SOMA

Still think about this game and its ending on a regular basis, even after only playing for 10 hours, 8 years ago. Cannot recommend enough.

This game offers an experience that you won't find in other games.
In my opinion, the most significant aspect of this game lies in its decision-making.
You make numerous choices throughout the game, most of which are between "bad" and "worse." However, what makes these decisions truly unique is not their impact on the game’s ending but their effect on you.
With every choice you make, you come closer to understanding your true self in the real world. Each decision tests your conscience and helps you better define your moral boundaries.
In the end, it’s not you playing the game—it’s the game playing with you.

The narrative that drives this game; It made me think about existential questions again, it's a horror game different from the flashy mold.

This game is a true testament to the idea that video games are just as powerful an art medium as any other when created with intention and thoughtfulness. This game will never leave my brain, it offers more philosophical insight than most books do.

This isn't just another horror game — it's a masterpiece with an amazing atmosphere, captivating story, and voice actors who brought the characters to life with incredible depth and emotion. The fact that I can never experience this game again for the first time is agonizing. Truly an unforgettable game.

Overview
SOMA is a psychological Horror Game / Walking Simulator set at an unknown time in future, where machines seemingly became self-aware of their existence and developed a consciousness. But why? What did happen? And how the heck did we end up here?

Gameplay/Vibe
The majority of the game is walking around, and solving, not too complex puzzles. Like Amnesia, SOMA gives you no tools to fight off enemies. You need to be careful, running and hiding to avoid your opponents. Which is by no means a negative thing. You can grab objects and throw them for example to distract a potential pursuer.
SOMA carries itself mostly by its dense atmosphere and Story, and it does an outstanding job in these aspects. Frictional Games ones more prove that they are experts in building a tense atmosphere for their games, that just sucks you deep inside their worlds.
Compared to some of their other games, the horror aspect of SOMA takes a lesser role. You got enough scary sections to keep you on your toes, but a good amount of the game lives on the feeling of the unknown and questions the story puts in your mind, trying to make sense of what is happening and making your think about the general theme of the game – Spoiler: What means existing? What makes us, us? What makes us a conscious being?

I won’t talk much about the Story though, since it is such a major aspect of SOMA which carries the game beside the atmosphere, so I don’t want to spoil anything about it. But if you enjoy the theme of existence and a good mystery I can promise, that you will end of enjoying it.
Graphic/Audio/Locations
For a game released in 2015 SOMA still holds up extremely well in my opinion. The game just looks beautiful. I often just stood still to look around and admire the environments. Speaking of them, while Soma only takes place in two different settings, little Spoiler: inside a base on the ocean floor and outside under water – the devs succeeded in giving the areas you visit and explore so much variety that you never think “oh more of this” but it keeps you eager to look around and get excited for reaching new places.
The audio design is great as well, the OST sets each place and situation into the right mood, and the sounds of your steps for example just feel right.

Final Thoughts
I’m personally not the biggest Horror game fan since I am very easily spooked, but nonetheless I’m glad that I finally played SOMA. It has less spook than Amnesia or Penumbra, which I am personally glad for, but it keeps you on your toes most of the time nonetheless. If you enjoy a good story and exploring an interesting setting, I can absolutely recommend the game to you.

Quite possibly one of the best games i've ever played.
Incredibly well written story, very nice gameplay, and excellent sound design are all essential parts of this game
It has such a great atmosphere, any fan of horror/sci-fi needs to play this game.
For people worried about this being a jumpscare-fueled shallow horror game, fear not. There are only a few "jumpscares" throught the whole game, the primary method of stress and fear being good enemy AI and the feeling of isolation and helplessness that this game is excellent at.
Definitely worth it