Official Poll Regarding SOMA's Monsters

[Brakespear]

I've been a fan of these games since Penumbra (even wrote about them in PC Zone, back in the day), and I've thoroughly enjoyed the ongoing evolution of the franchise... and so far, I've been impressed with Soma (even if the story was kinda spoiled by the film "Cargo" and by the book "The Footprints of God").

The thing I've enjoyed the most about Soma's monsters is that they have been used sparingly. Most of the time, the most terrifying thing about them is the implication of them - the distant howl, the anticipation. The one you can't look at, for example? Great concept. Been done before, sure, but it worked really well to ensure that I never actually got a clear view of them (rather like the crazy guy in Sunshine)... so they remained "unknown".

But that one people are calling Akers? I haven't even been able to establish that it *is* Akers, because he's getting in the way of my exploration. He is very, very annoying. Scary, sure. But mostly annoying.

Just now, I tried to seek refuge in Brandon's room, since the door was still locked, but my stupid virtual body spectacularly failed to jump through the window, and Akers got me.

I limped towards the nearest heal station... and Akers, having reset, appeared in the doorway behind me mere seconds later, and came wandering straight towards me, and I was trapped right after using the health-sphincter.

There's really no point giving the player a couple of lives if the respawn and target acquisition speed of the monster negates that second life. Furthermore, Soma's strengths are predominantly its atmosphere and story. With that annoying zombie following me everywhere, I'm unable to enjoy the atmosphere, and prevented from delving into the story - my explorations become random lunges along a maze of corridors every time I do something that magically triggers a chase.

Make Akers go away after a while, or move the story content in that area. There should be no audio logs in an unsafe area, unless you pause the game to deliver them or allow the player to archive them.