Official Poll Regarding SOMA's Monsters

[Lazoriss]

I can't really judge on all the monsters in general, as there were many that had special mechanics/rules (which was kinda cool). I'd have to over each individually.

Spoiler below!

CONSTRUCT: Probably my favorite monster. Love its design and sounds. It has a set pattern and responds in a generic manner, making it a good first monster. I guess it could be underwhelming if you avoided the second encounter by torturing Carl's mocking bird, but I have a feeling most people didn't do that. I do think it would have been interesting to make it very clear that rerouting the power would cause the Construct to appear. Also wish this monster had spoken words instead of mostly garble. Maybe something that explained a motivation for hunting you.

SWIMMER / HELPER UNIT: Another of my favorites. Most of these units act differently, and I really like how the first one is only semi-aggressive. Also the fact that they communicate with you and have a clear reason for their attack make them more of a character and really adds immersion into the universe. Their attack speed is pitiful, which I kinda like. They're not supposed to be dangerous, but rather add to the universe and help drive home the horrors of what occurred in PAHTOS-II. Kind of wish that when you got so far away from one pursuing you, it would start yelling pleas for you to come back, or try to reason with you with false offers of help/advice.

FLESHER / DISCO HEAD: Slightly disappointing considering the large amount of build-up this monster had. Couldn't find anything in-game explaining how this monster came to be or why it could teleport. The mechanic of not looking at it would have been a lot better if not so sensitive. It becomes agitated and your screen goes crazy as soon as it appears at the very edge of your peripheral vision. This made it incredibly hard to track at times and therefore annoying. It would also sometimes stand in a doorway or someplace you couldn't squeeze past it, making it tedious at times. However, its chase at the end of the Curie section is really good. Very glad the music there fit well and wasn't overbearingly scary. The chase is close, but if you know where you're going, isn't too difficult. It felt perfect.

PROXY (server room): A good introduction to this monster. The room its in is large and allows for a lot of movement and error. Creates tension without being too difficult or scary. You can use the opportunity to practice luring these monsters with the large amount of items in the room.

AKERS: A mixed bag. The monster encounter itself is fine. The maze-like layout, again, creates tension without being overly difficult. But he also feels like a massive missed opportunity. I didn't know this creature was Akers until reading up on this monster after having beat the game. I guess there's hints to this in the area, but I never adsorbed it (probably because I was trying not to piss myself). There's a lot of backstory on Akers and his descent into madness, so I reallllly wish he would have been more than another mindless proxy. Imagine if he had spoken to you, trying to coax you out of hiding or going on rants about the WAU and how much happier you'd be being part of it. It would have made Akers into a memorable character rather than just another monster/obstacle, and given the WAU itself more weight on the story. It at least would have made the WAU's presence on PATHOS-II more of a direct threat/relation to Simon personally. Along this vein, would have mixed up the part where you DO get hooked into the WAU for a small time. What if the sequence had been you and Ashley being happy together, and Simon actually enjoying being in the WAU? You could have been detached due to an unconventional method rather than your own doing. This would also draw interesting parallels between the WAU and the ARK.

PROXIES (later Theta): Dragged on far too long and felt incredibly tedious, especially the last encounter. Would have been a lot more enjoyable if shorter and utilized the luring method better, perhaps in a puzzle-like setting. The last encounter kinda works like this, but after the earlier encounters and how long the last part could take, I just didn't enjoy it.

ROBOT GIRL (don't startle her): Took me a long time to figure out how to get past her. Also couldn't find anything revealing her back-story or exactly how she got to looking how she does. Her mechanics were never explained, which seems like a considerable oversight, so I spent a good 5-10 minutes knocking stuff over and throwing things near her in the hopes of luring her away. Finally creeped up and took the power pack without triggering a pursuit. Her chase scene was kind of random and eh. But I liked how nonchalant Simon was about it afterwards.

ANGLER FISH: Kind of a weird encounter. The first time I played I accidentally ran right into it and died. WHOOPS. There's some slight hints to this monster showing up, but its entrance and implement in the game could have been clearer/better. How it is feels a bit out-of-place. The abyss section had already been going on for awhile, and you might be a bit panicky after the worm appearance and spider party. Maybe you could have been in a large and dark cave. A light starts bobbing in the distance and you're forced to get closer before its reveal as the lantern-fish. Cue chase sequence through the caves. You can also keep the spider party for added "fun". As it is, the Angler is kind of underwhelmingly used, especially since there is only one. On all further play-throughs, it's incredibly easy to go around and avoid entirely. Has the best chase music, though IMO.

YOSHIDA: UUUUUH. HE'S SO CREEPY. I really like this monster. He's scary af. His running animation is jerky like a spider and his sudden appearance behind the cool door was terrifying. Love that after getting around him you encounter yet another slow door. It's perfect. He also has an explanation for his current state. The diving suit room was incredibly creepy. The ominous log entries for the suit uses and trail of goop. Good scary monster encounter.

LEVIATHAN (cousin of that one Zelda boss): Really cool monster design. Liked its build-up and cameo appearances, and also how it completely wreaks Ross. Cool little chase in the tunnel that feels reminiscent of Penumbra. But its chase up to the Space Gun was OK. Read that the Abyss monsters won't attack if you're close to a light, but this guy seemed to rush me even when close to a lamp. It was even able to snatch me out from under things where I thought I was safe. On my first run, I was grabbed several times and never died. considering that there's two or three WAU flowers in this part. Also has cool chase music.

All in all, the monsters were kind of a mixed bag. Some were really good, and others were eh. I do really like how SOMA had several different monsters with unique mechanics, though. Some were really good, but others I think could have been used better or didn't offer that much. It's nice that Frictional tried so many new things with the monsters and is also inviting critique on them. This means there will be even better usage of creatures in their next project, since they'll have a better idea of what works best.