Official Poll Regarding SOMA's Monsters

[sasaluvsamnesia7]

Voted very scary but also annoying only because I got killed a lot! But I really enjoyed SOMA overall, and am happy that there were so many different monsters.

I don't like the ocean so the bit with having to stay in the lights and follow the green with the large fish swimming about really freaked me out.

[Bridge]

I voted "Just an annoyance". I don't mean to be rude but... I really wish this game had a "no enemies" mode. I don't see the point of those mini-mechs really. Soma didn't *HAVE* to copy the same stuff from the Amnesia and Penumbra series, if you ask me.

I really, REALLY wanted to experience the game's story, be immersed by the environment and find out what's what, but those tedious "hide & seek" sequences ruined it for me.

Of course, this is just a matter of taste. Again, I'm sorry if my post comes across as diminishing. I certainly like the game's premise in general and it *IS* absolutely worth the money. (So no hard feelings, Frictional Games!) It's just that the game's introduction gave me the impression that it's a story-driven game. Which I (personally) would have liked a lot better.

What you mean to say is: It didn't need to be a horror game. Fair point, but this question is obviously framed within the context of it being a horror game. The way horror games tell a story and get the player invested is something quite unique to the horror genre and is something that appeals to a lot of people. To perceive the experience as being made up of story exposition on the one hand and horror sections on the other is a gross misunderstanding of the game.

[PathOS]

Hmm, it may be a small sample size. But at least nobody voted for the "Not Scary and Very Easy" option.

Clearly people like the Monster Designs and there's just a disagreement on how well they were utilized. But that is such a tricky thing to get right, because I for one do not like constant "hiding" and then running from Monster gameplay or trying to sneak/crouch past them, yet some other people may love that sort of thing.

So for me the monsters were handled mostly well. I somehow avoided the trouble with Yoshida in Tau because I managed to hide in an office behind a desk where he seemed not to notice me at all, and I'd managed to open the second door beforehand so I just ran like hell through it when I felt he was somewhat far away.

I think SOMA's focus on the Environment was extremely successful, and I think trying to incorporate the monsters better within said detailed environment would be the way to go.

[PiratesFr33k]

What you mean to say is: It didn't need to be a horror game. Fair point, but this question is obviously framed within the context of it being a horror game.

That's not what I meant. It's completely fine (awesome, really) that the game is a horror game. I just don't think the enemies themselves were neccessary to convey the horror.

To perceive the experience as being made up of story exposition on the one hand and horror sections on the other is a gross misunderstanding of the game.

Not... really... no.

For one, the game consists of a LOT more than just story exposition on the one hand and enemies on the other. Secondly, I wouldn't describe the enemies alone as "horror sections" at all. The whole game in its entirety creates horror! By the atmosphere, the visuals, dead (or half dead) bodies in the environment, the lighting, the soundtrack, the ambience, the storyline, the dialogue, well... pretty much everything.

Or to put it in words not unlike yours:

"To perceive the experience as being made up of story exposition on the one hand and enemy encounters on the other is a gross misunderstanding of the game." – and not only this game, either! Not even merely horror games, but most other games in general, too.


To further illustrate what I meant: The enemies ARE spine-chilling and give the player a sense of imminent danger and emergency, I give them that, but most of the time I found them to be... well... merely annoying, really. When I wanted to find my way around maze-like corridors (with my bad sense of direction), those enemies totally distracted me from where I intended to go. Other times I had to access a certain area and of course the enemy was blocking exactly that one passage. Maybe it's kind of an impatient way to look at it, but still.

[Drzappleswag]

Touching upon the idea of "feeling safe" is an important topic that I'd like to discuss.

Players are getting to the point now, where they can feel when they're entering a "Monster Arena."

Some like me, don't mind it if the encounters are interesting. I myself was thoroughly spooked and enjoyed most of the encounters.

However I can see how others can be immediately annoyed rather than scared when what they know what you're gonna do before it happens.

We want to be challenged and our thoughts challenged.

Theta Labs was Scary. Extrememly scary. Because the Atmosphere and Monster Design is perfect.

However, the first Proxy you meet down here could be viewed as obnoxious to the more veteran crowd when they sense they are in that "Arena."

The best moments in the game that I recall were moments I felt I was in safe environment but was engaged anyways.

-Lamda Monster right before Cath.
-When Monsters open doors.
-Akers jumping down the stairs after Elevator Crash.
-Omicron crying chick, and monster that chases you.

But don't get me wrong, you can have these Monster Arenas. Because they offer great set peices.

-The monster in the Server room was a perfect example.
-The Curie monster. Amazing monster. Best in the game I'd say.
-The Proxy in the Theta labs would have been perfect if he appeared after you explored the area and assumed the place was safe - aka: he appears when the lights suddenly turn off.
-Tau was even okay because although I expected a monster I didn't expect him to be behind the door with my nose 5 inches away the opening.

Overused probably would be seeing the same proxy in Theta Basement 3 times. Sure they were scary, but I'm sure a few players would find the monsters an obnoxious obstacle at that point.

Overall, gamers are more aware these days. And annoyance comes from the expected. Surprisingly them by taking away their "Safety" is how you'll scare them.

