SOMA

 PlayStation 4
User Score
8.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 618 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 493 out of 618
  2. Mixed: 76 out of 618
  3. Negative: 49 out of 618

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  1. SS_Talon
    Jul 29, 2017
    4
    Even though the game is unique in terns of its sci-fi story, it is rather tedious and very frustrating most of the time. Video games should be fun and this is not. I would definitely pass up this game up, even if it's on sale. Not worthy of the overall strong reviews it has received. If you're interested in this game, watch the playthrough on YouTube, rather than waste your time withEven though the game is unique in terns of its sci-fi story, it is rather tedious and very frustrating most of the time. Video games should be fun and this is not. I would definitely pass up this game up, even if it's on sale. Not worthy of the overall strong reviews it has received. If you're interested in this game, watch the playthrough on YouTube, rather than waste your time with this boring dreadful game.… Expand
  2. Lewis-Angelo
    Dec 31, 2019
    3
    una historia entretenida y con matices, plantea dudas y genera curiosidad

    los puzzles son demasiado simples, la IA es un cachondeo, y el apartado técnico es patético y lamentable
    difícil recomendar un juego que llega a marear
  3. lifehunt
    Feb 25, 2017
    1
    Couldn't play more than an hour of this game. A mind numbing, boring experience. Uninteresting setup for the story and terrible voice acting, Gameplay more or less consists of flipping switches.
  4. Pounce
    Apr 24, 2021
    2
    I love the horror game genre, and this game came highly recommended from countless sources. Needless to say, I was very excited to try it out. However, I had a horrible experience during my playthrough. The praise this game receives is incredibly baffling to me. Rarely do I delete a game, but Soma has earned that honor.
  5. ezeric007
    Jul 19, 2016
    4
    Graphic's are good, sound is good, but the game play is kind of clunky like most Indie games, and the story is kind of cheesy which is what killed it for me. The guy has brain bleeds so he goes to see some two bit scientist that doesn't even have his own office, no education, or state certifications of any kind instead of going to a neurosurgeon which I found beyond ridiculous. Then theGraphic's are good, sound is good, but the game play is kind of clunky like most Indie games, and the story is kind of cheesy which is what killed it for me. The guy has brain bleeds so he goes to see some two bit scientist that doesn't even have his own office, no education, or state certifications of any kind instead of going to a neurosurgeon which I found beyond ridiculous. Then the scientist then straps him into a chair and he passes out only to wake up in a submarine. I read this site and thought I'd give it a shot but I'm incredibly disappointed so save your $20 bucks.… Expand
  6. plotlesviolence
    Mar 1, 2016
    0
    OVERVIEW = 0
    A strong contender for the worst game ever made. Not enough gameplay to call it "stealth" or "puzzle," so it's closest to the "Walking Simulator" genre, with an awful story. I didn’t expect to like it, but a ton of recommendations convinced me to try it anyway, and in retrospect I have no idea what the recommenders were smoking.
    [CONTROLS/MECHANICS = 0] "Walking    OVERVIEW = 0
    A strong contender for the worst game ever made. Not enough gameplay to call it "stealth" or "puzzle," so it's closest to the "Walking Simulator" genre, with an awful story. I didn’t expect to like it, but a ton of recommendations convinced me to try it anyway, and in retrospect I have no idea what the recommenders were smoking.

    [CONTROLS/MECHANICS = 0]
    "Walking Simulators" are defined by the absence of gameplay, the 3D world existing only to showcase the plot, like an art gallery exists only to showcase 2D paintings in a way better served by an artbook. The experience can be faithfully recreated on Youtube, with branching videos for each choice. Calling these "games" is like calling footage of text crawling across a screen a "movie": it would have worked better as a book, just like Walking Sims work better as movies.
    Soma is somehow worse, in the sense that the barest whiff of gameplay is actually less enjoyable than zero gameplay: I prefer cutscenes to Quick-Time-Events because, if you're not going to offer real control, you might as well let me sit back and enjoy the movie instead of aggravating me with reflex testing.
    There are arguments to be made that "The Stanley Parable" because it relies so heavily on movement-determined choice, and "The Beginner's Guide" because its plot is about showcasing game worlds, justify their formats as games rather than sequences of videos. Rather than answer that question here, I'll point out that nothing in Soma, at least, justifies its pretense towards being a game instead of a video.
    (Physics Puzzle = 0) You can pick up, and throw objects, like Half Life 2's gravity gun without the "force pull" option. And unlike the 2004 masterpiece, the puzzles are all of the keyhunt variety. None of them do anything as interesting as HL2.
    (Stealth = ?) I quit before getting to the stealth portion, I'll admit that. But from what I saw on Youtube, you have basically no tactics other than running and hiding. If you want to call Soma a stealth game, it's going to have to compete against Metal Gear Solid V in that regard.
    Games like this are often called “horror,” as if identification with that genre somehow excuses the fact that you have no control options and are therefore weak. It wasn’t scary to me, but little is. It also wasn’t fun, and I have difficulty understanding why other people did find it fun.

