It was Game of Thrones‘ Melisandre that warned the night is dark and full of terrors, but clearly The Red Woman has never ventured into the dark recesses of space to experience real terror. For Frictional Games latest first-person scarefest Soma, the developer is hoping to serve up a new exercise in horror; one that reads as an intoxicating cocktail of Event Horizon, Dead Space and a smidgen of BioShock.
At least, that’s the vibe we’re getting from the game’s latest bat-shit crazy trailer, which features a narrator providing a sombre breakdown about dying. It’s essentially a descent into madness, and it’s one reflected in the frenetic editing on display. Situated in the derelict PATHOS-2 research facility, Soma will place players in the vulnerable shoes of an engineer, who must fight tooth and nail to escape in a space station overrun by unruly artificial intelligence.
With the creative minds behind Amnesia: The Dark Descent pulling the strings behind the blood-drenched pixels, we’re already cautiously optimistic about the end product based on Frictional Games’ name alone. Mind you, Soma‘s release has been a long time coming, and after a five-year period of incubation in the dark bowels of development, the studio’s nerve-shredding is ready to serve up its peculiar brand of existential horror.
Frictional Games has slated Soma for a September release across PlayStation 4 and PC, and though it isn’t likely to occupy much space on Sony’s conference, there’s every chance that the publisher will trumpet the horror as part of its indie showcase.