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. noahbruhh
    Feb 19, 2016
    8
    I thought this game would be far more SCARY than it turned out tone , thats not to say the game is completely barren of frights, no it does have jumpy moments but the real accomplishment here is the brilliant philosophical story about AI and treacly asks the question , what are we as human beings? The only complaint I have is the graphics are a bit sub-par.
  2. 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
  3. 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
  4. 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
  5. jebe
    Dec 8, 2015
    10
    I loved this game. It got me hooked for the story (about 12 hours) and the world itself is very compelling. It has some tense moments until you find out how to escape from them. The story even surpasses the one in Amnesia. For an horror games fan, this is a must. I give it a 10 because is one of those games that remains in our head after finishing it.
    Great work Frictional Games.
  6. sariman
    Nov 19, 2015
    10
    i love horror and mysterious games. so that's the game. acceptable graphics. little lags some times, but it will not bother you. good story line. the game worth the price.
  7. Served001
    Nov 13, 2015
    8
    The best horror game you'll ever play. The story is amazing and will leave the most unique emotional impact on you. I was amazed by the sounds, the graphics, the character interaction and mostly the fear of what's going to happen next. The monster design is superb, maybe not as difficult as Amnesia but having to solve a puzzle while being chased by one is no laughing matter. Some bugsThe best horror game you'll ever play. The story is amazing and will leave the most unique emotional impact on you. I was amazed by the sounds, the graphics, the character interaction and mostly the fear of what's going to happen next. The monster design is superb, maybe not as difficult as Amnesia but having to solve a puzzle while being chased by one is no laughing matter. Some bugs while exploring underwater sections were weird and little guidance to some easily miss-able keys is not present, which pull it away from a perfect score. Can't wait for more games from this studio.… Expand
  8. 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
  9. epistm87
    Nov 11, 2015
    10
    slowly-unfolding story, and the choices you live with, make the experience one that will stay with you for some time mazing and I would highly recommend that if you can, play it.
  10. CompLex_2kG
    Nov 4, 2015
    9
    I love this game so much. It's kind of like Alien: Isolation. I played on PS4 and SAVING, LOADING moments drops the Frame for a while... Voice acting is so cool by the way :)
  11. 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
  12. Be_Objective
    Oct 29, 2015
    9
    If you want a game like Outlast in which the monsters and jumpscares are the main source of terror, then look away. However if you want to be unnerved by how far a game can go to make you question what is concience and humanity and the implications of these, then stop reading, stay away from reviews and buy this game.
  13. 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
  14. heatonx23
    Oct 12, 2015
    9
    I didn't really know what to expect from this game, but it was excellent. The story, visuals, and audio create such an immersive experience. I highly recommend this game, especially for the price.
  15. 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?
  16. Agarwel
    Oct 10, 2015
    9
    Great exploration game. Interesting well told story. Good pacing (i was never bored). Nice atmosphere. Decent length. Definetelly worth buying. Just dont expect horor game. This is not a horror. It is exploration with ocasional easy stealth parts. For me this was plus (you dont have cheap jump scares, unnecessary gore, etc). But someone why expects to be scared may be dissapointed.
  17. 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
  18. 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.
  19. Sleepyday
    Sep 29, 2015
    9
    As much as I'd love giving this game a 10, it has some freezing and loadings which are annoying (I know, that's something to overlook since it is release). The game itself has a better story than I expected, not to mention the great DualShock and headphones functions which make the game more immersive
  20. JayLightBar
    Sep 29, 2015
    8
    A lovely horror experience, that could have actually been a bit better without the horror. With a story that's extremely interesting and deep, and gameplay that you expect from Frictional, Soma comes off as a step up from their last game in all departments and is an enjoyable experience that any horror fan should go through at least once.
  21. brokenOne
    Sep 28, 2015
    10
    Horrifying, intensely emotional, captivating. These are all things that i had experienced whilst playing this game. SOMA is the first game i have ever played that has caused me to cry from emotional sadness. What does it mean to truly be alone? What happens when there is no one around but you? What does it mean to be alive and be a part of the experience that is human? These were questionsHorrifying, intensely emotional, captivating. These are all things that i had experienced whilst playing this game. SOMA is the first game i have ever played that has caused me to cry from emotional sadness. What does it mean to truly be alone? What happens when there is no one around but you? What does it mean to be alive and be a part of the experience that is human? These were questions that i found myself asking after playing this game.

