“Soma” is Greek for “body”, as in “psychosomatic”, but the question Soma asks is whether identity can continue through psychology alone.Įarly in the game, the player character comes across a robot that’s convinced it’s human, specifically that it’s the person whose memories occupy its robotic brain. Soma is essentially an existential nightmare about personal identity. The thing is, this game is horrifying enough without them.
But the sea is rarely a threat – the ocean floor is often just a beautiful corridor between the underwater bases in which you experience more traditional horror gaming fare: ie running away from monsters. Taking place in a remote underwater research facility, it plays on fears of the deep sea, of drowning and darkness and the disturbing alien lifeforms that dwell down there – all a welcome change from the mansions and asylums that tend to haunt horror titles. S oma is a horror game that should try to act less like a horror game.