SOMA: THE DEEP SEA ASKS WHO YOU ARE

8.5 of 10 bananas. A sci-fi horror story at the bottom of the ocean that cares more about questions than jump scares. One of the best stories in horror. The monster sections are the weakest part, and a Safe Mode lets you skip their teeth.

By the Alpha. Steam listing. Updated Oct 23 2026.

Honest note: This is not a fresh hands-on playtest. I built this verdict from launch reviews, critic consensus, update history, and what is known about the game today. If I put real hours in on stream, I will update the score and say so.

Platforms: PC on Steam, plus PS4 and Xbox One (Frictional Games, released September 2015). The button on this page is the Steam store page, where it was on sale at 5.99 dollars, down from 29.99, at my Oct 23 check. Amazon US search found no US listing for SOMA, so there is no Amazon button.

Sit with me a moment. Some games scare you for an hour. SOMA follows you home. Years after I finished it, I still think about one choice at the bottom of the sea, and I am an old ape who has seen plenty.

What It Wants To Be

You play Simon Jarrett, a man who goes in for a brain scan and wakes up in PATHOS-II, a broken research station deep under the Atlantic. The staff are gone, the machines act strangely human, and the ocean pushes on every wall. It is a first person horror adventure about consciousness and identity, told through exploration, logs, and a few hard choices.

What Works

The story is the treasure. SOMA asks real questions about what makes you you, and it lets you sit with the answers instead of explaining them away. The underwater walks are eerie and beautiful. Frictional builds dread with sound and silence. Critics scored it 84 on Metacritic for PC. Frictional later added a Safe Mode where creatures do not kill you, which is a gift for players who came for the story.

What Breaks

Listen well. The monster encounters are the weakest part. Hiding from creatures in tight corridors can feel like a chore that interrupts the ideas. The puzzles are light, and the pace is slow by design. If you want combat or loud action, there is none.

Who Should Play

Play it if you love science fiction, big questions, and stories that stay with you. Use Safe Mode if monsters ruin it for you; nobody in the troop will judge. Skip it if you need action or fast pacing.

Related: Amnesia: The Bunker, Subnautica, SIGNALIS.

Sources: Steam store page with Metacritic score, SOMA on Wikipedia.

Store note: the troop still needs an Amazon referral for this one. At my Oct 23 check Amazon US search showed no listing for SOMA. Steam is the only button until a fair listing is real. This is not an affiliate link.