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. LagJ
    Mar 24, 2017
    7
    Soma is a very interesting game which tells a compelling and provoking sci-fi story that must be experienced with headphones in the dark. I can't stress enough how brilliant the sound effects are. The game has one major drawback holding it down though - the enemies. I've never been scared but bored at the same time before - it's a strange feeling.
    The noises that they make are    Soma is a very interesting game which tells a compelling and provoking sci-fi story that must be experienced with headphones in the dark. I can't stress enough how brilliant the sound effects are. The game has one major drawback holding it down though - the enemies. I've never been scared but bored at the same time before - it's a strange feeling.
    The noises that they make are stress-inducing but the actual gameplay mechanics to avoid them are extremely dull. It's either running away aimlessly hoping you don't end up in a dead end or cowering in the dark waiting for them to go away. There's even one enemy that gets triggered if you take more than a half-step, which means you spend half an hour traversing around it.
    There's a mod on the PC version to make the enemies stop aggroing you. Frictional I like you guys but this is a clear indication that you need different focus groups.    … Expand
  2. tomvs123
    Nov 11, 2020
    5
    A decent game, but a lack of cohesion between its parts and its not-so-well executed main theme keeps it from being great.

    This is another "good story" game I've tried out in my quest to find the best writing that video games have to offer. I wasn't expecting a run-and-hide survival horror game, but there's actually not much of that here. You'll spend most of your time walking    A decent game, but a lack of cohesion between its parts and its not-so-well executed main theme keeps it from being great.

    This is another "good story" game I've tried out in my quest to find the best writing that video games have to offer. I wasn't expecting a run-and-hide survival horror game, but there's actually not much of that here. You'll spend most of your time walking place-to-place, finding objects (essentially keys) that unlock the next section. Occasionally, a monster or ghost will be patrolling the hallways and you'll need to look away or hide before you can continue going about your business.

    To avoid spoilers, I can't say much about the story. I will say that the setting of a research facility in a damaged world is at least interesting, although not very unique. If you've played Half-Life, Doom 3, or Bioshock, you'll see many gameplay and setting similarities here.

    Unfortunately, the game takes the conveniently-placed, -timed, and -drafted email/audio recordings approach to telling its story, even though you essentially have an all-knowing companion with you who could tell you most of those things. Believability takes a big hit when you frequently come across over-explained emails and audio recordings of things that people wouldn't normally record. But I suppose the target audience is teens and people who don't actually work in research facilities.

    As for the monsters and ghosts, they simply don't fit well within the story and world. Why they're here, why they want to kill you, and why they like to show up right when you pick up a particular key doesn't make much sense. Though I hear this is typical in survival horror games, so this probably won't bother fans of the genre. They seem scary enough; at least my kids were scared while I was playing. Though I preferred to walk right up to them and get a good look and let them kill me, just to see what would happen.

    In most cases, you actually get two chances to escape from monsters. The first time, you get knocked out and get back up with the monster having disappeared. You don't normally have to reload until they knock you out a second time. This at least helped distance them from the story somewhat and made them seem more like dumb bullies than an actual threat. Well, except for that one section where after you take a particular action, you must accurately and precisely run from the monster through a maze to make it to the next section. At that point, I was a little disappointed that I couldn't switch to easy mode mid-game. So I ended up spending a good 10 minutes mentally mapping out the correct path to run to get past that section. This wasn't the best design choice to improve immersion.

    And finally we come to the main theme of the game, which I can't say outright due to it possibly being a spoiler. It's existential in nature and any sci-fi nerd would have already come to terms with this after contemplating a popular mechanic in Star Trek. Our protagonist, however, has not. He even gets a huge preview of what's about to happen to him and he still throws a tantrum at the end of the game when it actually happens. Well, it's okay that our protagonist isn't very smart, but our researcher/scientist companion should be, right? Unfortunately, she's no Neil deGrasse Tyson, and botches the explanation to our protagonist, which leads to his tantrum. Though if you're an average-intelligence person who doesn't consider existential ideas, I could see how this could be relatable and even amazing to you. Just don't expect this to impress any consciousness or existence philosophers/researchers.