    I found myself genuinely concerned for Simon. And the ending hurt really badly. This game will be on my mind i am sure for quite some time. It is in my opinion a master piece of story telling and horror. But this game played with my emotions as a human because we are extremely social creatures and as the story goes on you can tell Simon really just in the end doesn't want to end up alone. I think that is a big message in this game. That helplessness of being alone. Fighting for our survival no matter how futile it might be. Trying to be... Alive.. Human?... This game has given me a lot to think about and it is truly a masterpiece.    … Expand
  22. C3realkillah
    Sep 27, 2015
    9
    This may be the most superbly written scifi horror game in history. I don't want to spoil it because it's a wild ride and deserves to be experienced first hand. The game is also very fun to play and beautiful to look at. The monster encounters for the most part are scary and horrific looking and provide plenty of scares and tense encounters or chases. The ai is smart and will react toThis may be the most superbly written scifi horror game in history. I don't want to spoil it because it's a wild ride and deserves to be experienced first hand. The game is also very fun to play and beautiful to look at. The monster encounters for the most part are scary and horrific looking and provide plenty of scares and tense encounters or chases. The ai is smart and will react to noise or if items are thrown or knocked over. The game can be hard at times especially getting lost and some of the puzzles are delightfully ingenious but they are still fun. The game will make you think about your very existence and question what it means to be human similar to the system shock series. The story is amazing and very well told and paced. Everything you do in this game makes sense wether you are gathering supplies to power a super suit or finding data chips and transferring simulations on to it. I haven't seen collectibles or items done this well in a while. The only complaints I really have are that the game has crashed on me a few times and once I fell through the map also the load times are pretty long but nothing game breaking. Overall Frictional games have really outdone themselves and created a brilliant smart horrific and beautiful horror game. I highly recommend this to any horror fan.… Expand
  23. TheDahaka
    Sep 27, 2015
    10
    This Game is absolutely superb and fortunately the PS4 port is very well done. It runs very smooth with the only drawback being semi-regular load hitching, which to me wasn't frequent enough to disrupt the flow of the game. The story is very engaging and the atmosphere spot on. At one moment you'll be on the edge of your seat wondering what dangers lurk around the corner whilst the nextThis Game is absolutely superb and fortunately the PS4 port is very well done. It runs very smooth with the only drawback being semi-regular load hitching, which to me wasn't frequent enough to disrupt the flow of the game. The story is very engaging and the atmosphere spot on. At one moment you'll be on the edge of your seat wondering what dangers lurk around the corner whilst the next you will be exploring a safe area soaking in the scenary. It's hard to say anything specific about this game without any spoilers so ifyou're wondering why I am being so vague that's the reason. If you're remotely interested in horror/puzzle solving, the do yourself a favour and experience this game.… Expand
  24. SuperkenGaming
    Sep 26, 2015
    9
    SOMA
    A Canadians worst Nightmare
    Soma is a survival horror game where you play as a Canadian in his late 20s what could possibly go wrong perhaps you could wake up 1000 years later and everyone around is gone.. or robots.. or both.. or neither and the fate of humanity is in your Canadian hands. Like Bioshock, SOMA takes place underwater and is terrifying and relaxing simultaneously.    SOMA
    A Canadians worst Nightmare
    Soma is a survival horror game where you play as a Canadian in his late 20s
    what could possibly go wrong
    perhaps you could wake up 1000 years later and everyone around is gone.. or robots.. or both.. or neither and the fate of humanity is in your Canadian hands.
    Like Bioshock, SOMA takes place underwater and is terrifying and relaxing simultaneously.
    The game is so varied and well-paced that even getting scared half to death is actually fun.
    There’s no telling what if anything lurks behind the corners as you make your way through sea and buildings throwing switches and solving the problems thrown at you.
    There are mechanical monsters of all variation in SOMA, these encounters keep you on the edge of your seat and are forgiving enough to not make the game ever feel frustrating.
    While these encounters are terrifying, you’ll rarely die if caught, you’ll only be much slower and have blurred vision, which leads to a very casual friendly experience.
    To shake the blurriness you can find these weird monster mouth things to stick your hand into… or monster butts.. or something else.
    I’m not sure what these are but they heal you.
    You’re given no weapons in SOMA, if a monsters around, your only options are to turn off your flashlight and hide, try to sneak past them, or run as fast as you can while a fluid thirsty alien looking robot is chasing you down the halls, just try not to run into a dead end, or you’ll meet your dead end.
    The majority of the gameplay though is trying to create a domino effect of unlocking doors to proceed to the next section of the game and soak in all of the information you can about this world you’ve woken up in.
    What makes Soma so great though is that the story is always being pushed forward.
    Back tracking hardly exists, and when it does it’s in a very confined space.
    Of course you’ll have to run back down stairs to open a door you’ve unlocked, but you never have to go back to areas you’ve completed in the game.
    Which leads me to the sea, the sea sections to me were really the most relaxing sections,
    I found the deep blue to be beautiful.
    There are very few threats out here and it does a great job of making the entire game feel connected and whole.
    I’ve never enjoyed being scared by anything until I played SOMA.
    If you’re a fan of horror in anyway, you owe it to yourself to play this game.
    For what it is

