Summary
Blumhousemade its big debut at last month’s Summer Game Fest presentation, revealing the first slate of games to be published under its banner. In what ended up being one of the most talked about trailers of the summer,Blumhouse’s presentationintroduced titles across a wide variety of horror subgenres, including first-person survival, retro third-person, meta-immersive, and comfy-horror. Each title is being developed by a different indie developer, with narratives set to explore a number of conflicts and ideologies. As with its films, Blumhouse appears to be exploring new and interesting ways to dig deeper into gaming’s horror genre. Should it be looking for inspiration, headed into its next slate of titles, Blumhouse would do well to take a hint from Frictional Games’SOMA.
Blumhouseis the production company behind mega-hit horror movies likeInsidious,Get Out,Sinister,M3GAN, andFive Nights at Freddy’s. The company is known to be very creator-friendly, getting its start through the funding and production of low-budget, highly imaginative horror projects. This outlook on creativity is reflected in Blumhouse’s entrance into gaming, as many of its titles feature highly unusual concepts, visuals, or gameplay mechanics. While the company undoubtedly has its finger on the pulse of the horror genre, gaming is not quite the same as film, and Blumhouse could do well to learn from similar projects and developers as it develops itself. A perfect starting point is 2015’sSOMA, whose deep storytelling and compelling undersea setting combine to deliver one of the 2010s’ most unique and haunting experiences.
SOMA Explored the Unsettling Nature of Environment and Existence
SOMAfollows protagonist Simon Jarrett, who awakens to find himself stranded at the bottom of the sea, within the PATHOS-II research station. However, he is not alone. The PATHOS-II is home to a variety of biomechanical growths and broken-down robots. To Simon’s horror, many of these robots believe themselves to be human beings, with some even begging to be unplugged and freed from their mechanized prison.SOMAplays out as a prolonged exploration of the PATHOS-II, with players navigating its twisting corridors, solving puzzles, and avoiding the enemies that roam its various sections.
WhereSOMAtruly shines is in its dual exploration of horror and humanity. While monstrous enemies linger in the PATHOS-II, the focus is on philosophically-driven sci-fi horror from the second players start to the moment the credits roll.SOMA’s opening moments ask what it means to be human, and the duration of its narrative confronts the player with unsettling truths that see them chasing a comfort that is just out of reach. With no clear mission markers guiding players as they seek to uncover the nature of their current predicament, fear of the unknown permeates the title’s physical exploration just as constantly. Anticipation of what new physical and philosophical horrors lurk around each corner allows no reprieve fromSOMA’s oppressive nature, giving rise to an experience that is unlike any other.
SOMA Provides a Compelling Template for Future Blumhouse Games
SOMA’s unique vision of horror is very much aligned withthe current mission of Blumhouse Games. The title’s unsettling nature and self-guided storytelling provide a compelling template for future Blumhouse titles hoping to explore deeper, more philosophical narratives. While the company’s current slate is set in stone,SOMAcould serve as inspiration for a future title, should the first prove successful. What’s more,SOMA’s central themes could be adapted in any number of ways, allowing the title to act as a jumping board for future Blumhouse titles hoping to explore their own existential crisis.
Blumhouse is just getting started in the gaming industry, and its first slate of titles appears set to provide a solid foundation for its future. However, the company has plenty that it can learn from the past as it plans for that future. Of the multitude ofindie horror gamesthat have come and gone since the genre’s modern resurgence,SOMAprovides some of the best notes on how to enact Blumhouse’s unique vision of what indie horror can accomplish. It remains to be seen what themes and subgenres futureBlumhousegames could explore. Should the company hope to succeed in the realm of sci-fi or philosophical horror, it would do well to learn fromSOMA’smasterful incorporation of each.
SOMA
WHERE TO PLAY
SOMA is a sci-fi horror game from Frictional Games, the creators of Amnesia: The Dark Descent. It is an unsettling story about identity, consciousness, and what it means to be human.The radio is dead, food is running out, and the machines have started to think they are people. Underwater facility PATHOS-II has suffered an intolerable isolation and we’re going to have to make some tough decisions. What can be done? What makes sense? What is left to fight for?Enter the world of SOMA and face horrors buried deep beneath the ocean waves. Delve through locked terminals and secret documents to uncover the truth behind the chaos. Seek out the last remaining inhabitants and take part in the events that will ultimately shape the fate of the station. But be careful, danger lurks in every corner: corrupted humans, twisted creatures, insane robots, and even an inscrutable omnipresent A.I.You will need to figure out how to deal with each one of them. Just remember there’s no fighting back, either you outsmart your enemies or you get ready to run.