    I spent the last several paragraphs explaining why I don't think the game is great. Though by no means is the game bad. It's interesting enough, even for the most intelligent players, and is at least pretty to look at. It's likely perfect for people who like the genre and can't get enough of it.    … Expand
  3. CntrlAltDel101
    Oct 2, 2015
    7
    I enjoyed this game. I don't understand the 9s and 10s it's getting though.

    If you are looking for scary then this isn't the game for you. If you're looking for a thought provoking puzzle solver then this might be the game for you.
  4. DreamEaglr
    Mar 1, 2017
    7
    Frictional Games удалось сделать великолепную игру с интересным сюжетом, который держит в напряжении во время всего прохождения, жуткую атмосферу и вновь преобразовать свой старый геймплей. Разочаровало в этой игре одно - как ни странно, это монстры. Они не пугают, а только раздрают. В остальном игра отличная и очень большой скачок для Frictional Games.Frictional Games удалось сделать великолепную игру с интересным сюжетом, который держит в напряжении во время всего прохождения, жуткую атмосферу и вновь преобразовать свой старый геймплей. Разочаровало в этой игре одно - как ни странно, это монстры. Они не пугают, а только раздрают. В остальном игра отличная и очень большой скачок для Frictional Games.
  5. RedWulfr
    Dec 27, 2015
    6
    It doesnt matter how much i try, but there is something about Frictional Games that doesnt hit my nerve. The beginning of this game was a nightmare, had to spend an hour just to find my medicines and its a wonder i continued play at all after that. Its pretty relieving though, that you dont have to fight your way forward, but again, there is plenty of darlings these guys need to learn toIt doesnt matter how much i try, but there is something about Frictional Games that doesnt hit my nerve. The beginning of this game was a nightmare, had to spend an hour just to find my medicines and its a wonder i continued play at all after that. Its pretty relieving though, that you dont have to fight your way forward, but again, there is plenty of darlings these guys need to learn to kill in favor for the story, which in my opinion is too good for the technical implementation.… Expand
  6. Ajfiricano1
    Nov 3, 2015
    6
    The story was pretty good, but the game itself didn't draw me in as much as I would of hoped. The level design felt very repetitive and dull. If your hoping for a scary game than this might not be what you are looking for, I have played outlast and thought this game would be scarier since it's made by the makers of amnesia but SOMA fails in the horror department.

    Pros - 1: story is    The story was pretty good, but the game itself didn't draw me in as much as I would of hoped. The level design felt very repetitive and dull. If your hoping for a scary game than this might not be what you are looking for, I have played outlast and thought this game would be scarier since it's made by the makers of amnesia but SOMA fails in the horror department.

    Pros -
    1: story is compelling
    2: graphics are pretty good

    Cons-
    1: level design is repetitive
    2: scare factor is not all there    … Expand
  7. Greggor
    Oct 2, 2015
    7
    The game play is pretty good. I like the way that you interact with the enemies in this game; they don't immediately kill you, but first freak out your display.

    The plot is pretty captivating, but it really makes you work for bits and pieces of the backstory rather than just handing it to you. I only ran into one gamebreaking bug, when my character phased out of the gameplay area    The game play is pretty good. I like the way that you interact with the enemies in this game; they don't immediately kill you, but first freak out your display.

    The plot is pretty captivating, but it really makes you work for bits and pieces of the backstory rather than just handing it to you.

    I only ran into one gamebreaking bug, when my character phased out of the gameplay area into empty space and I couldn't bring him back.

    Most of the puzzles and challenges are reasonable, but there are a couple that are asinine and that you don't really have any hope of getting without cheating or foreknowledge. I mean to say that I'm thinking of two specific parts of the game where you're going to be wandering aimlessly without knowing what to do.

    While the story of SOMA was interesting, it made me really uncomfortable in an existential sort of way. This isn't really the sort of philosophical quandary I expect to get when I'm playing a video game. I'm being serious when I say you should put this game down if you are troubled by thoughts about what happens after death and the future of the human race.    … Expand
  8. John_Mullins
    Oct 12, 2015
    5
    Same tired formula that has been done to death by dozens of other games with absolutely NOTHING new, exciting, or even interesting to talk about.

