SOMA |OT| I Have No Mouth but I Will Scream, on The Dark Descent into A Machine
- Thread starter More_Badass
- Start date
Played for a little while last night and I am intrigued.
Simon was (was he?) a human at some point in Toronto, and then he finds his consciousness inhabiting a robot in an under water facility several decades later after some kind of apocalyptic event took place? Wow, what?! Like I said, I am intrigued. 
SomedayTheFire
Member
I asked about the plot, I didn't want to go into the spoiler thread cause I've only started the game.
TheChillyAcademic
Member
Do any cats die in this game?
Oh, I wasn't talking about you specifically, I've just seen a few people talking about the ending and twists who've beaten it. Not a huge deal, just being cautious!
There are no cats. You're in an undersea base, who would even think having cats there would be a good idea?
Funyarinpa
Member
After the second (third?)
portion and the game just got good again.
Regarding a game mechanic (introduced early in the game):
underwater
I'm talking about the submerged ship, it's fun to traverse and interesting stuff. Not very varied art style though, sadly (generally speaking). Also, very little story bits- though the repeating distress message is nice.
Regarding a game mechanic (introduced early in the game):
Who thought that using cyber sphincters (the things that you stick your hand in and it heals you) able to be used only once was a good idea? If you die again, it's annoyingly difficult to move with the limp. Opinions?
My review:
Story 5/5
Gameplay 2/5
Scaryness 2/5
Would recommend just for the story but I will never want to play 'crouch behind objects and look at the walls as [insert bad guy] walls around waiting to one-shot you' - simulator type games again.
I know fans of these games would shriek in terror at this but I'd rather have weapons than just crouching and hiding. I'm done with this genre of horror games for a good time.
End had a couple of super frustrating moments but the story and concept was just so good.
A story this good should have deserved good gameplay.
Story 5/5
Gameplay 2/5
Scaryness 2/5
Would recommend just for the story but I will never want to play 'crouch behind objects and look at the walls as [insert bad guy] walls around waiting to one-shot you' - simulator type games again.
I know fans of these games would shriek in terror at this but I'd rather have weapons than just crouching and hiding. I'm done with this genre of horror games for a good time.
End had a couple of super frustrating moments but the story and concept was just so good.
A story this good should have deserved good gameplay.
GwyndolinCinder
Member
Or no "gameplay at all", i've never played " a walking simulator" before but i wish this was one.
TheChillyAcademic
Member
Well there was that scientific riddle bit in the prelease that had to do with killing a kitten...have to make sure
It obviously is, but I was just trying to make a point. I get that some people like that stuff, but it's definitely not necessary in horror games. The story, themes and writing in general are much more effective elements for horror games.
I think a big issue is that people treat those games stritcly as that - games, and don't let themselves get invested in the experience. Why can't a locker be *just* there? Why does everything need a gameplay purpose?
Don't search every single drawer and stop treating it like a regular game and get immersed in the world.
Man, that sounds like a nightmare. And not in a good way.
Dangerous1992
Member
can you save
?
i saw there are two power options.
Carl
i saw there are two power options.
samueljustice00
Member
Three, actually.
But the answer seems to be no. I reloaded several times and tried all three. Method 1 was simply shutting down the aux power, and that left him screaming in pain permanently, but didn't open up the doors for the other robot. The other two are shutting off the power, which seems to kill him, or putting your finger in the alien asshole, which kills him and shuts the power off anyway. I ended up shutting off the power in my last try.
?
Dangerous1992
Member
i switched the power off in the other room, not the one with Carl, but he doesnt respond anymore, did i choose the wrong option?
samueljustice00
Member
Or find his ID card on his dead body, use the ID to log into the terminal, unlock the flow control room, switch the flow control that allows you to unlock the comm room door
EDIT:
Wait sorry, no you can torture him, leave him tortured to reroute the power on the terminal, then shut the torture off
Dangerous1992
Member
but he is dead after that, i used the ID, unlocked the room and switched the power off
samueljustice00
Member
DirtyLarry
Member
So I am one of the rare people that I believe did not like Amnesia. I found it boring and really not scary at all. I played about 3 hours and never played it again.
