I believe the coin flip was fabricated by Catherine to give people false hope and encourage participation. Because people wouldn’t want to participate if they knew for sure their consciousness wouldn’t actually transfer, and they’d still be stuck. Plus, if there really was a coin flip, why not just copy yourself multiple times until you became the “new” conscious?
From what I could understand from the game, the coin toss theory was a lie made up by Catherine for people who didn't understand how the scanning works, so they would keep working on the ARC project. They thought the process would be cut and paste, like ones in other sci-fi fiction, instead of copy and paste. In reality, you will ALWAYS be the one left behind.
There's no coin toss, it was just a lie. Considering how this idea works, it's just a copy/paste, not a cut/paste. You're just storing their memories from that moment, and creating another entity completely, the game also plays with this idea in the beginning by making you think it's a 50/50 that you "won" twice, when in reality they're just putting you, the player, in the eyes of the new entity for continuity's sake.
Yes... I feel like not everyone grasps the fact that a living conciousness is always left behind. It's like being a parent: your child isn't where your life continues, but something you inherit for the future. You are two completely separate entities and therefore, there is no such thing as hypotheses of continuity, because there isn't any continuity between two individuals, who are separate from oneanother. So, the coin toss isn't accurate and is a lie. There isn't any statistical chance that you'd be ending up in a new body, because you are the entity you already are as you exist and you'll keep existing as the same entity until your inevitable demise. The copy of your consciousness is inherited the same way your genes are inherited (though not copied) when you reproduce (though with slight variation with humans, sincee we aren't clones but an amalgamation of genes fron two biological heirs)
Also good to mention that there was never a coin toss nor a transfer of conciousness. When a conciousness is copied, there are 2 identical conciousness and you are still the original you were, it just created a copy that will remember all you were before the scan, but you will always wake up in the original body. The reason why on Omicron Simon wakes up in new body is purely because of the narative of the game, it wouldn't progress further otherwise.
There is a coin toss, metaphorically speaking. Will you be the lucky one and be the copy? Or the original that stays in the same place? You will know once the transference begins. The lucky one will feel like he was teleported to the new body, as if his soul was moved without much problem. The unlucky one... well. We know.
@@FrutoVT no, the whole concept of the coin toss is based in the inability of the scientists to determine if the original conciousness moved to begin with, the game makes it clear that there was never a 50% 50% in the end, the first transfer is for gameplay continuity
An interesting discussion on the coin toss, and I’m glad there’s a discussion going on. I read this before writing the video and it formed a lot of the basis for the coin toss theory somagame.com/item-4520.html
@@andresmunoz6356 i'm not so sure about this tho? Because why would we as the player first be able to transfer with our character to the next body, but not to the arc? - And let's not get down the rabbit hole of "for storytelling", because they couldve easely done something with this storytelling-wise in the game.
SOMA is about humans not being able to see past our own individual existence. Katherine knew the whole time that if Simon didn't think there was a chance he would be the one to board the ARC he most likely would not have bothered to launch it. As manipulative as this was, I don't blame her for it.
@@JasonBoyce the part i dont like is how she flat out knew but didnt tell him and give him a weapon to end himself, how am i appose to feel anything but she is a cold person who would screw over anyone cuz "Any normal person would refuse to help if they knew" It doesnt matter if he was already doomed, she hides the truth and just so happens to get off scott free... very "convient" for her and her "please feel sorry for me" story
@@Subject_Keter You do realise shes quite literally in the same boat as him? She didn't get off if she hadn't broken she would've been stuck at the bottom of the ocean with him which is clearly a sacrifice she was willing to make. She ensured that humanity in some form managed to survive all simon did was whine and think himself. She knew that she would be stuck and could still think about the bigger picture theres nothing more selfless than that.
This was one of the most depressing games i've ever played. Especially during my second playthrough. I took the time to digest every bit of the story. And it made my soul hurt.
@@triratna1397 What does soul mean in Hebrew? nephesh Description. We explore the Hebrew word "nephesh" that often gets translated as "soul." The English word usually refers to a non-material essence of a human that survives after death, but nephesh means something different. It is referring to humans as living, breathing, physical beings, or just to life itself.Nov 9, 2017
I finished this game the same night I was to move states away to a new home. I didn't sleep that night and had a major existential crisis, lol. Apart from that, this game was so good, but it isn't so great for those that can't handle heavy emotional/mental/moral predicaments... The end with Simon being all alone really did break me as I imagined myself in that situation.
Thank you so much for covering lore from SOMA. Soma is really good at existential and philosophical horror. The story is the best part of the game and each time I remember it, I always start thinking about the concept of copying conciousness and the ARK drifting in space in depth.
When we hear the other Simon confused I was totally gutted. The ending was even worse when Catherine breaks and Simon is all alone at the bottom of the ocean. Both were such mindfucks that still stick heavily with me all these years later. What a masterpiece of storytelling/world building.
I just came back to this video after I don’t even know how many years. Still sticks with me that he’s all alone at the bottom of the ocean. 10/10 game.
Horror is a genre that fits so well in Video Game format; imo, it’s the best way to enjoy the genre. When you play a game, you automatically identify as your character. That’s why you get irritated when you die or lose. But when something approaches your character in the game, you don’t think “That scary thing is going to kill my video game character,” you think, “That scary thing is going to kill ME.” This automatic tendency to identify with your character gives video games a leg up on many other entertainment genres and mediums, but it does so especially with horror. Video games are like a roller coaster for your brain. Horror video games are a roller coaster into hell. Your vids are good. I like them.
