Phang Jia Rong
Game Programmer
SOMA ANALYSIS:
Last updated: May 2017
SOMA is a survival horror game set in the future, in a research facility under the Atlantic, that left a great impression on me. Now you may ask me, why I hold this game to such a high praise when there are many other titles out there which share the same tropes? I believe that it separates itself with its amazingly depressing atmosphere which is further enhanced with interactions between the player and Catherine. The game consists of scary moments but it is more based on the aspect of psychology pertinent questions about existence which leaves you pondering about life and the state afterlife throughout the game.
Most importantly, I believe that the designers did a fantastic job incorporating key game design elements to make the player feel immersed yet not feel confused with their surroundings.
The first thing that caught my eye while I was playing was when I arrived at Munshi’s Lab. It was dark, but a glowing blue light led me to the light switch that allows me to light up and get a grasp of my surroundings.
This happens again when you awake from your experiment to a pitch black room with nothing but a red light to guide you to a switch to power on the lights.
The next scene involves the player figuring the way out of this room, what I want to highlight in this part is notice how the environment subtly guides the player to what he needs to do.
Here’s what went through my mind at this moment:
“Okay the door is locked”
(Notices the crack on the window)
“Hmm… maybe I can get through that window”
(Looks around for anything I could use)
???
...And profit, time to get out of here.
I also noticed that doors and passageways are easily notified from a far. The developers also use symbols on the doors also of different colours to indicate different states of the doors.
As the player progresses through the level other design techniques are used to guide the player along. See here how the lighting and geometry of the level helps to indicate the correct path for the player to take.
Lights here also subtly indicates to the player to move forward.
The environment always felt very suggestive and had subtle hints to lead the player into new areas.
The next image shows how water flowing through the gaps in the door could tell the player that the way is blocked, possibly due to a collapse in the structure in the following area. It is a more interesting way of indicating a dead end then having for example the icon on the door to be red(meaning that the way is locked).
Here is an example of how the environment warns to player of an environmental hazard. The Steam here is blocking the exit and walking up to it would cause harm towards the player.
The pipes are also marked with red lines to attract attention to the player while also guiding him to the objective. You can see how the pipes stand out from the darker background.
This next scene involves the player trying to avoid the monster. As the player re-enters the main room from the hallway, he is greeted by the monster. In his case, the game presents you with two options right off the bat. The first option which is to hide behind the crates gives you very little space to hide with while the room on the right is safer to hide in but also riskier to get to from your starting position.
Again after shutting off all access power to power up the comm center, the exit is clearly litted up in contrast to the now dark room which helps guide the player to where he needs to be.
In conclusion, SOMA’s wonderful environment and level design helps it to create an amazing range of moments from lonely and depressing to tense and skin-crawling ones. Yet during all of this, you will never really feel lost or out of place in your surroundings.