I also prefer some actual gameplay in my games. I kid somewhat, but keep in mind I grew up with Pitfall Harry jumping on crocodile heads, Mario throwing shells at Koopa's and then later on being part of the industrialized military complex thanks to games like Battlefield. I have been playing games for quite some time, and I always have preferred some action in my games.
Despite the above facts, or possibly entirely because I also had a 10% off code that was about to expire thanks to the PLAY promotion that I almost refused to let go to waste that could not be used on preorders, I picked up SOMA last night.
It just so happens my wife is away on business for 3 nights, so I also figured not going to get a much better opportunity than this to play a scary game with all the lights off, my surround sound up way louder than it should be, and time alone.
So yeah, with all of those disclaimers out of the way about how I very well should perhaps not have purchased this game, I did play about 60-90 minutes last night and so far it is pretty good. I love the atmosphere. Visuals create a pretty good, uneasy feeling. Sound is excellent. I just wish there was more to it. The whole cat and mouse routine does not really lend itself very well to video games imho.
So perhaps I should have never purchase the game, but I did, and I hope I do not soon lose interest like I did with Amnesia. I think I may perhaps make it as so far the story is compelling and interesting.
I also prefer some actual gameplay in my games. I kid somewhat, but keep in mind I grew up with Pitfall Harry jumping on crocodile heads, Mario throwing shells at Koopa's and then later on being part of the industrialized military complex thanks to games like Battlefield. I have been playing games for quite some time, and I always have preferred some action in my games.
Despite the above facts, or possibly entirely because I also had a 10% off code that was about to expire thanks to the PLAY promotion that I almost refused to let go to waste that could not be used on preorders, I picked up SOMA last night.
It just so happens my wife is away on business for 3 nights, so I also figured not going to get a much better opportunity than this to play a scary game with all the lights off, my surround sound up way louder than it should be, and time alone.
So yeah, with all of those disclaimers out of the way about how I very well should perhaps not have purchased this game, I did play about 60-90 minutes last night and so far it is pretty good. I love the atmosphere. Visuals create a pretty good, uneasy feeling. Sound is excellent. I just wish there was more to it. The whole cat and mouse routine does not really lend itself very well to video games imho.
So perhaps I should have never purchase the game, but I did, and I hope I do not soon lose interest like I did with Amnesia. I think I may perhaps make it as so far the story is compelling and interesting.
Funyarinpa
Member
More_Badass
Member
6 hours in. Heading toward
This is so good
Omicron
This is so good
I think the drawback ont he atmosphere is related to the art direction and execution. You kinda have to get used to it.
But once the narrative sucks you in, its quite amazing.
how much have you played?
Funyarinpa
Member
I'm at the part where (medium spoilers? idk)
you're trying to release the valves in the submerged ship in order to release the pod thingy to go to Theta(?) so that you can activate the Ark
oh.. you've played quite a bit. I guess if this is not gonna captivate you by now then shrugs?
the whole bit in the ship was pretty cool.
What are your impressions so far? the story not sinking? for me, its an interesting debate about how i feel as a
robot
Also, did that test in one of hte terminals, and replied that i was not so happy and felt unnatached. i hope that comes back at some point and makes a difference.
mcwizardry
Member
The audio design in this game is fantastic.
I've only encounteredthat hunched over thing, please tell me that isn't the only monster in this, was scared before i saw it and then incredibly underwhelmed and just laughed
I found he doesn't even kill me. HE caught me twice in the sunk ship.. and all it did was blackout, but i would wake up in the same spot. The second time he was gone and i could wander around. lol.I hope this is not the only monster.
