SOMA

 Xbox One
User Score
8.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 81 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 69 out of 81
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 81
  3. Negative: 5 out of 81

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  1. Xbox_Alive
    Jan 3, 2018
    8
    SOMA is a game that I’ve been waiting to play for a long time and I’ve heard nothing but good things about it. Thankfully it was worth the wait and in a way it turned out better than I expected it to be. One of the biggest things that makes this game so memorable is without a doubt its story. The story is gripping from start to finish and it does something that’s really rare and that isSOMA is a game that I’ve been waiting to play for a long time and I’ve heard nothing but good things about it. Thankfully it was worth the wait and in a way it turned out better than I expected it to be. One of the biggest things that makes this game so memorable is without a doubt its story. The story is gripping from start to finish and it does something that’s really rare and that is that it makes you think about what went on in the game long after completion. Another thing that the game does really well is that it actually provides you with some genuinely scary moments, and without a doubt the enemies you come across definitely pack a punch. I will say though that I would have liked a few more enemies in the game because in my opinion there isn’t enough, which is a testament to how good the enemies were. Immersion in this game is definitely found throughout your playthrough and the inclusion of being able to interact with a number of things in the environments is a nice touch and I found it interesting interacting with the different items. Another interesting aspect about the game was how the puzzles were layered into the gameplay, and I was very pleased to see that the puzzles remained logical throughout with the added bonus of being cleverly designed as well. The presentation side of the game is brilliant and can be really rewarding at times. The thing that I was most impressed with when it came to the presentation is just how perfect they managed to combine both the visuals and sound design together, and this really did make the game stand out even more. At the end of the day as far as horror game’s go SOMA is a fantastic addition to the genre, and in some ways it adds its own unique touches to the genre. There isn’t many things the game got wrong and when they sort out the few technical issues it has then you would be looking at a game that is pretty much perfect. Without a doubt this game gets a massive thumbs up from me and the best thing about this game is that it makes the horror genre come back to life again.… Expand
  2. curzon_dax
    Jun 5, 2019
    8
    I think it was kinda overrated, but still great.

    1. I think gameplay could be more complex because most puzzles are extremely easy to the point of feeling like a walking simulator for most of the time. There are some exceptions but it's never hard and never enough. 2. The horror element wasn't done badly but personally I think it was a bit forced. It was relatively repetitive and    I think it was kinda overrated, but still great.

    1. I think gameplay could be more complex because most puzzles are extremely easy to the point of feeling like a walking simulator for most of the time. There are some exceptions but it's never hard and never enough.

    2. The horror element wasn't done badly but personally I think it was a bit forced. It was relatively repetitive and predictable, it did manage to scare little but it wasn't very pleasant. I guess it was also fan service.

    3. The story in general was the better part of the game, however it wasn't anything extremely revolutionary nowadays and the main character could have been a lot more intelligent.    … Expand
  3. rubensmiranda
    Dec 12, 2018
    10
    S.O.M.A is incredible. Besides terrifying, it has the best stories ever written for a game.
  4. GReviews
    May 1, 2018
    8
    SOMA is a dark, disturbing tale of sci-fi horror that forces you to question your morality, your humanity and what it even means to be alive. If you want to explore and unravel the mystery of what happened to Pathos II or if you just want to see if you can survive the nightmare; you should play this game.
  5. GBG_Jason
    Dec 3, 2017
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. If you had a terminal illness, would you try to extend your life just a little bit longer? If so, would you partake in an experimental procedure being performed by an unlicensed scientist? Soma’s protagonist Simon Jarrett, who suffers from an inoperable brain condition, figures he’s got nothing to lose and rolls the dice.

    You’ll begin the game in Simon’s apartment, which features a number of items you can interact with, giving some insight into whom Simon is and serves as a brief tutorial of the game. After exiting the building, you’ll take the subway to a surprisingly vacant office building and meet the “doctor” that aims to help you with your condition. After jumping into a strange chair, everything goes dark and the true nightmare begins as Simon awakes on the PATHOS-II station.

    Much like Rapture in the Bioshock franchise, the PATHOS-II feels like a character itself, as the station is reminiscent of a space ship and feels like a living being with danger around every corner. The initial moments invoke a serious sense of dread that rarely let up for a good portion of the game as you explore the station, trying to escape and uncover what exactly happened to the crew.

    The game is primarily story driven, with a number of puzzles as well as enemies to evade. While not quite a walking simulator, you will not have a means to defend yourself, so you will need to outmaneuver the enemies as you work your way through the game’s world. These enemies are sparsely placed which layers on the terror. The story is great and one of the strongest aspects of the game, up until the plot twist.

