I really enjoyed SOMA. I know it's already been mentioned, but wanted to add my vote.
Here was my
review:
Humanity has long had a fascination with the possibility of immortality, and as technology has evolved we've looked in that direction in the hopes of drinking from that holy grail. Of course with all things being balanced, there are costs to every purchase, and SOMA explores the dark side of the pursuit of seeking to circumvent death - the folly of attempting to circumvent inevitable change - via the tools technology has afforded. Without spoiling the details, we are taken upon a journey into the idea of what it means to be alive, what it means to be a being in possession of a degree of continuity. This journey takes us on a literal and metaphysical descent into the deepest depths of the ocean while also plumbing the depths of what it means to be a distinct, separate "self".
On this adventure into the abyss, SOMA does an incredible job of making you feel lost, insecure, fragile and uncertain how to proceed. Uncertainty and fragility were the central feelings imparted while playing in my view, and the atmosphere simply hummed. I found myself utterly absorbed with this world and felt lost both literally and metaphorically. Some games just captivate with their sense of place and with the tone they attempt to generate, and SOMA is a rare breed of special in this regard. I was thoroughly engaged throughout, if not always comfortable. There were also some absolutely wonderful moments of tension in dealing with and hiding from some of the "monsters" in this world. It was at times genuinely unsettling, and I really loved what it brought to the table in terms of the sense of dread.
As much as I loved most of SOMA, there were some unfortunate missteps. The main character's voice was quite amateurish and hokey. This was also true for much of the other voice work in the game - delivered in large part by data logs. It's really disappointing because it sat so at odds with the brilliance of the rest of the presentation. I was really frustrated at the contrast between the outstanding atmosphere and the dreadful acting. It just seemed like the voice work belonged in a different game. If they had simply decided to forego voice altogether, the game would have benefited tremendously, as the rest of the atmosphere would have easily carried things, and having things silent would have been very appropriate to the overall tone. Also, as much as I enjoyed the dread and anxiety from encountering the infrequent "monster" sections, they were sometimes frustrating because they slowed everything down to a snail's pace because you felt frozen, unable to move for fear of alerting the enemy. When you couple that sensation with some very dark areas at times and occasionally having no idea where to go, you can end up replacing the terror with frustration, and that is not what you want to experience as a player. Finally, if you are prone to existential dread of any kind, you may not get as much enjoyment as those who are willing to disassemble themselves in the quest to satisfy an unquenchable curiosity.
Overall though, the strengths of SOMA's atmosphere were more than enough to counterbalance some obvious flaws. I found myself enthralled in my journey into this hypothetical future of humanity's quest for survival. Had a couple of issues been addressed with a little more craft, SOMA could have been an all-time classic. As it stands, it is still a gripping experience that will please anyone who is interested in existential horror or is drawn to dark science fiction. A really enjoyable
4/5.