I got this game on sale and, to be honest, didn’t expect much from it. However, I decided to give it a try, and let me tell you it turned out to be one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. At first, the game was quite confusing, and each chapter left me with more and more unanswered questions. But as I got used to the atmosphere and story, I found it incredibly enjoyable. From a gameplay perspective, the game is decent. I’m not saying the gameplay is bad, far from it, but it’s nothing particularly groundbreaking either. That’s not a downside, though, as the simple controls and straightforward mechanics allow you to focus more on the story. The enemies are well-designed; there aren’t too many of them, and they’re not overly difficult to deal with. What truly stood out to me was the story. It’s brilliantly written and delivers a breathtaking experience. Although it’s a horror game, it’s not what you might typically expect. There are no random jump scares or excessively terrifying scenes. Instead, it creates an unsettling atmosphere and leans heavily into psychological horror. The ending, in particular, left a lasting impression on me. While the conclusion is set up in a way that you might guess what’s coming, it still manages to shock and amaze with its execution. The entire game felt more like an interactive movie than a traditional game, and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. I won’t spoil much, but if you’re looking for a game that will make you question your existence and sanity, this is the one. Even at full price, it’s worth every penny.

SOMA takes us deep into the ocean and provides a thought-provoking and philosophical narrative. We wake up in an underwater research facility and have to piece together how we got here and what exactly happened. The atmosphere is unsettling, isolative and often claustrophobic. There is a constant sense of dread at every corner. The gameplay itself is simple with an emphasis on solving puzzles and stealthily evading foes than with actual combat. There are the occasional jump scares but they certainly aren't the focus. The game deals with themes of consciousness, AI, and what it means to be human. Most of the game features fairly linear level design and has an overall short duration. The ending will keep you thinking long after the credits have rolled.

As I have not played any of the games from the Amnesia series, SOMA was my first experience with this kind of game. Being part of the Steam Winter Sale of 2024, and having many reviews praising it, I decided to give the game a shot. I can say that it's one of the most unique and immersive first-person games I've ever played. At less than 5 euro at the time of writing, it's practically a steal.

Before I get into the contents of the game: I played this game on Linux, and there is a native version of the game available. However, running through Proton doesn't seem to cause any issues. In fact, the game is - mostly, barring some rare audio/video de-synchs - a very smooth experience. Often I didn't even notice when the game needs to load something. I played through Proton simply because the Gamma adjustment didn't work for some reason natively. But, in any case...

For me, it all started with the many ways that you can interact with the physical world of this game. You don't just press E to make things work -- you pull levers, you turn valves, you grab cables by the plugs and make connections. Nothing too complicated, of course, but it was just enough to keep me engaged. Interacting with the world in meaningful ways was a core mechanic that I had plenty of time getting used to, and, being a fan of games like Half-Life 2 that give you access to some sort of simulation of physics, I became quite fond of it. Do keep in mind, however, that this is a horror game, and there is meaning to being able to do all this.

You are not the most powerful being throughout the game. It's far from being the weakest, but other things that you will have to encounter will keep your bravery in check. Performing any action takes time, and you do not have an unlimited amount of it if something else is patrolling for anything that's alive, and you are a potential subject. I chose to avoid unpleasant encounters, and I've learned that this means I will have to plan ahead quite thoroughly. If you want to live, you'll have to think, too.

One of my favorite Big Brain Moments™ in the game, I think, was in a section where there is a creature which would undoubtedly end you if it spotted you. Most of the game has doors operated by buttons, and yet somehow most things are able to just open them, so you're not able to lock anything in. However, in that part of the game, you were able to lock doors completely (which also closed them), which meant that you could theoretically trap something. With some careful timing, I lured the thing to a door that was outside of the room used to control the door locks, and, as it entered the unlocked room, I locked the doors, trapping it inside. That felt pretty good.

Besides the gameplay... the story that the game tells was thought-provoking, for me. It challenged my views of how I perceive life, in myself and others. That is... how would I treat consciousness if the world told me directly that it's something that manifests on a physical level, and is not the work of a force that I can't begin to comprehend? What if one consciousness could be replicated? What if I was that consciousness?

The game put me as judge, jury and executioner of seemingly alive beings. I've not counted how many. But could I ever judge those who are not myself fairly? Is it fair if someone dies by their own choice, even if others depend on them, directly or indirectly, and I am the one to allow this? Is it fair if someone dies despite their own choice, if their continued existence would surely be full of pain and suffering, and I am their executioner?

I did not expect to ask these questions. SOMA made me consider them.