    I am clearly in the minority, but I feel the game would have been better if the credits rolled after this particular twist, as the remainder of the game feels like a slog; basically, the game changes the narrative from a horror game to a hard sci-fi offering. While this does not ruin the entire experience, I feel Frictional Games excels in horror and building tension, and this left turn makes the second half feel as if this is an entirely different game.

    As I have played this game on both PS4 and the recent port to Xbox One, I will say the newest version is by far the weakest in terms of presentation. While you won’t notice much difference in terms of the visuals as they look amazing, the game froze during a number of transitions from one area to another, all of which were seamless in the PS4 version. After the 30-45 seconds it took for the game to catch up, the textures became muddy and terribly ugly compared to the normal details that the game features. This persisted for another 2-5 minutes before everything went back to normal. While these timeframes may not be major in most cases, it’s enough to break the immersion, which is the selling point of the game.

    The audio is still top notch and will likely keep most players on their toes, as you will regularly go from periods of silence, with the only sounds coming from your footsteps, to the loud thud of something moving just outside of your field of view. I found this to be more terrifying than the actual enemies that you come across. Much like the creatures found in the Amnesia series, the monsters here are not much to look at when you get up close, which should really be avoided, since death will come quickly.

    The Xbox One version of the game features a “Safe Mode” for those who like their horror with boundaries. This does not remove the enemies you will encounter, but simply rules out death. This option is unnecessary in my humble opinion, as in my Normal playthrough on the PS4 I only died a handful of times.

    While SOMA works well as a horror game through its first act and is worth any horror fans time, I would recommend the Xbox One version only to those that don’t have a PS4 or PC (which I would rate at a solid 9 out of 10) that can run it in its full glory.    … Expand
  6. yitus
    Aug 23, 2018
    9
    Getting into the world of SOMA is the same as perpetrating in a dark and disturbing world all accompanied by a science fiction moment that will make you rethink what is ethical and what is not.
    SOMA has one of the best stories in the world of video games and more focused on the genre of action and adventures in a dark and lugubrious universe.
    If you are a lover of scary games, suspend,    Getting into the world of SOMA is the same as perpetrating in a dark and disturbing world all accompanied by a science fiction moment that will make you rethink what is ethical and what is not.
    SOMA has one of the best stories in the world of video games and more focused on the genre of action and adventures in a dark and lugubrious universe.
    If you are a lover of scary games, suspend, adventure and you like dark worlds and play with the perception of your own mind, this game will mark you before and after.    … Expand
  7. diluca81
    Jun 30, 2020
    10
    სასწაული თამაშია, უმაღლესი დონის ესეთივე სიუჟეტით 10/10
  8. stnv25
    Mar 8, 2020
    9
    Graphics is very well, history - wonderful, but didn’t Russian localization it’s bad
  9. Anyuta72rus
    Jun 30, 2021
    10
    Побольше бы таких игры с глубоким сюжетом , которые держат в напряжении от начала до конца 10/10
  10. Panchogul
    Sep 4, 2023
    10
    Las mecánicas del juego no son la gran cosa, pero las actuaciones de voz, el diseño de niveles y sonido son espectaculares. La historia está a otro nivel, muy profunda y excelentemente desarrollada y ejecutada, tiene su complejidad pero no es difícil de entender pero si de seguir si eres un jugador apresurado que no explora ni lee los documentos del juego, el final por otro lado, arrasadorLas mecánicas del juego no son la gran cosa, pero las actuaciones de voz, el diseño de niveles y sonido son espectaculares. La historia está a otro nivel, muy profunda y excelentemente desarrollada y ejecutada, tiene su complejidad pero no es difícil de entender pero si de seguir si eres un jugador apresurado que no explora ni lee los documentos del juego, el final por otro lado, arrasador y me dejó boquiabierto.… Expand
  11. Broyax
    Oct 22, 2022
    0
    Une grosse petite merde de jeu narratif horrifique programmé avec le fion, écrit avec deux mains gauches et présenté n’importe comment. L’interface peut d’ailleurs en témoigner, typique des mêmes productions du développeur imbécile qui ose se la péter alors qu’il ne maîtrise rien du tout…

    On passe son temps à ramasser des objets qui ne servent à rien, à les faire tourner, puis à les    Une grosse petite merde de jeu narratif horrifique programmé avec le fion, écrit avec deux mains gauches et présenté n’importe comment. L’interface peut d’ailleurs en témoigner, typique des mêmes productions du développeur imbécile qui ose se la péter alors qu’il ne maîtrise rien du tout…

    On passe son temps à ramasser des objets qui ne servent à rien, à les faire tourner, puis à les laisser tomber par terre… puisqu’ils ne servent à rien ! on se fait chier en cinq sec là-dedans, c’est-à-dire dans ce jeu de merde à la con (de merde) qui ressemble surtout à une promenade chiante comme la pluie.

