SOMA — First Impressions After Three Hours
I went into SOMA expecting a scuba-diving horror game where I would explore the bottom of the ocean while avoiding monsters. It was not quite that experience at first, but it still surpassed what I expected—and eventually did give me the deep-ocean experience I was looking for.
The biggest surprise is the story. It has massively exceeded my expectations and gone in a direction I never could have imagined. I do not want to spoil anything, but as someone who considers themselves a creative person, this story is genuinely creative in a way I do not think I could have come up with myself. I am not continuing just because I want the game to explain its mysteries. I am actually invested in what is happening and particularly interested in discovering what Simon is doing down there.
The atmosphere is probably the game’s greatest strength. The abandoned laboratories are much more disturbing than I expected them to be, which I consider a positive. I give games credit when they successfully make me feel something, because that means they accomplished what they were designed to do.
The monsters themselves are not necessarily the scariest creatures I have ever encountered in a video game. Strangely, that made certain moments even more effective. They gave me a false sense of confidence before the game suddenly scared the ♥♥♥♥ out of me and had me genuinely jumping or screaming.
One of the most unnerving enemies reacts to sound. The environment is dark, with random objects scattered across the floor, and accidentally walking into even a small object can alert it. When you are already trying to navigate a maze without knowing which path leads forward and which one leads into a dead end, that becomes extremely tense.
The horror feels earned rather than forced. The game is dark, but it gives you a flashlight, and it does not rely entirely on things suddenly jumping in front of you. Much of the fear comes naturally from exploring an unknown place and wondering what might be around the next corner. Even when a creature does appear unexpectedly, there is usually a way to escape—as long as you remember the environment and have not accidentally trapped yourself in a dead end.
I occasionally wish the game gave me clearer directions. There is not always a map, marker, or highlighted path explaining exactly where I need to go. At the same time, getting lost does not feel like a complete failure of the level design. It feels intentional, as though the game wants you to pay attention and use your brain.
The lack of direction also fits the situation. If the game is aiming for realism, there would not conveniently be a glowing marker showing Simon exactly where to go. I have still been able to make consistent progress, although figuring out what to do next can sometimes become annoying. It is never “I’m uninstalling this game” annoying, but finding certain locations has made me feel more relieved than satisfied.
Some areas can initially blur together, but individual rooms are different enough to remember once you have entered them. Every room appears to have an actual purpose, and the environments rarely feel copied and pasted.
There is also a surprising amount of physical interaction. You can open lockers and drawers, pick up objects, drag doors, turn mechanisms and physically swipe the mouse to move things. It took me some time to get used to. Sliding something open can occasionally take several mouse movements and feel slightly clumsy, but after adjusting to it, I started enjoying it. It makes the environment feel physical in a way that most games do not, and I found myself wondering why more games have not experimented with this style of interaction.
I would like some way to fight back against the monsters, even if it were only a temporary stun. However, I also appreciate that the game does not force me to kill a creature before I am allowed to progress. Having fewer tools makes the encounters more frightening. The less control you have over a dangerous situation, the more vulnerable you feel.
The monsters also belong in this world. Removing them might make the game more accessible to people who only want the story and atmosphere, but the environments feel specifically designed to make you carefully consider what could be around every corner. Without that danger, parts of the world would probably feel strangely empty.
The recordings, computer messages and environmental details have also felt purposeful. They are not merely lore dumped around the map. They provide context and help explain the events that led to Simon’s situation. I also care about Simon as a character. He is trapped somewhere he never wanted to be, carrying out a mission he never truly agreed to take on. Catherine’s presence as a helpful voice and guide prevents the experience from becoming completely lonely.
Graphically, the game has occasional areas that lack detail, but those moments are usually followed by something that clearly received a great deal of attention. Overall, there is much more that looks good than bad. The pacing has also been nearly perfect. Every session gives me enough progress or new information that I never feel permanently stuck, and it consistently gives me a reason to return.
My only major technical issue was that the game initially appeared to be locked at 60 FPS and had noticeable screen tearing. After researching it, I found that enabling VSync fixed the problem, even though I normally play games with it disabled.
So far, *SOMA* is at its best when I unlock a new area and am blown away by the scale and visuals of the massive ocean world I am trapped beneath. It is at its worst when I take a wrong turn into a dead end while being chased, with no route available to circle around and escape.
Fans of the atmosphere and worldbuilding in games such as *BioShock* or *Dead Space* should consider playing it, although *SOMA* is much less focused on combat. People who dislike exploration, environmental storytelling or having to figure things out for themselves will probably become frustrated.
After three hours, I am hooked. The occasional confusion has not stopped me from wanting to continue, because the atmosphere and story are considerably stronger than I expected.
