this post was submitted on 27 May 2025
176 points (93.1% liked)
Games
38883 readers
1300 users here now
Welcome to the largest gaming community on Lemmy! Discussion for all kinds of games. Video games, tabletop games, card games etc.
Rules
Authorized Regular Threads
Related communities
Video games
Generic
- Gaming: Our sister community, focused on POC and console gaming. Meme are allowed.
- Cozy games: Because not everything has to explode to make a good game
- Photo Mode@feddit.uk
Help and suggestions
- TipOfMyJoystick@retrolemmy.com : You are searching for a game, but can't remember the name? Someone will find it for you here.
- Video Game Suggestions@lemmy.zip : Can't find a game to play in among the hundred you already own? Find another one to add to your library here.
- Patient Gamers@sh.itjust.works: Gaming isn't only about having the latest great games. Good old games are there too.
Platform specific
- Linux gaming : For everything related to gaming on Linux platform, be it on Steam Deck or Desktop Linux.
- Steam Deck : A Steam Deck specific community
Game specific
Language specific
Others
PM a mod to add your own
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
SOMA was great
I've been craving another experience like SOMA but unfortunately nothing even comes close. It was probably the coolest and most disturbing story I've ever seen. Finishing that game gave me an existential crisis for like 2 days after. It was that good.
I feel like Soma was a decent metaphysical question wrapped in a okayish walking simulator.
It got a lot of praise, but basically boils down to the question "what makes you you" with nothing else about it standing out.
If the gameplay isn't a driving factor of making the game objectively good, then I don't think it counts.
The lack of gameplay is fine, and very much important to call out for any new players. There's a whole genre of "you're playing a movie" that SOMA fits nicely into
I think a masterpiece game has to offer more than just story. Additionally I think something like Firewatch does a much better job at telling a compelling story for a walking simulator. But clearly this is why "objective" masterpiece is hard to define, as nothing is really objective in these opinions.
Other games I'd consider better in the walking simulator category:
Edit: Fixed formatting
Personally I think story can make a game stand out far more than graphics or gameplay. I also disagree that the game boiled down to one question. While it was the primary focus of the narrative, the underwater laboratories and world building/history was amazing.
I don't disagree, but my opinion is gameplay (or the interactive nature) of games is what sets them apart from other mediums so would be a deciding factor in a masterpiece game.
But I guess it largely just boils down to the fact Soma just didn't do much for me.