    Run down hallway, hide in closet. Run down hallway, hide under bed. Jump Scare. Run down hallway, hide in crate. Run down hallway, hide in closet. Jump Scare..... "scary plot"... Run down hallway...... hide... in... closet...    Same tired formula that has been done to death by dozens of other games with absolutely NOTHING new, exciting, or even interesting to talk about.

    Run down hallway, hide in closet. Run down hallway, hide under bed. Jump Scare. Run down hallway, hide in crate. Run down hallway, hide in closet. Jump Scare..... "scary plot"... Run down hallway...... hide... in... closet... ZZZzzzZzZZZZzzzZZZZzzz    … Expand
  9. rodericrinehart
    Jan 30, 2016
    7
    The story and what it makes you think about is far better than the gameplay. I didn't do it, but after seeing themod afterwards, I highly recommend you play with the "Wuss Mode" mod because the enemies just get in the way of what I considered the core element of the game - exploration, story, and me just thinking about it all. The chase mechanics made all 3 of those things worse, soThe story and what it makes you think about is far better than the gameplay. I didn't do it, but after seeing themod afterwards, I highly recommend you play with the "Wuss Mode" mod because the enemies just get in the way of what I considered the core element of the game - exploration, story, and me just thinking about it all. The chase mechanics made all 3 of those things worse, so turning it off would make the game better in my opinion.

    What it says about humanity, consciousness, and what it means to be alive is terrific ... and terrifying - far more terrifying than the actual monsters.    … Expand
  10. Malooga
    Nov 12, 2015
    7
    I struggled a little with this score. If there was a 7.9 option I would take it, because that's where it falls for me, just short of a great game. Very much a lateral move from Amnesia, better graphics and lighting but story is convoluted and lacking. It seems to add meaningless depth to bit characters but surprisingly little clarity on the overall purpose of the protagonist. Much lessI struggled a little with this score. If there was a 7.9 option I would take it, because that's where it falls for me, just short of a great game. Very much a lateral move from Amnesia, better graphics and lighting but story is convoluted and lacking. It seems to add meaningless depth to bit characters but surprisingly little clarity on the overall purpose of the protagonist. Much less tense and foreboding, the atmosphere reminded me of a slightly less spooky Dead Space. Drab interiors come alive under excellent use of lighting, but at a closer look are still drab. For all that the game does a lot right, good movement mechanics and strong supporting characters/enemies. More focus on background and story even though you will be guessing until about hour 7 "just what the hell is going on?". Some people like that, but if Outlast or RE are any testament to the survival horror genre, its much easier to be scared of an enemy you are familiar with. At roughly 13-15 hours the campaign is a decent size, perhaps too long for the story they told. I found myself bored of the same routine of flip this, search this, fetch this that I expect more out of RPG and less from a survival horror game. 7/10, worth the look if you are a fan of the genre, but falls short of its predecessor.… Expand
  11. Rox22
    Jan 24, 2016
    6
    If anything I can see this game is really, really trying to be something different and do justice to the horror genre. However, for all its effort it falls a little flat.

    Visually the game is very pretty, but lacking in variety. Each area is just a more messier version of the last. You can see allot of effort went into the visuals, yet allot of it is shrouded in darkness. You can    If anything I can see this game is really, really trying to be something different and do justice to the horror genre. However, for all its effort it falls a little flat.

    Visually the game is very pretty, but lacking in variety. Each area is just a more messier version of the last. You can see allot of effort went into the visuals, yet allot of it is shrouded in darkness.

    You can pick up pretty much anything that isn't nailed down. Yet, why? There are perhaps only a handful of objects that are relevant to anything, so this feature feels pretty pointless.

    The Clock Tower-esque run and hide approach to "combat" was a novel one and did add a sense of "get the f*** out of here" to each area. But these sections start to get more and more frequent as the game progresses and just get disruptive and irritating by the end.

    It would have been nice if there was a map system as it is far to easy to get lost, especially in the outdoor sections.

    But not all I have to say is negative. The game does have a great story. It also tackles some deep ideas that will give you allot to think of.