Also you could always not make such one hell of a story where players would actually complain that the horrors in a horror game was getting in the way of the plot

Spectacular Game. Best Game I've played in a very long and perhaps the best Sci-Fi story telling I've ever experienced.

[Bridge]

Maybe it's kind of an impatient way to look at it, but still.

I'm not interested in arguing - I can't fault you for having experienced the game differently and certainly can do nothing about it. But I do want to clarify one point that I think you misunderstood. What I meant by the "gross misunderstanding" is that you cannot break the game up into contrasting elements, because they complement each other. The quiet sections attain a new meaning because of the "loud" sections and vice versa. You can't spook the player with build-up if they know you aren't serious - the tension needs to be released otherwise it becomes retroactively meaningless.

Your last point leaves me a bit confused. The level design is of course meant to be confusing and the enemies are supposed to prevent you from moving freely - where is the horror in knowing exactly where to go and being able to get there without opposition? The enemies themselves have very little ability to scare on their own - they rely completely on the environment and context within the story. It sounds like you weren't taking the game seriously if all you felt was annoyance. I'm not saying the AI/patrol design is excellent, but that doesn't mean I didn't find it scary.

[felixmole]

I chose the best choice because I thought it wouldn't be fair to mention "annoying".

I generally liked them. The best things from Penumbra, TDD and even AMFP were mixed into this game: the warnings before encountering the monsters (flickering light, blurry screen, sounds...); prolonged encounters; monsters with completely different senses; props...

I'd say I endured 3 very tense moments: the don't-look-at-it monster on the shipwreck, although it does get a little annoying over time; the 3 proxies at Theta screaming all around when you accidentally kick a part on the ground; and the deep sea diver, the worst one - I had to stop playing the game for a day to chill out. This LP really played the part like I did, with the same feelings. Too bad it didn't end up in a chase like with all of the other enemies.

This new approach is interesting. The drawbacks are that it's a bit repetitive, though, as the essence is just to dump the player in a maze with a monster prowling around. Also, the player gets the feeling that they're relatively safe between these 3 tense moments, unlike Amnesia when you don't know what to expect around the corner... But I personally liked the sentiment of leaving a seemingly safe area to a hazardous one and the other way around. It was a nice experiment.

[plutomaniac]

These are my negative monster observations:

1. Almost always, after being hit once (not twice = death), you get respawned very-very close the area the monster patrols. One or two times I ended up respawing 5 meters away from it. So obviously I would get detected again and now killed. That was annoying, mainly because it happened a lot of times.

2. It was very obvious that some monsters (maybe not the first one) practically followed you around. The maps are a lot bigger compared to Amnesia so I thought that if I successfully sneaked past one I would be clear for the rest of the map. What I noticed though is that once I moved to a different part of the map (still same level) the monster would start patrolling the new area. Nothing I did gave my position away, why would it start patrolling the place I was at suddenly? I noticed that mainly at the CURIE and Tau monsters.

3. Yoshida, the Tau monster. I hated that thing. I haven't looked at the script but I'm certain it was cheating. Whenever you got some meters away from it, it would just appear close to you even though there was absolutely no sound, visible clues from my part. The first section of Tau took me at least 45 minutes to walk through because of Yoshida even though it's really a 5 minute exploration. I got away from it quietly and went to check the computers further in which was impossible because it was constantly outside the door randomly opening it and walking in for no apparent reason. It's funny, if I went back to the first section of the level (decompression room), it would soon be paroling that small area as well. In the end, I got tired of it and ditched exploration in order to run for the stairs and thus away from it. I didn't get a chance to call the Infirmary, I'm still wondering if she would have replied before "officially" meeting her later on.

4. Good vs Evil creatures. There was a lot of talk before the game was released regarding determining whether a creature is friendly or not. I found that idea very interesting but I don't think the game manages that. Due to the sounds, movement, actions etc it was very clear which monsters were out to get you compared to help you. So there wasn't really any question between can I trust this creature or not.

Don't get me wrong. As I said, these are negative monster aspects only. I really liked SOMA otherwise. Especially the themes, story, environment, voice acting etc.

And yes, FG did manage to make the monster mechanics not apparent like they were in Amnesia. I still don't understand how that woman monster works. I tried sound, movement etc but nothing worked. I think I just have to get close to it and then it starts chasing. So I ended up quickly picking up the battery and just running away. Also the CURIE monster, I know it was blind but it was certainly appearing close to me very often. It's either cheating (probably) or just has some other player-detection factor which I am not aware of.

So yes, using multiple monsters for a short period of time does work since the player does not understand the mechanics BUT if they are cheating everyone can tell.

[DenifClock]

The woman monster behavior is simple. It gets attracted to movement. So you need to move very slowly. If you start moving, she still won't charge at you unless you keep movoing. Until she calms down, you can move again.

Basically it takes some time. You move a bit forward ---> she gets angry -----> calms down ----> you move forward again ---->.......

Correct me if I am wrong.

[plutomaniac]

Interesting, I will try this when I replay the game soon. I knew it had to do with movement but didn't realize she calms down after a bit.