    Survival Horror:
    9/10

    Overall:
    8.5/10    … Expand
  25. WeekBoxDone900p
    Sep 25, 2015
    10
    I love SOMA the detail, the story and all the amazing lighting. this game is full of excitement and I love all the characters and the cell phone use. I'm a proud PS4 Gamer and I'm glad this is a console Exclusive. On the PS4 this game will run you about $26.99 well worth the price
  26. Furtin
    Sep 25, 2015
    10
    Don't watch youtube videos of SOMA - experience it!
    The story is mindblowing and must be one of the best in the past decade. Outstanding, thought-provoking stuff. It might seem at first like an Alien Isolation meets Doom3 clone. And it might be true regarding spaceshiplike setpieces and fear of monsters but it's not. It is set in a very credible world of it's own.
    Negative: Yes, the    Don't watch youtube videos of SOMA - experience it!
    The story is mindblowing and must be one of the best in the past decade. Outstanding, thought-provoking stuff. It might seem at first like an Alien Isolation meets Doom3 clone. And it might be true regarding spaceshiplike setpieces and fear of monsters but it's not. It is set in a very credible world of it's own.

    Negative: Yes, the loading times are way to long for a 2015 game, as well as the singledigit framerate drops, which really is unforgivable and unnecessary on the PS4 and I hope for a patch.

    But none of the above should let you miss out on this great experience of a game!
    The story and atmosphere is GOTY material. Oh, the ending!!!    … Expand
  27. TheBiasedTruth
    Sep 24, 2015
    8
    Thank god for developers, like Frictional Games, that are willing to take the time to explore more complex themes and ideas. SOMA isn't perfect, but once the screen fades to black for the last time it more than makes up for any deficit.

    This was not the game I was expecting. If, like me, you have only glimpsed some early build trailers then clearly the design changed. Placed underwater,    Thank god for developers, like Frictional Games, that are willing to take the time to explore more complex themes and ideas. SOMA isn't perfect, but once the screen fades to black for the last time it more than makes up for any deficit.

    This was not the game I was expecting. If, like me, you have only glimpsed some early build trailers then clearly the design changed. Placed underwater, amongst the remains of humanity, you must come to grips with almost a century of change, and ultimately redefine the term human. Talking robots, mechanized humans and corrupted marine life all play their role in convincing you that something has gone horribly wrong.

    Frictional maintain a number of elements from their previous outings, including physics based puzzles. Almost any object can be grabbed, dropped and thrown; levers can be pulled; wheels can be twisted; doors pulled or pushed open. The concept lends a welcome tactile nature to the story which, sadly, falls back on a familiar trope -- your all alone, EXCEPT for a voice to guide you. While you identify the owner of the voice, and ultimately take on their objective as your own, it still feels like a commitment to revealing the story through environment and atmosphere would have strengthened the isolation, making searching out information a puzzle in itself.

    The look and setting of SOMA will bring obvious comparisons to Bioshock, but it's tenuous link at best. Skulking through the confined, industrialized corridors of Pathos 2 feels far removed from the Art Deco inspired, living spaces afforded to Rapture. No guns and plasmids, only exploring and hiding.

    Worth a special mention is the sound design, music and voice acting. Certain games lend themselves to headphones more than others, and you would be doing a disservice not to use them in this case. The effect is universally excellent in creating a sense of place, whether the groan of stressed metal or the muted, calm of the seafloor.

    Previous Frictional releases have relied on enemies to provide constant tension and scares, leaving you cowering in darkened corners. SOMA's mechanized enemies don't appear as frequently, and tend to be solo when they do, but I personally found them to be frustrating. My main issue was their completely random nature -- in one example I was left with the enemy blocking my only way forward, unresponsive to sound or light, and refusing to budge until I ran at it, died and restarted past that point. While they are fitting to the story and environment, I couldn't help but feel they may not have been necessary, and instead the developer felt pressured to include them.

    There are some other issues, I experienced, that may or may not concern others. Loading times are looooong (up there with The Witcher 3), with intermittent loading occuring at strange intervals. Pacing is slower in the first half than the more compelling second. Objectives are not marked which leads to wandering and backtracking trying to find items and puzzles to solve.

    The best test of the success of an idea is how it stays with you afterward. Like The Last of Us, SOMA has remained with me since finishing, debating the choices I made and trying to reconcile the events into chronological order. The game isn't perfect, none are, but if an interesting story, wrapped in an absorbing atmosphere and sprinkled with puzzles is your thing, then its an easy choice.    … Expand
  28. MetroidHunter
    Sep 23, 2015
    10
    I played this yesterday, i'm about half way through, and to be honest it really isn't that scary, the monsters are more annoying than scary, but in all it's still amazing and I would highly recommend that if you can, play it.
  29. jakeman25
    Sep 22, 2015
    10
    I love Frictional Games work. Amnesia was a classic, this game comes 5 years later and feels like a true successor to what they have been working towards. It's an awesome game with a very mature, thought-provoking story that you'll wanna see through to the end. I won't spoil anything but you are in for a treat... Enjoy! 10/10
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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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