As in most horror games, dying to Soma’s monsters even once dispelled the dread and tension I’d built up to that point wandering the dimly-lit halls of Pathos-II. These encounters usually weren’t challenging, but they still revealed how frail of an illusion horror game monsters often are. But having to crawl into vents and wait for monsters to walk by didn’t mesh with these threads, and slowed down the momentum of the plot.
These conversations, their implications, and how developer Frictional Games weaves them into interactive moments not only deepen the atmosphere, but offer terrifying mental spaces for players to venture into without resorting to gore or violence. Soma’s story, which raises questions about the nature of A.I., consciousness, and end-of-the-world scenarios through insightful conversations between characters, moves at a brisk pace. The mode isn’t without faults, but is ultimately the way to go while also proving horror games don’t have to test players to entertain them.Īlthough Soma is one of my favorite games of 2015, its monsters frustrated me. With the addition of “Safe Mode,” Soma (Amnesia: The Dark Descent developer Frictional Games’ 2015 follow-up) challenges that idea, opting to let players remove monster encounters entirely and focus on exploring underwater station Pathos-11 at their leisure. Grotesque, bloody monsters are often front-and-center, and your relationship to them (whether it involves gunning them down with limited ammo or sneaking by them unharmed) is how horror games instill dread and fear into players.
0 kommentar(er)