More_Badass
Member
Maybe I'm alone in this but I find the game's enemies here a lot creepier than A:I's Xenomorph. Everyone knows the Xenomorph. It's a known quantity, a familiar thing, a fixture of pop culture. From a gameplay perspective, sure it's scary as "the thing that wants to kill you", but visually and plot-wise...it's just the Alien
Here, these things are weird and mysterious and even kind of tragic as you learn more about them
What's more, fewer encounters makes each one feel more memorable, and allows the devs to give the individual enemies backstory. You can't do that with necromorph #1578 or splicer #129
Less is more in horror IMO
Here, these things are weird and mysterious and even kind of tragic as you learn more about them
What's more, fewer encounters makes each one feel more memorable, and allows the devs to give the individual enemies backstory. You can't do that with necromorph #1578 or splicer #129
Less is more in horror IMO
UpDownLeftRight
Banned
Can anyone confirm if I ran into game breaker bug? I'm standing outside Theta and there's some weird switch on the right. I twisted the pullout thing then it just randomly went back in instantly with no animation. I still can't pull the switch.
Made sure to close the game as soon as it happened so it shouldn't have saved a checkpoint since then and hopefully get around it.
Made sure to close the game as soon as it happened so it shouldn't have saved a checkpoint since then and hopefully get around it.
samueljustice00
Member
yeah the devs are fixing it at the moment, reload last save
Well shit. Ran into a bug that stops me from progressing any further
Same. Without giving away too much, I'm trapped
inside of a mini-sub
I am pretty sure you need to rotate, pull, rotate again, push in, and that unlocks the lever.
Well shit. Ran into a bug that stops me from progressing any further
Which bug?
More_Badass
Member
I think you'll like this. I could barely play Amnesia, but I love sci-fi horror and I'm 6 hours into SOMA
The story is so compelling IMO, really high concept. The pacing is more measured than Amnesia, ramping up carefully, and there's a good amount of exploration. Fewer enemies but I feel that makes each encounter more memorable. More focused on haunting moments and an unnerving, uneasy atmosphere rather than jump scares
GwyndolinCinder
Member
Buy it right now
A'ight...bought...maybe... checking store n stuff
EDIT: How is the PS4 version?
Melchiah
Member
Well shit. Ran into a bug that stops me from progressing any further
Is there something in particular that lead you to the bug, and can it be avoided somehow?
In Theta trying to obtain the cypher for the dunbat. Loading the scan of Brandon Wan crashes the game.
Funyarinpa
Member
(Spoilers for 3-4 hours, probably)
I saw that
(medium spoilers)
edit:
The PS4 version of the game has issues with maintaining 30 FPS IIRC. Also, IMHO this game controls far worse with a controller.
I saw that
questionnaire too but didn't pay much mind to my answers. Interesting stuff though.
I hate the underwater levels except the one after the emergency vessel crashes; but the buttons, computer screens and such are a masterpiece. I miss the days of Bioshock where every stage was a different, distinct color (or theme). Here, Lambda and Upsilon look pretty much the same.
I hate the underwater levels except the one after the emergency vessel crashes; but the buttons, computer screens and such are a masterpiece. I miss the days of Bioshock where every stage was a different, distinct color (or theme). Here, Lambda and Upsilon look pretty much the same.
(medium spoilers)
In this game, you can try to run from enemies and the visual distortion is quite unsettling (especially if you actually set eyes on them) which you can't in A:I. Also, HOW do you learn more about them??? I haven't found any backstory for any enemy...
BTW, I'm starting to feel that the game would've been far better off with no enemies and with MANY more puzzles. It feels like the sort of game where the walls, floor and rooms would be your real enemies. Just imagine getting something wrong and having to book it out of a sector before it implodes, that sort of thing would have been better than what we got IMO.
Of course with Frictional's budget that was probably impossible.
I wish there was some sort of collectible, after seeking tinderboxes and oil in Amnesia, finding nothing useful in drawers and lockers is kind of underwhelming, especially because the "drag-to-open" method is so immersive IMO, and finding a tinderbox was so effing satisfying. Some sort of trinket or something... Maybe, for example, we could find additional small cores/chips (whatever they were) which would be plugged into the Omnitool and give us some info about daily life.
