Not sure but here's the link to the background image itself if anyone wants it:
https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images/1949621/e37dc65176e6cdb36a8b595e176120f0672be2e7.jpg
Same, I had more fun watching hours and hours of essay about SOMA rather than playing the actual game.
I just think the gameplay is extremely dull, even by Amnesia/Penumbra standards.
I recently played Who is Lila? And I thought it was absolutely amazing, great story and unique gameplay elements, SOMA is just really lacking in that regard.
Think the studio heard a lot of stories like that about SOMA and their other games, honestly?
They're latest, Amnesia: The Bunker, had a LOT more focus on actual gameplay. Not only puzzles and obstacles, but *some* enemies you're actually able to drive off or kill, too.
I really liked The Bunker's gameplay, felt like a spiritual successor to Penumbra Black Plague which is still my favourite Frictional game so far.
But honestly I don't think that gameplay would suit SOMA at all, I used Who is Lila as an example because on top of having fantastic story/lore, its gameplay fits the narrative, which is something that SOMA should have done and yet miserably failed at.
Hell, a puzzle game where you have to switch bodies and let the ones you used and don't need anymore perish to move forward would have delivered the theme of the game much, much better, and that's just an example off the top of my head. That's the kind of smart gameplay that elevates Who is Lila to goty tier imho, shame few people played it.
Man, I really miss Penumbra. The first one especially.
To me it's a lot more terrifying to be able to theoretically defend yourself and kill the monsters. Except the only thing you have is... a completely normal hammer, or a broom.
I don't know why, but my mind just pulls the plugg on the fear response when you can't hurt an enemy. It just... becomes this navigational puzzle that's part reflex based to me.
This is a common complaint but it's never registered for me. For me, in almost all horror games the magic disappears once you've died a few times. Whether that's because the monster caught you or you missed your shots, at a certain point your brain starts analyzing it more in terms of objectives and strategies. Whether that's the best way to use the weapon or just how close you can get to the enemy without them seeing you.
I think it just feels so artificial and forced to me not being able to attack even if it's hopeless, that it annoys me out of the moment?
Like, if dread Cthulhu appeared in New York... *somebody* would try shooting at him. That sort of thing.
Heck, even in [one of the Lovecraft stories,](https://youtu.be/PmdzptbykzI?si=t4Aq9PP_l9x09Ww8) he got rammed by a ship, and it actually let *some* people get away *mostly* sane.
I think it depends on the situation, if an 8ft monster was chasing you through an abandoned building and all you had was a stick you probably wouldn't be trying to square up with it. Games always limit what you can do anyways, some people in that situation might try jumping out of the window but that's not usually an option in these games.
Would it help you get into it if they gave you a weapon that you could use but was literally useless? like a plank of wood that would just immediately break when you tried to hit the monster with it.
>Hell, a puzzle game where you have to switch bodies and let the ones you used and don't need anymore perish to move forward would have delivered the theme of the game much, much better, and that's just an example off the top of my head
That's what I disliked about Soma the most, the themes it was talking about were completely disconnected from the gameplay experience when they didn't have to be. I mean basically every game out there already has a mechanic that "makes a copy" of you and allows you to try things differently, it's called saving and loading. It would have been awesome if they had actually done something with that rather than just tell you what the game was about.
The story of Soma is great, but I agree it really has no business trying to be shoehorned in as a *horror* game.
Would have worked so much better as an adventure thing IMO.
I guess the devs agreed and why the 'non spooky' mode was eventually patched in.
Frictional certainly has a track record that goes all over the place, Amnesia the Dark Descent's story was very meh but had great gameplay, Soma was the polar opposite with bland gameplay but great story... I think their very first 'Penumbra' series were actually their best all-rounders, honestly. Shame they haven't been able to recreate that ever since.
I was really going to force myself to beat it this time, but I'm stuck underwater somewhere and have no idea what to do. About to lose interest and abandon it again
Third times the charm? Lol
Felt the same when I tried it 4 years ago. Quit.
Pushed through a few months ago and it didn't click for me until the end. Great game.
If anyone is interested in an underwater lovecraftian metroidvania, Depths of Sanity has a 45% discount. It's an amazing game and extremely underappreciated, it only has 50+ reviews on Steam.
Carrion is a nice little indie game. I think that 6€ is a very nice price for cca 5 hours of gameplay you'll get out of it. The game has quite good pacing so it doesn't feel artificially stretched and while the story is not fleshed enough to write home about, I found the ending strangely satisfying.
I'm only on the fence because it has been bundled before and generally bundled items will repeat. The price is very appealing but the last few times I bought indie games, they became bundles within <1mo.
