep reading. Some would argue these parts are necessary to break up more story heavy segments and I'll grant that they are controller crushingly tense at stages, but they feel half-hearted and manipulative as a gameplay device. The palpable sense of dread that hangs over the game would have been enough; there seems to have been a genuine fear of placing this game in the 'walking simulator' camp while ignoring that there is nothing wrong with that genre when the story told is good and the worldbuilding is strong. SOMA, without a hint of hesitation on my part in saying it, fully delivers on those latter elements. The game drips with atmosphere and uses a hodgepodge of somewhat common science-fiction devices to create something that feels unique, tells an excellent story and, outside of the aforementioned hide-and-seek segments, uses the interactivity of videogames to further the world and narrative within.

Plus/Minus

+ Tense, wonderfully realised atmosphere 

+ Some of the better gaming narrative and writing work in recent memory

+ Mostly good voice acting and sound design

+ Plot devices and implications within that last well beyond the playing time

- 'Scary' gameplay elements are a chore

- Can be difficult to navigate the environment 

Overall

If you're looking for a patient, thoughtful, occasionally intense experience then I'd highly recommend SOMA. Some people seemed turned off by it thinking they don't enjoy 'scary' or 'horror' games but SOMA shouldn't be placed in that camp, even if it shares certain elements with those games. Jump scares are minimal. Anything horrifying comes from implications driven by plot developments and characters, rather than screaming faces on the screen and gore. 

8/10

Technical Stuff: Played on a PS4. Copy was purchased by the writer. One full playthrough of the game at a fairly leisurely pace - approximately 11 hours spent.