Soma (computer game)
| Soma | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | Frictional Games | ||
| Publisher | Frictional Games | ||
| Erstveröffent- lichung |
September 21, 2015 | ||
| platform | Linux , macOS , PlayStation 4 , Windows , Xbox One | ||
| Game engine | HPL 3 | ||
| genre | Survival horror | ||
| Game mode | Single player | ||
| system advantages preconditions |
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| medium | CD-ROM , download | ||
| language | English, subtitles in German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Russian | ||
| Age rating |
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Soma (also stylized as SOMA ) is a survival horror science fiction computer game developed by Frictional Games . It takes place in a dystopian future in which machines develop human traits.
action
The player takes on the role of Canadian Simon Jarrett, who has health problems after a car accident in 2015 and wants to undergo an experimental neurological examination of his brain in Toronto. The experiment goes wrong and Simon finds himself in a futuristic, oppressive world full of mechanical beings. In the course of the game it turns out that he is in a research station on the ocean floor, which belongs to a network of stations in the North Atlantic called Pathos-II. The year is 2103, and the surface population was wiped out by a cometary impact a year earlier. Jarrett is contacted via radio by another person, Catherine Chun, with whom he remains in loose contact while exploring the station and its surroundings and whom he visits in a distant station. There, Catherine turns out to be a scan by a former station resident who explains to him that he is only a copy of a person himself, namely Simon Jarrett from 2015, transferred into the body of a dead Pathos II employee. Together, Simon and Catherine tackle the task of locating a supercomputer that contains a simulated world and shooting it into space as a satellite. After completing the task, a copy of Simon remains as the only life form on the station, while another copy is in the simulation in the satellite.
Game principle and technology
The using the HPL - Engine created Soma is a first-person game, that is, the representation of the action takes place from the perspective of the player. The camera can be rotated freely in all directions. Movement within the game world is done using the WASD keys. Some objects, in particular doors and switches, can be manipulated to allow the player access to further game areas or other game progress. Loose objects can be picked up and placed in the appropriate place. A combat system does not exist; Simon has to run away from opponents or hide himself, occasionally he can lock opponents in temporarily. The background story is revealed to the player bit by bit through documents and audio files scattered across the station.
Production notes
The studio Frictional Games previously produced the games Amnesia: The Dark Descent and Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs , which offer a completely different storyline, but follow the same gameplay and were created with the help of the same engine, which has been developed for Soma , which is why they were created are considered to be the predecessor games of Soma . Development work for Soma began in 2010. Thomas Grip, who is also responsible for the background story as Creative Director at Frictional Games, names science fiction authors such as Philip K. Dick , Greg Egan , Isaac Asimov , China Miéville and Robert A. Heinlein as literary role models . One of the motives underlying the decision for a science fiction setting was the player's greater immersion compared to a fantasy setting . Great emphasis was placed on the game's sound design. Instead of individual, reusable audio files for movements or events, numerous recordings of identical processes were created in order to achieve the greatest possible tonal variety. While in other games, for example, two footsteps are strung together again and again to create the illusion of walking, over 2000 footsteps were recorded for Soma . Soma sold more than 450,000 units in the year following its release. The breakeven point was thus slightly exceeded.
reception
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Soma achieved a score of 84 on Metacritic from 68 aggregated ratings. The German magazine 4Players praised a successful script and strong dramaturgy, but criticized the lack of playful variety, especially in the form of undemanding tasks and strictly linear level design. Editor Jörg Luibl positively pointed out that the game addresses the philosophical question of where the boundary between machine and human life will run in a technically advanced future, and saw overall "atmospheric survival horror", the "emotional moments (...) Thinking and philosophizing "offer. The US magazine GameSpot praised the dialogues of the game and its speakers, the restrained narrative style of the game and its "retro-futuristic" aesthetic; The low-interaction parts of the game world and tiring combat situations were criticized. The magazine emphasized that Soma would be driven more by a profound narrative than by shock moments and represented a significant further development compared to the two previous games. The specialist magazine Adventure-Treff praised the sound design, which is both realistic and well integrated into the script and game mechanics. The magazine criticized some of the sparse play areas and the lack of variety in puzzles resulting from the setting. PC Gamer magazine compared the look and atmosphere of Soma with the work of Swiss artist HR Giger .
The magazine c't lists Soma in its list The 20 most important video games of 2015 at number 18.
Web links
- Official website
- Soma at MobyGames (English)
- Rainer Sigl: Tests of courage for horror fans . In: The Standard . September 29, 2015, p. 19 ( online ).
- Eike Kühl: Hell are different machines . In: The time . No. 39 , September 24, 2015 ( online ).
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c GameSpot.com: Soma Review. Retrieved August 23, 2016 .
- ↑ Playstation.com: Frictional Games Brings Sci-Fi Horror to PS4. Retrieved August 28, 2016 .
- ↑ a b PCGamer.com: Frictional's creative director discusses disturbing new sci-fi horror. Retrieved August 28, 2016 .
- ↑ RockPaperShotgun.com: From The Depths: Soma's Sound And Story. Retrieved August 28, 2016 .
- ↑ 4Players.de: Soma: More than 450,000 sales; Break-even point reached and slightly exceeded. Retrieved September 29, 2016 .
- ↑ a b 4Players.de: Soma. Retrieved August 23, 2016 .
- ↑ a b Adventure-Treff.de: Soma. Retrieved August 27, 2016 .
- ↑ a b Metacritic.com: Soma. Retrieved August 23, 2016 .
- ^ Heise.de: The 20 most important video games in 2015. Accessed on August 27, 2016 .