The Ultimate SOMA Discussion Thread

[Googolplex]

How does it fit the narrative?

It fits in every narrative. Take a look at Pineview Drive. In this video at time 2:30.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_t9tQLzcLdM#t=150

[Romulator]

Chess didn't work for me in Watch_Dogs. It didn't fit in. Even as a side quest like thing.

[i3670]

How does it fit the narrative?

It fits in every narrative. Take a look at Pineview Drive. In this video at time 2:30.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_t9tQLzcLdM#t=150

Right, why does the playing of chess result in progression? Is the ghost a vivid chess player and only the people who can beat it at chess are allowed accesss into another room? (I don't know the story, haven't played the game.)

Furthermore, that is an awful implementation of chess. There was no strategy or any amount of intellect required, it was just move the piece with a red aura.

[Googolplex]

Right, why does the playing of chess result in progression? Is the ghost a vivid chess player and only the people who can beat it at chess are allowed accesss into another room? (I don't know the story, haven't played the game.)

Furthermore, that is an awful implementation of chess. There was no strategy or any amount of intellect required, it was just move the piece with a red aura.

Well it could be done much better. I mean a true, fully implemented chess game. Which also fits completely in the narrative. Or only an optional mini game like billard in AMFP just with a sense.

[i3670]

But how does it fit in the narrative?! Why do you have to play chess? How does it develop the characters/story?

[Googolplex]

But how does it fit in the narrative?! Why do you have to play chess? How does it develop the characters/story?

That's something the devs have to think about.

[GrAVit]

A chess game is a good example for such a challenge.

As cool as that would be, being an amateur chess player myself, I just don't see it working out in a game like SOMA, which will probably have a deep philosophical story to it while staying in the boundaries of science fiction. I just don't see a chess game happening in SOMA's setting, at least not in the form of a serious puzzle. It would probably fit better with more fanciful horror games like Silent Hill or something where obscure puzzles could be expected and their mechanisms wouldn't have to make sense, but from what I've seen so far, SOMA takes a somewhat more realistic and serious approach. Opening something with a complex chess mechanism would be inconvenient to say the least. However, I don't mind intellectual puzzles as long as the game provides some information on how the puzzle's basic mechanics work.

[Googolplex]

I don't mean SOMA but for a horror game in general maybe something for the future with an other setting.
Scratches would be the right game for that.

[Macgyverthehero]

You know guys, a question just came to me;

I wonder if the game will feature something that uses a liquid breathing apparatus to counter the pressure of the deep ocean, like in the movie The Abyss. For those who have seen it, you'll know what I'm talking about.

[Kein]

This question have been asked before but so far no actual info about it.