“Soma” is the first new property developed by Frictional Games since they made it big with the cult hit “Amnesia: The Dark Descent” and its sequel “Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs.” Those games created a huge stir in the horror gaming scene, and led to a whole host of imitators. Rather than the more action-oriented trends of the genre at the time, the “Amnesia” games put an emphasis on rendering the player completely helpless in any sort of action scene, forcing them to hide and try not to be noticed instead. So after five years of secretive development, what new horrors does Frictional Games have in store? Let’s take a look.

The story of “Soma” clearly had a lot of effort and thought put into it. The player controls a man named Simon who recently suffered severe brain damage in a car crash that also killed his girlfriend. Simon goes in for an experimental procedure where a digital replica of his brain will be created for to try to determine what treatment would be most efficient. However, as soon as the treatment begins, Simon finds that he is no longer in modern Canada. Instead, he is alone in an underwater powerplant in the year 2105. The player quickly finds out that some sort of almost fungal alien life has destroyed the earth and laid humanity to waste. “Soma” is essentially an extended metaphor about the inevitability of death and the lengths that we go to to try to deny it. Occasionally, this metaphor can kind of hijack the more literal narrative but never for too terribly long, so I am willing to forgive it for that. My only complaint with the story is how much of the background information comes in the form of audio logs. Ever since “BioShock” used these as its primary story-telling device back in 2007, it seems to me like far too many games try to replicate that success without really having the same need for them that “BioShock” had. However, that’s just a minor complaint, and all a matter of personal opinion anyhow.

“Soma” looks good, but not great. The graphics are somewhat stylized, but not stylized enough to really pull off how dated they look. Though Frictional has always leaned more heavily on the idea and art of their visuals, rather than trying to get them to look as realistic as feasible given modern technology. And as far as the design goes, Soma is wonderful. The alien creatures (or life-forms I guess, since the merger of the living and the mechanical is a big aspect of “Soma” both visually and thematically) look suitably odd when that’s what the story calls for, and unnervingly familiar when that’s what is needed. So, it accomplishes what it sets out for in terms of visuals, but it did leave me wanting a bit more.

Like with the video, the audio elements of “Soma” are kind of a mixed bag. The voice-acting is not particularly bad, but it isn’t particularly good either. However, I’m willing to give the game a bit of a pass on that one, since the script is pretty different from that of most other video games, where the sort of voice-acting we hear in “Soma” would be more appropriate. Basically, the acting lacks a lot of the subtlety that it really needs to match the story. The music, however, creepy atmosphere, and it has lots of nice little audio cues to give hints to the player about whether they should be hiding or exploring. The game’s sound effects are beautifully grotesque. There’s more good than bad in terms of sound, but the bad is definitely there.

The gameplay is the one thing about “Soma” that really disappointed me. It’s not that it’s got bad gameplay or anything of the sort. It’s just that I feel like Frictional Games had a chance to make the gameplay really unique here, but they played it a little too safe. The game has lots of chase-and-hide sequences that are disappointingly similar to those of “Amnesia: The Dark Descent” but thankfully without that game’s sanity mechanic. There are some open-ocean exploration segments which are uncomfortably like those of “BioShock 2” but even more meandering. However, despite how derivative it can be, the gameplay of “Soma” is far more polished than either of the “Amnesia” games. The chase-and-hide elements feel far more organic and threatening than in previous titles. It’s all done well, but it just left me wanting more.

“Soma” is an excellent game. It’s primary sin is that it’s not a huge game-changer (if you’ll pardon the pun) like Frictional’s previous games. I still loved “Soma” but if you’re the kind of person who tends to focus less on a game’s story than its action, this might not be the game for you. However, if you like a game with a good story, “Soma” is well worth the price of admission.