    Le jeu est par ailleurs globalement bien moche et ne tourne qu’en 30 im/s (et encore) avec de nombreux temps de chargement sur Xbox. La résolution semble assez basse, les textures sont pauvres… J’ai arrêté rapidement parce que je ne cache pas que ça m’a cassé les couilles très vite.

    Heureusement, cette daube (tombée dans le Game Pass) se désinstalle également… très vite. Faisons donc comme si nous n’avions rien vu, ni joué, car de toute façon, il n’y avait rien à voir, ni à jouer mais seulement de la merde, partout de la merde !    … Expand
  12. Filippos1987
    Nov 28, 2021
    9
    The gameplay is spotty, and the enemy AI is either braindead or obnoxiously disruptive. Besides this, SOMA is pretty much the best front to back story I've ever seen in a video game; it often simultaneously strikes notes of dread, panic, wonder and poignancy, and is one of the few stories in the medium to inspire genuine shock and surprise throughout its running length. Although it's grownThe gameplay is spotty, and the enemy AI is either braindead or obnoxiously disruptive. Besides this, SOMA is pretty much the best front to back story I've ever seen in a video game; it often simultaneously strikes notes of dread, panic, wonder and poignancy, and is one of the few stories in the medium to inspire genuine shock and surprise throughout its running length. Although it's grown increasingly unnecessary to say this, SOMA is further proof that video games can feature plots that are as engaging and dramatically potent as films. One warning: play this game with as little knowledge going in as possible. I'd argue the game holds up to repeat playings even after the entire arc of the story is known to the player, but going in "cold" will allow the story to have the full, intended impact. SOMA is absolutely worth playing - and seeing as it costs barely a pittance to play it on console, not giving this thoroughly engrossing title a try would be a big mistake.… Expand
  13. dan-man
    Nov 4, 2022
    7
    Wow, (WAU), well, that was depressing! A novel story, and an interesting world, but it falls apart a lot after a couple of hours. The premise was great, but it, as all video games do, turns into a formulaic, predictable experience full of filler and padding. I was hoping for a deep and philosophical experience, as reviews suggest, but it was not, it was pretty standard stuff, albeit a fewWow, (WAU), well, that was depressing! A novel story, and an interesting world, but it falls apart a lot after a couple of hours. The premise was great, but it, as all video games do, turns into a formulaic, predictable experience full of filler and padding. I was hoping for a deep and philosophical experience, as reviews suggest, but it was not, it was pretty standard stuff, albeit a few interesting questions were raised, just not really delved into or explored fully. Still worth a play on Game pass, for the first few hours, but beyond that, it got tiresome, with no guidance for puzzles, and lacked solid characters and believability for me.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

32
#32 Best Xbox One Game of 2017
55
#55 Most Discussed Xbox One Game of 2017

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
  1. GameCritics
    Feb 28, 2018
    90
    For players intrigued by SOMA but hesitant to jump in due to the sneaking and hiding, there’s never been a better time to try it. While much of the challenge from the original mode is gone, the story, sound design and slow-burn exploration are more far more meaningful than its handful of monsters. SOMA hosts one of the best stories I’ve experienced in a videogame, and now the lowered barrier for entry will allow more people to experience it — if that’s not the mark of a successful addition, then I don’t know what is.
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  2. Official Xbox Magazine UK
    Feb 22, 2018
    80
    One of the best and most disturbing horror stories you'll play on Xbox One. [Issue#160, p.86]
  3. XBLA Fans
    Feb 8, 2018
    80
    Frictional Games delivers on yet another horror game that leaves us at the edge of our seat and quivering in fear. Even in a new science fiction setting, SOMA still brings to the table the exacting polish that its predecessors have in the past. If Survival horror is the game for you, or if you’re just looking for a game to test your bravery, this is exactly what you’re looking for. If you're still confused about the game, just think Dead Space in a Bioshock setting without all the fancy weaponry, but with all the fantastic atmosphere. You're welcome.
    Read full review
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