Again, I'd rather have no enemies, with so small corridors enemy encounters get tedious. Variety would be nice too, in appearance at the very least.
Also, if the underwater levels were interesting it'd be just fine but it's so dull- I get that everything would have rusted and whatnot, but the first two zones were just way too big, for me it was pretty much wallhugging until I got somewhere. Underwater levels have wasted potential, there could be some puzzles but noo, you just gotta walk endlessly. I'm currently at the part where you need to fix some antennas and that region with the assembly lines and stuff is the only interesting underwater part in the game. Let the maps make the Omnitool track the objective or something. I'm normally all for vast, labyrinthine levels but the underwater levels were underwhelming. Someone asked if I'd prefer Bioshock 2's rendition of ocean bottom walking, and yes I would. ADAM collecting was interesting, it was way harder to get lost (they were mostly linear) and the ocean floor itself is vibrant, brimming with life, and more interesting. Wide, empty areas got old. This last one is pretty good though, hope we get more underwater puzzles and such instead of walking aimlessly.
Also it's very stupid that you'd give an underwater robot RED light for vision, I mean, red light has the shortest wavelength and as such is the worst possible light for using vision underwater (red light is absorbed the quickest by the ocean). Also the sky is bright despite the fact that you're at the bottom of the ocean which is normally pitch black.
Another nitpick is that there are no corpses around.
BTW, I'm starting to feel that the game would've been far better off with no enemies and with MANY more puzzles. It feels like the sort of game where the walls, floor and rooms would be your real enemies. Just imagine getting something wrong and having to book it out of a sector before it implodes, that sort of thing would have been better than what we got IMO.
Of course with Frictional's budget that was probably impossible.
I wish there was some sort of collectible, after seeking tinderboxes and oil in Amnesia, finding nothing useful in drawers and lockers is kind of underwhelming, especially because the "drag-to-open" method is so immersive IMO, and finding a tinderbox was so effing satisfying. Some sort of trinket or something... Maybe, for example, we could find additional small cores/chips (whatever they were) which would be plugged into the Omnitool and give us some info about daily life.
Again, I'd rather have no enemies, with so small corridors enemy encounters get tedious. Variety would be nice too, in appearance at the very least.
Also, if the underwater levels were interesting it'd be just fine but it's so dull- I get that everything would have rusted and whatnot, but the first two zones were just way too big, for me it was pretty much wallhugging until I got somewhere. Underwater levels have wasted potential, there could be some puzzles but noo, you just gotta walk endlessly. I'm currently at the part where you need to fix some antennas and that region with the assembly lines and stuff is the only interesting underwater part in the game. Let the maps make the Omnitool track the objective or something. I'm normally all for vast, labyrinthine levels but the underwater levels were underwhelming. Someone asked if I'd prefer Bioshock 2's rendition of ocean bottom walking, and yes I would. ADAM collecting was interesting, it was way harder to get lost (they were mostly linear) and the ocean floor itself is vibrant, brimming with life, and more interesting. Wide, empty areas got old. This last one is pretty good though, hope we get more underwater puzzles and such instead of walking aimlessly.
Also it's very stupid that you'd give an underwater robot RED light for vision, I mean, red light has the shortest wavelength and as such is the worst possible light for using vision underwater (red light is absorbed the quickest by the ocean). Also the sky is bright despite the fact that you're at the bottom of the ocean which is normally pitch black.
Another nitpick is that there are no corpses around.
edit:
The PS4 version of the game has issues with maintaining 30 FPS IIRC. Also, IMHO this game controls far worse with a controller.
UpDownLeftRight
Banned
Must have bugged out then. There was never a chance to finish turning it let alone push it back in. I know there's a game breaker with a switch around this area so I'm guessing this is the one.
Oh really? i found that earlier,
when the tram crashes, if i picked the tool first before going to the ladder i would crash when using hte tool to open a door. But if i forgot and then went back to see that black shadow standing there, then everything would be normal.
