G2A Pick of the Week I SOMA
September 26 2015
Every week, Team Liquid will supply you with their pick for the G2A Game of the Week, which you can buy at an extremely discounted rate thanks to the G2A Weekly Sale. This week, we’ve chosen the newly released horror game, SOMA. You can get it right now at www.g2a.com/weeklysale for $22.27, just in case you want in on the hype for yourself.
In SOMA, you assume the role of Simon Jarrett then the game plays out from a first-person perspective--running and hiding are the major points of gameplay.
The cramped, confined spaces of Pathos-II are unnerving, but the open, daunting abyss of the ocean floor is perhaps even scarier. And these areas are explored in equal measure throughout the course of the campaign, as you move your way from outpost to outpost in order to progress through the game.
But while these areas are haunting and extremely disconcerting, they are also littered with creeping abominations that threaten to cut your time in Pathos-II rather short. Much like in Amnesia, it's lethal to even look at enemies for too long, as instead of an 'Insanity Meter', they give off fatal doses of electromagnetic bursts.
The game is at its scariest when it's simply teasing you with the unknown. The title does convey a good sense of seclusion in places, and this is when it's at its absolute scariest. An emphasis on mood, rather than stealth and evasion, may have made this a more successfully terrifying game.
As mentioned, the grotesque locations make for some eerie surroundings, and they're enhanced by the immersive audio design, which helps to increase the sense of presence. It's simply more harrowing than acutely terrifying, which when you consider the pedigree, is a bit of a letdown.
SOMA's an interesting release that succeeds and stumbles in areas that we didn't expect it to. Indeed, given the developer's track record, we'd anticipated a terrifying title – but while it has its eerie moments, it's a bit of a disappointment as a horror game. Where it's more successful is in its ability to depict the moral challenges of AI, and this subject matter results in some of the tougher decisions that we've seen in a game for a while.
The plot is compelling, the presentation is generally very good, and the conclusion is outstanding. But all of these achievements will be tempered if you're looking for the kind of scares that defined Amnesia: The Dark Descent.
Review: SOMA
Horror games should be scary – but this is easier said than done.In SOMA, you assume the role of Simon Jarrett then the game plays out from a first-person perspective--running and hiding are the major points of gameplay.
The cramped, confined spaces of Pathos-II are unnerving, but the open, daunting abyss of the ocean floor is perhaps even scarier. And these areas are explored in equal measure throughout the course of the campaign, as you move your way from outpost to outpost in order to progress through the game.
But while these areas are haunting and extremely disconcerting, they are also littered with creeping abominations that threaten to cut your time in Pathos-II rather short. Much like in Amnesia, it's lethal to even look at enemies for too long, as instead of an 'Insanity Meter', they give off fatal doses of electromagnetic bursts.
The game is at its scariest when it's simply teasing you with the unknown. The title does convey a good sense of seclusion in places, and this is when it's at its absolute scariest. An emphasis on mood, rather than stealth and evasion, may have made this a more successfully terrifying game.
As mentioned, the grotesque locations make for some eerie surroundings, and they're enhanced by the immersive audio design, which helps to increase the sense of presence. It's simply more harrowing than acutely terrifying, which when you consider the pedigree, is a bit of a letdown.
SOMA's an interesting release that succeeds and stumbles in areas that we didn't expect it to. Indeed, given the developer's track record, we'd anticipated a terrifying title – but while it has its eerie moments, it's a bit of a disappointment as a horror game. Where it's more successful is in its ability to depict the moral challenges of AI, and this subject matter results in some of the tougher decisions that we've seen in a game for a while.
The plot is compelling, the presentation is generally very good, and the conclusion is outstanding. But all of these achievements will be tempered if you're looking for the kind of scares that defined Amnesia: The Dark Descent.