If nothing else, read this: do not stop the game when the credits roll. Under no circumstance should you do this.
This is literally one of the best games I've played in my entire life. Despite not being some epic 60-80 hour journey, I can honestly say this one was beyond amazing .. and I pretty much played this in a single straight shot, only stopping to go to bed halfway through since it was 2 in the morning.
Another thing: this is what a true horror game should be. I've played quite a few, and they generally rely on jump-scares, or huge exaggerated monsters, or tons of blood and gore, or just a check-list of taboos to break. While this game has its fair share of these, the thing that makes it an incredible horror game is the fact that it does not rely on these tropes to fill you with horror and dread. This game successfully creates the atmosphere, the concepts, the anxiety, and the dread that needs to come with any true horror.
A brief warning for anyone who may not be in the right headspace for this game: it contains a lot of reference to self-termination. If this is something you're struggling with I do not recommend this game under any circumstance. Sometimes the warnings I leave in reviews on games will just say keep an eye on yourself, but this one delves pretty deeply into some dark things.
To give a brief synopsis - and I'm not going to say anything here that you won't either learn in the first 20-30 minutes, or that will ruin the game - you play as Simon, a guy who's had a severe brain injury. You're given months to live - nothing left to lose. You decide to sign up for an experimental treatment. You go to get this treatment, the machines descend...
...and you wake up in hell. You're in some kind of futuristic hell at the bottom of the ocean. Everything is in ruins. There's something severely sinister about the way things look - almost as if there has been some kind of horrible war fought here. You know you have to find out what has happened - you have to get out of this place. But how? You recognize literally nothing, and you're all alone.
...Maybe.
You will make your way from place to place, from room to horrifying room, trying to figure out what has happened, where you are, and what you need to do. Can you achieve a goal so great it could save the human race? (Again, being VERY vague here so as not to spoil anything.) ...Or will you die, all alone, in this abysmal pit?
Another thing to add to the horror is that this isn't just a "Boo!" // "Ahhh!" experience. It really cracks open the philosophy books and takes a deep look at what it means to be conscious, what it means to have personal identity, what it means to be "me." There are some truly terrifying consequences to playing around with consciousness and identity, even if it's for the good of everyone. How will you handle these concepts as they're presented?
The game plays a bit like an extremely elaborate haunted house - and no, I don't mean a man with a fake chainsaw jumps out and chases you around. I've played several games like this, such as the "Deliver Us " series - where I describe it as a 'haunted house' experience. It's played in first person, and there's a fairly linear 'way ahead' you'll be proceeding on, unlike an open-world layout. You'll see and interact with things along the way, play out the story, and come out the other end. The difference here is that this world is HIGHLY interactive. I remember the "Deliver Us" games being quite interactive, but it seems like you can interact with almost anything in the Soma world. It's not just scenery - you can touch, interact, whatever.
The puzzle aspect is not at all overwhelming. There are quite a few 'escape room' style aspects, where you need to get the power pack to open the door, or use the buttons to operate the machine, or whatever... but it is kept very, very simple. The puzzles very rarely rely on super memory or extreme puzzle solving - I think there were a couple scenes where you had to memorize like a 4-digit number to enter as a code, and a couple computer scenes where you maybe had to play around a little with the settings, but overall this is NOT a game you will be consulting an external guide on. This only adds to the immersion - when you get 'stuck' on other games of this type and have to get a tip from the internet, it really breaks the flow. Keeping things very simple, this game allows you to play from start to finish, feel like you've actually DONE stuff, but not to the point that you're getting 'stuck.' Everything is very intuitive and easy to follow, even if the execution isn't super simple.
There are also no annoying 'skill' things. Oh, there are a few scenes where you'll have to run non-stop to get away from danger, but there are none of those scenes where you have to hop from platform to platform, or do daring maneuvers that require a ton of timing and skill. Although there were a few scenes where I did die quite a few times in a row, these were, again, minimal. I never reached a point of TRUE frustration, and this only added to the flow and feeling of the game. The danger is certainly there - you have to be careful or you will die - but it's absolutely not 'bang your head on a wall' frustrating. Let's put it this way: it's enough to fuel the dread in you, but not enough to fuel the rage.
So what's the actual game like? The story is so cool. I loved every bit of it. I sometimes skip the 'lore' parts of games, but I was soaking up every last bit of the story here, searching for more little clues and tidbits. The music was so perfect for the atmosphere it wasn't even funny. The graphics were incredible - I understand this isn't a game released last month, that it was a while ago, but everything about the graphics was amazing - from the monsters, to the way the screen was 'glitching out' when you're in danger, to the futuristic machines, the gore, all of it. I LOVED the way the camera swayed and staggered when you're hurt - it was enough to mildly nauseate me.. but isn't that the way it should be when you're severely injured? EVERYTHING about it drags you into that atmosphere. The sound effects are believable. The voice acting is absolutely believable - none of this halfway nonsense - you can hear the emotion in the voices. I felt like the animation of the people looked a little kooky - but then again, in what game (besides Death Stranding, lol) do humans ever look spot on? Very close - a lot closer than a lot of games make it. The concepts are dark and thought-provoking.. every last bit of it felt believable, and this is part of what draws you so deeply and so fully into this world. I mean, without realizing it, you're going to get so deeply drawn into this world.
And yes, it hits the 'emotion' buttons as well. I absolutely won't spoil the ending, but if you're like me, when you reach the end, you're just going to be staring at the screen...
For a game as extensive as this, I encountered... I don't think ANY bugs. Again, everything felt realistic, from the walking to jumping to creeping along. None of the controls or movements frustrated me. It all felt natural. It all felt... real.
And the ending is just too much. If my review is convincing to you, just know that this is one of the few games in which I was just thoroughly satisfied - AND dissatisfied - to the fullest extent. Wow, wow.
Last but not least, is it worth full price? Well, I bought it on sale for... I think maybe 5 bucks or something like that? A price like that is almost like having Wal-Mart pay you to take their products. I feel like this game is worth MORE than 30 bucks. I feel like I got an unfair steal for paying what I did. If I had paid $40 I think I'd be feeling satisfied right now. It really was that great. If you're strapped for cash, my suggestion would be to wishlist this game IMMEDIATELY and buy it the MOMENT it goes on sale - you're NOT going to want to miss this. But yes... 100% worth full price.