    [PRESENTATION = 1]
    (Graphics = 7) I was really impressed with the graphics and textures for the machines and backgrounds. The human people look a little fake.
    (Visual aesthetics = 5)
    (Sound Effects = 5)
    (Voice Acting = 8)
    (Plot = 0) If Walking Sims are just movies presented in the wrong format, they can still redeem themselves if the movie is good. I have only ever played 5 games where the plot/cutscenes were good enough to stand on their own: MGS3:Snake Eater, Bioshock:Infinite, The Walking Dead: Season 1, The Stanley Parable, and The Beginner's Guide. By contrast, Soma has one of the worst plots I've ever seen.
    After I gave up on playing it, I finished watching all the dialogue on a Let’s Play, and it was almost unwatchable. The one plot thread is the philosophical question: when you copy your brain into another body, you are not “transferring” consciousness, you are just making a copy. It’s the same plot that was handled much, much better by the (still horrible) “The 6th Day” Schwarzenegger movie. That’s it. It’s a 5-minute short story padded and overstretched across a 9 hour game.
    It asks the question “What is identity?” but so does every other form of entertainment ever created. What it doesn’t do is ask that question intelligently, or offer any answers, or any competent discussions. There are only 2 characters and they only exist to restate and argue that same theme in the same way over and over. Even for a medium where plot is seen as an irrelevant distraction from the “good stuff” of action, and therefore as important as plot in pornography, this was bad. If it weren't for the fact that it was a Walking Sim, I would think the story had been shoehorned in as an afterthought.

    DESIGN = 0
    (Level Design = 2) Keyhunts were the worst part of every FPS; I would enjoy a bit of 1993’s “Doom”, kill all the enemies and then, bam, red door needs a red key, and now you have to check every single room for the next 20 minutes before you're allowed to have fun again. I only played Soma for an hour, and more than half of that was me being lost, trying to figure out what to press next to continue a story that would never pay off. Not fun.
    (Length = 9 hours, 75% padding)

    CONCLUSION
    Soma fails on almost every level. Even if you like Walking Sims, even if you’re willing to just watch the cutscenes, there is nothing worth your time here. I seriously cannot understand where the accolades are coming from. Dark Souls is probably a worse game, but only because DS is intentionally designed as poorly as possible to hurt its own players.    … Expand
  7. phoeniix23
    Sep 4, 2017
    0
    Lame boring artsy game trying to be smart/philosophical with crap run-away-or-hide-from enemies mechanics. Its more frustrating than engaging. Bioshock this is not and that game PULLED me in. Gone Home's story was intriguing. After reading so many glowing reviews of this game, I came away severely disappointed. Didn't finish this, stopped at Delta site where it just frustrated the heck outLame boring artsy game trying to be smart/philosophical with crap run-away-or-hide-from enemies mechanics. Its more frustrating than engaging. Bioshock this is not and that game PULLED me in. Gone Home's story was intriguing. After reading so many glowing reviews of this game, I came away severely disappointed. Didn't finish this, stopped at Delta site where it just frustrated the heck out of me with the back and forth trying to find stuff. Argh, so annoyed. Hellblade was SOOOO good. SOMA WAS SOOOOOOOO MEH… Expand
  8. Lodge1960
    Oct 11, 2015
    1
    Spending a frustrating hour crawling around identical seemingly endless corridors trying to find the room you accidentally left the key card in whilst being chased by what I am assuming is a severely pissed off burns victim. And this is fun - how?
  9. GetBreadDuck
    Aug 1, 2022
    0
    A boring uninspired walking simulator with a ultra cliche story. The monster and character designs looks like something from the early 2000s.
  10. knur
    Oct 12, 2022
    4
    The story is not bad and the atmosphere can be appreciated at times, but oh boy is this game boring. It's a walking simulator, cannot recommend it.
  11. Dwideshrude
    Feb 28, 2023
    2
    I can't believe how much of a boring, frustrating slog this is to play. If youre not scared by things going "REEEEEEE" then this is a boring walking sim in a poorly designed map with 3 colors as the pallete (that being grey, grey, and grey.) while you get stuck in a pickle lost with no landmarks or sense of direction. No good game design to be found, and just your run of the millI can't believe how much of a boring, frustrating slog this is to play. If youre not scared by things going "REEEEEEE" then this is a boring walking sim in a poorly designed map with 3 colors as the pallete (that being grey, grey, and grey.) while you get stuck in a pickle lost with no landmarks or sense of direction. No good game design to be found, and just your run of the mill "cyborgzzzz. is AI hooman? Wut is hooman?" sci-fi hack job but you move slow l cus its under water. (Lol)… Expand

Awards & Rankings

66
#66 Best PS4 Game of 2015
35
#35 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2015
39
#39 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2015

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 27 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 27
  3. Negative: 0 out of 27
  1. Attack of the Fanboy
    Dec 20, 2015
    90
    With intelligent story telling and beautiful imagery, SOMA pushes the boundaries of traditional survival horror in new, psychologically thrilling ways.
    Read full review
  2. Playstation Official Magazine UK
    Nov 16, 2015
    80
    SOMA's a fascinating interactive story that occasionally wants to murder you dead. [Dec 2015, p.86]
  3. GameCritics
    Nov 13, 2015
    65
    While SOMA never hits the highs of Amnesia: The Dark Descent, it's still largely decent in its own right. Some confused environment design and lackluster monster scenarios work against it, but as an atmospheric jaunt under the sea with a reasonable storyline behind it... well, it works pretty well. Faint praise perhaps, but praise nonetheless.
    Read full review
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