Interaction

[molivier]

SOMA is quite an achievement. Thanks for creating a game with subtle, nuanced moral choices that neither branch the narrative, nor unlock additional content, but instead enhance the color and tone of the entire experience.

SPOILERS FOLLOW

If i might make a small suggestion for any future endeavors, or future iterations of SOMA. There were a handful of moments where additional interaction or dialogue might have enhanced emotional resonance. A couple examples:

1. After you've disabled life support for the last human in the Infirmary: I really wanted the option to to hold her hand in the final moments. I was genuinely surprised that my cursor didn't change when i passed it over her hand hanging limp. I think the contrast of the thick, diving suit hand and her delicate human hand would have emphasized the themes of body, humanity, etc.

2. Upon unplugging Amy in the Tram Station: I expected Simon to panic a bit more upon killing the first apparent "human" in the game. After unplugging the second cable he responds with "Oh fuck", but i expected something a little more frantic like, "Fuck fuck fuck fuck....no no no" as he suddenly realizes he's just KILLED a person. I was also hoping for a vocal response if the character tried to reconnect the pointed cables to the power terminal...a panicked "come on, come on....reconnect...i'm sorry!". I only mention this because upon realizing i'd killed Amy, my first action was an attempt to plug the cable back in. Some frustrated panicked dialogue would have enhanced the moment.

Just a couple ideas to increase immersion.

Great job overall

[WALP]

great ideas, both seem great.

Let me join the party, this is a little simpler. At the very end when catherine shut herself off, the game should not have cut off so quickly, rather it should have lasted say 20-60 seconds longer, just so the fact that you lost catherine just like that, could sink in. It cut to credits far to quickly, which was a wasted opportunity.

This is not just something I am pulling out of my ass, because back in the abyss elevator when the power went off, and I could not unplug her, I really started to think, what? just like that? she's gone? intended or not that was a really powerful moment for my playthrough. What a relieve when I found out I could turn the power on.

Anyways I think that experience could have been brought out to more players. The depressing feeling when you realize just how easily you can lose someone, and that you have to walk on without them. a little less than a minute would have been enough for that.

[molivier]

great ideas, both seem great.

Let me join the party, this is a little simpler. At the very end when catherine shut herself off, the game should not have cut off so quickly, rather it should have lasted say 20-60 seconds longer, just so the fact that you lost catherine just like that, could sink in. It cut to credits far to quickly, which was a wasted opportunity.

This is not just something I am pulling out of my ass, because back in the abyss elevator when the power went off, and I could not unplug her, I really started to think, what? just like that? she's gone? intended or not that was a really powerful moment for my playthrough. What a relieve when I found out I could turn the power on.

Anyways I think that experience could have been brought out to more players. The depressing feeling when you realize just how easily you can lose someone, and that you have to walk on without them. a little less than a minute would have been enough for that.

Agreed.

I wanted the final moments alone in the chair held a bit longer to emphasize the isolation. It reflects the same isolation felt by anything you've left alive on the station.

[jamman39]

These are all pretty great ideas. I'll add my own, SPOILERS obviously.

It felt like a missed opportunity to lose your left hand to the WAU, if you had lost your right hand it couldve been HANDled (sorry, not sorry) in a better way. First, when Simon-3 sticks his left hand in the WAU its obvious that something is gonna go wrong because every other animation is performed with your right hand throughout the game. It would've been much more surprising if this had been done with the right.

Second, your cursor could've been changed from a right hand that hovers over objects to a left hand, this wouldn't have required more than a couple seconds of work (mirror the icon) but wouldve served as a powerful and omnipresent reminder of the fact that you just lost your hand, as it stands in the game its only noticable when Simon uses ladders, or when he awkwardly flashes it when yelling at Catherine at the end. He never his left while talking in any other scene so this felt like a tacked on reminder more than anything else.

[molivier]

I'd love to hear other suggestions.