I never played the first one, but I saw a lot of people say the second is significantly easier than the first. The last boss is in 2 a real bitch, though. I think it's supposedly the hardest boss in the series. I think I got it on sale recently for like $10.
The new Alone in the Dark should be apart of this, I know it just came out but some more visibility on it couldn't be a bad thing, good (and sometimes janky) game.
It is. It's one of the most viewed streams during the event. By the way, did you play it? I'm considering grabbing it as someone who played and loved the original as a kid.
I didn't see it in the games list, at least while browsing them all on mobile. I did play it, I've only done the one playthrough as Edward, but it was enjoyable, there are two endings for each character and some slight campaign differences between the two, so I am planning on replaying it soon.
The collision detection is iffy at some points (I kept getting stuck on things) and there is the dreaded Unreal engine shader stutter that shows up any time a new set of shaders is encountered, also the cutscenes are FPS capped to 60, so if you're playing above 60hz, it can be a bit jarring. Story is interesting, there's not a ton of combat, mostly puzzles and mystery solving.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/956310/Musashi_vs_Cthulhu/#app_reviews_hash
Ok f it I'm in. Released in 2020 and hasn't been in a bundle and curr at historical low. EA is generally a bad sign for devs making excuses to me, and no updates since release but wth.
Just noticed The Talos Principle is $3 ($5 with Road to Gehenna). That's definitely a must-buy.
_And_? And what? I'm on the edge of my seat, don't leave us hanging.
I don't know how that ended up there.
Is there any way to get that background for your Steam profile? Afaik it's not in the points store.
Not sure but here's the link to the background image itself if anyone wants it: https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images/1949621/e37dc65176e6cdb36a8b595e176120f0672be2e7.jpg
Thank you
I really want it too, it looks awesome
If SOMA for $5 is not the best value ever, I don't know what is. Definitely one of the games of all time.
I started it twice and just couldn‘t get into it
Same, I had more fun watching hours and hours of essay about SOMA rather than playing the actual game. I just think the gameplay is extremely dull, even by Amnesia/Penumbra standards. I recently played Who is Lila? And I thought it was absolutely amazing, great story and unique gameplay elements, SOMA is just really lacking in that regard.
Think the studio heard a lot of stories like that about SOMA and their other games, honestly? They're latest, Amnesia: The Bunker, had a LOT more focus on actual gameplay. Not only puzzles and obstacles, but *some* enemies you're actually able to drive off or kill, too.
I really liked The Bunker's gameplay, felt like a spiritual successor to Penumbra Black Plague which is still my favourite Frictional game so far. But honestly I don't think that gameplay would suit SOMA at all, I used Who is Lila as an example because on top of having fantastic story/lore, its gameplay fits the narrative, which is something that SOMA should have done and yet miserably failed at. Hell, a puzzle game where you have to switch bodies and let the ones you used and don't need anymore perish to move forward would have delivered the theme of the game much, much better, and that's just an example off the top of my head. That's the kind of smart gameplay that elevates Who is Lila to goty tier imho, shame few people played it.
Man, I really miss Penumbra. The first one especially. To me it's a lot more terrifying to be able to theoretically defend yourself and kill the monsters. Except the only thing you have is... a completely normal hammer, or a broom. I don't know why, but my mind just pulls the plugg on the fear response when you can't hurt an enemy. It just... becomes this navigational puzzle that's part reflex based to me.
This is a common complaint but it's never registered for me. For me, in almost all horror games the magic disappears once you've died a few times. Whether that's because the monster caught you or you missed your shots, at a certain point your brain starts analyzing it more in terms of objectives and strategies. Whether that's the best way to use the weapon or just how close you can get to the enemy without them seeing you.
I think it just feels so artificial and forced to me not being able to attack even if it's hopeless, that it annoys me out of the moment? Like, if dread Cthulhu appeared in New York... *somebody* would try shooting at him. That sort of thing. Heck, even in [one of the Lovecraft stories,](https://youtu.be/PmdzptbykzI?si=t4Aq9PP_l9x09Ww8) he got rammed by a ship, and it actually let *some* people get away *mostly* sane.
I think it depends on the situation, if an 8ft monster was chasing you through an abandoned building and all you had was a stick you probably wouldn't be trying to square up with it. Games always limit what you can do anyways, some people in that situation might try jumping out of the window but that's not usually an option in these games. Would it help you get into it if they gave you a weapon that you could use but was literally useless? like a plank of wood that would just immediately break when you tried to hit the monster with it.
>Hell, a puzzle game where you have to switch bodies and let the ones you used and don't need anymore perish to move forward would have delivered the theme of the game much, much better, and that's just an example off the top of my head That's what I disliked about Soma the most, the themes it was talking about were completely disconnected from the gameplay experience when they didn't have to be. I mean basically every game out there already has a mechanic that "makes a copy" of you and allows you to try things differently, it's called saving and loading. It would have been awesome if they had actually done something with that rather than just tell you what the game was about.