    Overall:
    Soma kinda feels like Deep Space meets Bioshock 2 meets Clock Tower. There is clearly a good game here with great story and concepts, but it is kinda dragged down by to much clutter of underdeveloped ideas and manic pacing thanks to forced mechanics.Its faults aside, it's still worth playing through once.

    It's too expensive for what it is wait for at least a 50% price drop.    … Expand
  12. Nobilis1984
    Mar 19, 2017
    5
    Only here and there well.
    On the console the control is worse to. The opponents are too strong. Above all the opponent with the disco helmet annoys.
    Unfortunately, an irritating, excessively heavy play.
  13. AndersL
    Apr 12, 2017
    6
    I did like this game, but it was not enough of a game. Felt like 1/3 of a game. Interesting idea that could have been done better. Both the start and the end were satisfactory though, worth playing all the way through which is why I give it a 6.
  14. drlowdon
    Jul 5, 2022
    7
    Having suffered life changing injuries in a car accident, Simon Jarrett agrees to undergo an experimental brain scan under the control of David Munshi. Upon regaining consciousness he finds himself alone in an abandoned facility with no knowledge as to how he got there.

    The survival horror elements become less scary and increasingly frustrating as the game progresses, but the foreboding    Having suffered life changing injuries in a car accident, Simon Jarrett agrees to undergo an experimental brain scan under the control of David Munshi. Upon regaining consciousness he finds himself alone in an abandoned facility with no knowledge as to how he got there.

    The survival horror elements become less scary and increasingly frustrating as the game progresses, but the foreboding atmosphere and interesting, thought-provoking plot ensure SOMA is worth seeing through to the end.    … Expand
  15. p1menta
    Jun 1, 2019
    7
    the story is really really good, but something bugged me the whole game. cant really put my finger on what that is, but the experience is really good
  16. MaxPayneIsGod
    Jan 12, 2020
    6
    Couldn't grip me enough.
    Nice aesthetics, otherwise a boring walking sim.
    The story is a too slow and ambiguous and I'd have rather known a bit more of what was going on a bit sooner.
    Good effort but remember, your audience's time is valuable.
  17. Tellus12
    Feb 14, 2019
    7
    Soma is an intruiging creature from the star. It's a kind of cross between Alien Isolation and Bioshock in the way that its set in an underwater complex and the run'n'hide mechanic is all you have to tackle the monsters. No guns or weapons beyond a brief electrical EMP gun at one stage of the game. It also blends the suspense and mechanics of the F.E.A.R games where you can pick up andSoma is an intruiging creature from the star. It's a kind of cross between Alien Isolation and Bioshock in the way that its set in an underwater complex and the run'n'hide mechanic is all you have to tackle the monsters. No guns or weapons beyond a brief electrical EMP gun at one stage of the game. It also blends the suspense and mechanics of the F.E.A.R games where you can pick up and move anything, and also knock absultely anything off a table and alerting horrible monsters to your location.
    The story is thought provoking despite dragging at the beginning, but it keeps you hooked somehow. The controls and graphics are quite strong for an indie game but the lack of interaction makes it one of those lonely games like KONA or The Vanishing of Ethan Carter. The narrative is told in a Bioshock style through messages, computers, letters and blood trails that you discover and ultimately morphs into a philosophical dilemma regarding future ife and earth. The ending, despite being a bit tedious, was ultimately well executed and it actually stayed with me for a few days after. There isn't much light at the end of the tunnel.