I guess just load an earlier save and see whats up. Which is kinda lame, since the game doesn't have quick save.
More_Badass
Member
What area are you up to? Don't want to ruin anything enemy-wise
As for underwater sections, no need to wall hug. Just follow the lights. One of my favorite games, NaissanceE, was masterful at that. It made you feel lost, but you always were subtly guided by visual cues
Same here. Things like murky lights and shapes, cables, etc. all guide you in the right direction.
Funyarinpa
Member
Emergency Vessel crashed, trying to get to Theta.
I'll play NaissanceE sometime. In here though, I did make use of lights etc. but it just isn't satisfying or interesting to follow lights.
Around 50% of the way through now I believe, at
Narrative is picking up some serious steam and is hugely enjoyable, creepy, thought-provoking, etc. I assume that the big lump of exposition that I just experienced is the so-called 'Big Reveal', and I am happy with the way they handled it, particularly because
Also, as for the game not being scary, I can kind of see where the criticism is coming from but I don't agree. The main themes of the game are disturbing by implication, and the actual gameplay horror stuff is absolutely terrifying. I realise that it is fairly similar in terms of mechanics to Amnesia but it is just as effective here.
My main criticism lies with some of the voice acting/environmental design. The way the protagonist speaks is sometimes so casual that it seems like he is just out on holidays somewhere, not in a hellscape industrial dungeon at the bottom of the ocean. I get the everyman vibe the devs were trying to go for but it just doesn't fit sometimes and takes away from the atmosphere. The way he articulates his thoughts sometimes also feels forced, the inner monologue sounds like he is reading something off a sheet of paper as opposed to telling us his reaction. The same casual tone I find jarring in some of the other characters.
I completely get why the setting had to be where it is for the purpose of the story, but in 2015 it just doesn't feel original anymore. It feels like I've been to this place before, so a lot of the potential impact is lost. I appreciate that it is difficult to make a good isolated horror setting in a world after System Shock/Bioshock but it is still a problem.
It's a good thing that the story is so damn fantastic. There's some real insightful stuff being said here, and with the themes dealing with
I feel like the medium is adding an extra layer of depth to the storytelling, as in a way, MAJOR SPOILERS
If the second half of this game is just as strong it will be a potential GOTY contender for me.
Theta Labs.
it was so obvious that there was no need to conceal it from the player. A lesser game would treat the revelation as if it's a massive twist, and the plot would have suffered for it. Games in recent years seem to shoehorn twists into their stories left, right, and center, so it's good to see an occasional show of restraint in this area.
Also, as for the game not being scary, I can kind of see where the criticism is coming from but I don't agree. The main themes of the game are disturbing by implication, and the actual gameplay horror stuff is absolutely terrifying. I realise that it is fairly similar in terms of mechanics to Amnesia but it is just as effective here.
My main criticism lies with some of the voice acting/environmental design. The way the protagonist speaks is sometimes so casual that it seems like he is just out on holidays somewhere, not in a hellscape industrial dungeon at the bottom of the ocean. I get the everyman vibe the devs were trying to go for but it just doesn't fit sometimes and takes away from the atmosphere. The way he articulates his thoughts sometimes also feels forced, the inner monologue sounds like he is reading something off a sheet of paper as opposed to telling us his reaction. The same casual tone I find jarring in some of the other characters.
I completely get why the setting had to be where it is for the purpose of the story, but in 2015 it just doesn't feel original anymore. It feels like I've been to this place before, so a lot of the potential impact is lost. I appreciate that it is difficult to make a good isolated horror setting in a world after System Shock/Bioshock but it is still a problem.
It's a good thing that the story is so damn fantastic. There's some real insightful stuff being said here, and with the themes dealing with
artificial intelligence
by playing the game we are also a consciousness inhabiting and controlling a separate body.
NotTheGuyYouKill
Member
Bought. Downloading. Woooo.