SOMA
We don’t give Frictional Games enough credit for what they accomplished with their undersea survival horror game SOMA. Making a horror game is an exceptionally difficult task on its own, without having to consider the impossibly high expectations set by Amnesia: The Dark Descent.
SOMA has a lot in common with the game that catapulted Frictional into a sort of mainstream/niche success, if there is such a thing, but it’s more in tune with its underappreciated sequel. A Machine for Pigs wasn’t as viscerally terrifying as the original Amnesia, and The Chinese Room’s pursuit of grander storytelling is partially responsible for that.
A perceived lack of scares led many fans to vent their frustration online about this supposed wussy baby game for wussy babies, but the truth of it is the horrors you’ll find lurking in its murky depths aren’t so obvious. They don’t come with flashing lights or sudden noises. Its success isn’t measured by the number of times you jumped out of your seat; it’s measured by how long it lingers with you, multiplied by the number of times you questioned your morality and/or your very existence.
Platform(s): PC, PlayStation 4
