The guys behind Amnesia: The Dark Descent take to the PlayStation Blog to talk about how they’re going to do even worse things in SOMA.
On the surface, SOMA appears to be a sci-fi take on Amnesia: The Dark Descent, which is bad news for a number of reasons. Not only is the prospect of go-around with a System Shock 2-tinged descent into Amnesia-style madness just about the last thing I want to subject myself to, but it will also, according to a PlayStation Blog post by Frictional Games Creative Director Thomas Grip, take advantage of lessons learned in the studio’s last game to make this one even more horrific.
“We do not want you to calmly stroll through the various environments; it must be emotionally tasking to progress,” Grip wrote. “We want this blanket of oppression and fear wrapped around the entire experience. Sustaining this through eight or so hours takes some finesse – if we repeat something too often, you’ll get used to it and be able to predict upcoming events.”
With the first alpha test looming, Grip also talked a bit about the nature of the game itself. A crucial design goal of SOMA is “to allow a deep exploration of what it means to be a sentient being,” which will in turn lead to “seriously unsettling implications” as the game progresses. The trick is leading people down that path without either spoonfeeding them or letting them get bored, something that the alpha will allow Frictional to look at closely for the first time.
The new teaser doesn’t show off much in the way of gameplay, but it does provide an idea of the kind of voice work the game will offer as well as “a few clues on what the game’s story will be about.” It’s also quite possibly the first time I’ve ever heard anyone say, “It’s not my fault people keep killing themselves.” Yeah, can’t wait to turn down the lights and start playing that.
SOMA is slated to come out in early 2015 for the PC and PlayStation 4.
Source: PlayStation Blog
