SOMA is a game that I was introduced to when I listened to the Bombcast Game of The Year Episode in December 2015...
As soon as i heard the guys on Bombcast enthuse over this masterpiece I knew I needed to experience this game myself....
Putting you into the role of a guy who's been in a recent traffic accident and has suffered brain damage in the course of the accident aftermath the game sets out to plunge you into the role of this unsuspecting guy as he attends an appointment with a Dr who is testing out a new treatment.....
Then, almost without warning you wind up in an undersea station and no idea how you got there.....
I wont venture into the details but what I can say is that what plays out next is intriguing, disturbing and thought provoking.
The reason I wanted to write about this awesome game is because of a feeling that I experienced when meeting up with one of the antagonists from the game.
It immediately threw me back to my first meeting with a BIG DADDY in Bioshock.
Whenever you first meet a BIG DADDY in Bioshock you get that sense of dread and total helplessness as you are totally going to get destroyed by this adversary and there's nothing you can do about it.
Well, that sense of dread and helplessness is re-born in SOMA.
The fact that it actually sends shivers down my spine every time I see one of these things in SOMA leads me to believe that these adversaries are up there in the BIG DADDY league.
The lead character in SOMA isn't a fighter, he's a normal guy and so you have to make do with hiding and outwitting your foes. That's what makes these encounters even more terrifying as you peep round a corner hoping the enemy doesn't hear or notice you.
The SOMA bad ass baddie is something that looks like a disfigured human wearing a diving helmet with lights and electromagnetic energy pulsing out of it which causes the screen to judder and your pad to jolt. It's almost an electrifying experience.
In each of the encounters so far in the game all i've had to go on is
a) Don't look at it
b) Don't get too close
Therefore, if I see one I face the wall and cower until I can sneak a peek and make a dash for it.
It's an amazingly terrifying experience and more terrifying than Bioshock as you don't have any means of defending yourself other than trying to preserve yourself.
It's a master stroke in video game creation and fills you with dread every time you open a door in the desolate underwater world.
It's obvious that the games makers have taken inspiration from the wonderful Bioshock but it's also obvious that they have taken terror and helplessness to a new level.
I'm halfway through this game and i'm almost scared to keep playing as I am scared to discover what else is out there lurking in the watery decaying game world.......
Wish Me Luck...........I'm Gonna Need It!
Have YOU Played SOMA?
Were YOU As Terrified By These Encounters As I Am?
Let Me Know In The Comments Box Below
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