The Ultimate SOMA Discussion Thread

[Damascus Rose]

no way theres gonna be achievements. they take you out of the immersion. frictional is too good for that

The game is coming for PS4. I would say there will be Trophies, so why would it be impossible to have Achievements on Steam as well? If they break immersion, you can turn off your Steam Overlay; so nothing pops up. Besides, many people have been requesting them for a long time and Frictional Games are ready to move on to other platforms now.

How would achievements add anything to the experience of playing these games? They are all about the personal experience, the horror build-up, the fear when a monster is nearby, the emotions attached to the story etc. Imagine you just got chased by the first monster you've encountered and in a terrifying climax you get cornered and killed by this beast. Then an achievement or trophy appears "Achievement Get: Get killed by a monster!" That just takes you out of the whole thing, doesn't it. It seems too fickle and game-y for the type of game they are making.

Achievements for other games like GTA or skyrim add to the game because they give gratification for something you've accomplished, like a quest or some such.
In the vanishing of ethan carter, even though its more about immersion and storytelling, achievements added to the game in the same way. You just completed one of ethans stories, here's an achievement to solidify the accomplishment! Or you solved the mystery of one of the deaths, here you go! It adds to the game, because that's the way the game is designed.

In soma it just wouldn't work. Say you make a decision to progress where you leave a robot suffering. Achievement Get: Leave Carl to Suffer! I don't see a situation where achievements would add anything, let alone not detract from the experience.