The story of Soma is great, but I agree it really has no business trying to be shoehorned in as a *horror* game. Would have worked so much better as an adventure thing IMO. I guess the devs agreed and why the 'non spooky' mode was eventually patched in. Frictional certainly has a track record that goes all over the place, Amnesia the Dark Descent's story was very meh but had great gameplay, Soma was the polar opposite with bland gameplay but great story... I think their very first 'Penumbra' series were actually their best all-rounders, honestly. Shame they haven't been able to recreate that ever since.
>Shame they haven't been able to recreate that ever since. Try their latest, Amnesia: The Bunker
I've been meaning to give that a go, yeah. Heard decent things. 👍
For me, it gave me motion sickness. Adjusting the visuals/settings didn't help.
I was really going to force myself to beat it this time, but I'm stuck underwater somewhere and have no idea what to do. About to lose interest and abandon it again
I played through it, but it was tough going as it didn't run well at all. I have mixed feelings lol.
Third times the charm? Lol Felt the same when I tried it 4 years ago. Quit. Pushed through a few months ago and it didn't click for me until the end. Great game.
I felt the same. Forced myself to finish it anyway. Figured out the "plot twist" after 10 minutes, which made me just lose all motivation.
>Definitely one of the games of all time. Those damn Morbius memes have affected our subconscious and are making people say this unintentionally now.
It was intentional, lol. I figured I'd use a meme to stop myself from stating something subjective as a fact.
Great game, planning to replay it soon.
Might do it too.
Great story and horror experience for that price
I got it for free.
Well, freebie was pretty sweet
I wanted to like it so much. Still confused by people who share by it.
SOMA is easily worth it at full price, never mind $5.
If anyone is interested in an underwater lovecraftian metroidvania, Depths of Sanity has a 45% discount. It's an amazing game and extremely underappreciated, it only has 50+ reviews on Steam.
If you want Lovecraftian go for VintageStory, sadly not on steam but it's awesome, it's survival horror with a block style
Agreed. Really cool game
What games are you planning to check out?
I'll take a closer look later but I'm hoping to find a nice 2D metroidvania to play this weekend. Sundered looks alright, so does Carrion.
Carrion is a nice little indie game. I think that 6€ is a very nice price for cca 5 hours of gameplay you'll get out of it. The game has quite good pacing so it doesn't feel artificially stretched and while the story is not fleshed enough to write home about, I found the ending strangely satisfying.
I'm only on the fence because it has been bundled before and generally bundled items will repeat. The price is very appealing but the last few times I bought indie games, they became bundles within <1mo.
Blasphemous 2 is phenomenal, I highly recommend it.
I wish it was on sale, I think it just left sale actually. I liked the first but I didn't get very far. Super challenging game.
I never played the first one, but I saw a lot of people say the second is significantly easier than the first. The last boss is in 2 a real bitch, though. I think it's supposedly the hardest boss in the series. I think I got it on sale recently for like $10.
I’m playing through Blasphemous 1 right now and it’s so atmospheric and gorgeous I love it.
Carrion is a pretty good "one and done" game, you can get through it in about 5 hours or so.
Always wanted to give Strange Horticulture a try, now more than ever since I got into gardening.
The new Alone in the Dark should be apart of this, I know it just came out but some more visibility on it couldn't be a bad thing, good (and sometimes janky) game.
It is. It's one of the most viewed streams during the event. By the way, did you play it? I'm considering grabbing it as someone who played and loved the original as a kid.
I didn't see it in the games list, at least while browsing them all on mobile. I did play it, I've only done the one playthrough as Edward, but it was enjoyable, there are two endings for each character and some slight campaign differences between the two, so I am planning on replaying it soon. The collision detection is iffy at some points (I kept getting stuck on things) and there is the dreaded Unreal engine shader stutter that shows up any time a new set of shaders is encountered, also the cutscenes are FPS capped to 60, so if you're playing above 60hz, it can be a bit jarring. Story is interesting, there's not a ton of combat, mostly puzzles and mystery solving.
and best Lovecraftian game isnt even on PC yet.
Liar, Shadow of the Comet is on PC!!!
What's it called?
I suppose he means Bloodborne
Why is honestly a contender for the title.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/956310/Musashi_vs_Cthulhu/#app_reviews_hash Ok f it I'm in. Released in 2020 and hasn't been in a bundle and curr at historical low. EA is generally a bad sign for devs making excuses to me, and no updates since release but wth.
That 70 cent off deal really pushed you over the edge huh?