    I feel people saying that this game isn't scary are showing off a little. There are few people who wouldn't jump or convulse the first few times they are killed, and some of the monsters are particularly nerve wracking. It doesn't hold a candle to Alien Isolation on that front however due to the lack of interaction with the scenery like hiding in lockers and things. You generally don't fit under tables either.
    I enjoyed it more than I thought I would though. I was disappointed with the lack of trohpies on the ps4 version. No platinum or Gold, only silver and one Bronze. Some of the tasks were quite difficult and unnerving. Not the best indie game out there, but a damn good effort.    … Expand
  18. egoBorder
    Sep 8, 2020
    7
    A good, brainy game with a great premise but often feels needlessly padded. The good thing is that it doesn't expect you to replay it for multiple endings or anything like that, though there are several places to make decisions and experience some differences. Overall a good experience, but you should expect a couple of annoying moments.
  19. piuscorvus
    Jul 19, 2021
    6
    For some, Soma is a horror game. For some not. I would say that Soma is definitely a very creepy game and for that you can blame an excellent sound design. Luckily, you can reduce the tension by choosing an easy mode, which prevents enemies from killing you. I thought that it would kill the game experience but it actually does not. It makes the enemies less frustrating but not lessFor some, Soma is a horror game. For some not. I would say that Soma is definitely a very creepy game and for that you can blame an excellent sound design. Luckily, you can reduce the tension by choosing an easy mode, which prevents enemies from killing you. I thought that it would kill the game experience but it actually does not. It makes the enemies less frustrating but not less creepy.

    Technically, it is probably an average game; it does not have the best graphics in the world, it does not have the best stealth/combat system… but it has pretty tough puzzles to solve and plenty of them are in the areas with the enemies that you cannot kill but only sneak around them, which makes this game very hard and at the edge of being a bit frustrating. On the contrary, it has an interesting story to follow, which actually is the only thing that kept me going even though I often felt overwhelmed by the general tension and creepiness.

    Soma is a good game but somehow at the same time not. The beginning and the end made a lot of sense but in between there are levels that felt as if they were put in so that you make yourself busy doing something to fill in time. Making the game shorter might have been a better path for this kind of story.    … Expand
  20. StrohNamiX
    Jul 27, 2020
    7
    Story.: The Story is the main reason I kept on playing. It was really interesting from start to end and always kept me guessing. Some small parts were predictable but nothing major.

    Graphics / Sound / Atmosphere.: I played it just recently and the grahpics are a little bit on the rusty side. The atmosphere is still getting through but just from a technical standpoint it's rather    Story.: The Story is the main reason I kept on playing. It was really interesting from start to end and always kept me guessing. Some small parts were predictable but nothing major.

    Graphics / Sound / Atmosphere.: I played it just recently and the grahpics are a little bit on the rusty side. The atmosphere is still getting through but just from a technical standpoint it's rather mediocre. It's from 2015 so I didn't expect much anyway.

    Gameplay.: There are definitely things here that can be improved. Most of the time you are just running around and looking for the next thing that pushes the story forward. There aren't many puzzles and the puzzles itself aren't demanting or interesting in most cases. The enemy enounters are just gameplay sections were you either run away from the enemy or sneak around them. Nothing special here but due to the bleak atmosphere it's still scary at parts and does enough to keep you engaged.

    Conclusion.:

    If you don't mind the rather slow paced run around sections and just need a good and interesting story without fluid action based gameplay mechanics then there is a good chance that you will like soma.

    Story.: 9
    Graphics / Sound / Atmosphere.: 6
    Gameplay.: 5

    Result.: 7    … Expand
  21. Pbesfamille
    Dec 29, 2020
    7
    I think I was left with heart problems. The terror of this game is the one I enjoy the most, it doesn't have screamers or jumpscrares, it's slow and dark. The story is good but the truth is that I did not give it much importance until the end (my God the end is very shocking ...). Without a doubt the best is the scenery, the environments and sounds. My only criticism is that you get lostI think I was left with heart problems. The terror of this game is the one I enjoy the most, it doesn't have screamers or jumpscrares, it's slow and dark. The story is good but the truth is that I did not give it much importance until the end (my God the end is very shocking ...). Without a doubt the best is the scenery, the environments and sounds. My only criticism is that you get lost very easily on the larger maps, although the game fixes it with some lights and structures, they did not help me much. Apart from that, SOMA is a game that I highly recommend.… Expand
  22. super_absorber
    Oct 31, 2020
    7
    The are many frustrating moments for me in this game, but I stuck through at the end. The game is about the philosophy of self identity which I have some exposure to, so it isn't extremely mind blowing for me. The game is only a bit scary for the first 30 minutes, then for the rest of the game I'm not really scared anymore. The final moment is good tho.
  23. RGames2k
    Sep 7, 2023
    7
    لعبة رعب جيده
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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

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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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