So I know it's not a popular position to take but I'm with the WAU on this one. It seems utterly delusional to me to call a few dozen brain scans in a pod floating in orbit in the vain hope that an alien species picks it up and somehow resurrects humanity before the pod runs out of power or gets hit by something the "future of humanity". At least the WAU was trying something. Simon was fully conscious, independent from the WAU, mentally stable (considering his situation), capable of individual thought and emotion, and genuinely believed himself to be human, so it seems like the WAU actually was refining its work and getting close to the kind of body that could carry the human legacy even on an utterly destroyed planet, which I believe to be a much better solution than the Ark.
I agree, but the other WAU creations did attack Simon so it's not a perfect plan. But yes, the WAU had forcibly created a new evolution of humanity that could continue to exist. However, I see nothing wrong with the ARK either. One is a potential solution in the physical present and the other is a non-physical solution. I don't think the WAU actually would have had a problem with it if not for the people killing themselves afterwards. Which directly conflicted with its intentions and goal.
I will say I think it is still fair that considering the lack of understanding that anyone at the time had, choosing to not let the WAU have the arc, and launching it is still fair. Because we can only really guess what the WAU is thinking because it is a general AI that is so far out of its depth and clearly not intelligent in the typical human sense.
I disagree wholeheartedly. The WAU is not sentient. Sentience implies self-preservation, yet it did absolutely nothing to stop Ross and Simon from waltzing into Alpha and killing it.(No, the Leviathan does not count, since it only showed up after Simon kills the WAU if you chose to kill the WAU). If the WAU was controlling the Leviathan and it showed up when it did in order to protect the WAU, then the WAU wouldn't have made such an elementary mistake of screwing up the timing of its arrival. The WAU is merely a program with a specific goal, and just because it is capable of coming up with solutions to unforeseen problems on its own does not in itself demonstrate sentience. The WAU is not a master architect. It did not build any of the facilities of Pathos-Il - they were around long before the WAU showed up. It didn't build any of the machinery that makes up its core functions, either. The only thing that it did build was the Vivarium, and even that point is shrouded in skepticism. Beyond that, the most complex physical thing the WAU ever made were the mishmash of nightmare-fuel life support systems made from scraps that keep various people "alive" which is hardly the infrastructure needed to build a global factory world. The WAU is not experimenting. It's easy to look at the monsters and think that it's getting "better" at making new humans, but if you look at the chronological timeline of what monsters were created and when, there is no clear line of progression. For example, if it figured out how to take living humans and keep them sane and functional with Ross, then why is Yoshida a monster despite being made after? The WAU does not care about human welfare or sustainability. It is fully satisfied with keeping them in a state that can be called living using the loosest of definitions. That's why it left Amy Azzaro in a state where she was alive but in mortal agony. It's why all the people in the dream state are withering away. It's why the vast majority of Mockingbirds were left to their insanity with no help, even in the form of a mercy killing. The WAU is not a future planner. If it was, it would've known that the massacre at Omicron was not in any way to its favor. It killed one or two dozen people just to stop one person when it could've easily waited to kill Herber on the elevator, at Tau, at Alpha, or at any point in between and, in doing so, incurred far fewer casualties. As such, the WAU is entirely reactionary, and with all humans either dead or enslaved there is virtually nothing left for it to react to. So people saying that it will continue to make more Mockingbirds to the point that they will take over the world is being optimistic to the point of foolishness. And finally, the WAU is not magic. There is not an infinite supply of structure gel or robot parts in Pathos-ll. Eventually the WAU will run out of components, at which point it will be unable to do anything at all, and will effectively be dead in the water (both literally and figuratively). The Simons will eventually break down as well, with their existence being entirely dependent on finite batteries and decaying bodies. There is no future where the WAU is concerned. Humanity is dead, barring their survival or resurgence elsewhere in the world. The ARK is the BEST hope, not because it offers a second chance at life, but because it's the best way to preserve the memory of the human species. PERIODT.
I remember first playing this "experience" as I call it. To me this is surpasses anything called a game in my book. It's the only time I can ever recall in which afterwards I really sat down and thought about everything that happened. I'm honestly surprised this hasn't been adapted into a film.
I love horror games that actually have a hidden depth to the story. Outlast was the same for me with every note I read helping me to understand what was going on until I got to the end and was absolutely mindf*cked 😂
This wouldn't work as a film. Because all of the little decisions we make throughout the game make us think. They are YOUR decisions. In a movie it would be the screenwriters decisions, and would have nowhere near enough of an impact on the viewer
Soma is such a refreshing sci-fi premise, i love the concepts with which the characters/player had to struggle and how the ending isnt just a happy ending but continous the themes of the game
No, Simon 4 thinks he won the coin toss, likely. He likely doesn't realize there's another Simon alone at the bottom of the ocean. But his voice when he says "I can't believe we made it" suggests he knows and just doesn't want to say it. Catharines voice definitely says she knows they're still down there when she says "well .. we did."
Wow, fantastic to see that in 2022 there's still talk about this game. One of the most fantastic games I've played from last decade. Also, it's been 7 years. I think it's worth a replay
after thinking about what it means to be human, ive come to the same conclusion Descartes did, "i think therefore i am". coming to this it felt pretty trivial to me in a way; it doesnt matter how many of "yous" there is, the current you IS you, just dont overthink it. furthermore i would like to say that rather than what it means to be "human", it should be what it means to be a "person"; to think, to feel and all that, the body shouldnt matter in that prospect i reckon. since ive solved my own personal existential dilemma time for another dilemma, should the WAU be kept alive? i think yes, sure the WAU made abominations but it also had "successful" attempts: for example Catherine, Simon and Ross to an extent and they are afaik its most recent attempts too. now you would argue that its still making horrific creations, but id also argue that anything that isnt human looking is horrific because thats our in built instincts to fear other creatures, and its clouding our judgement on the WAUs works because though its still flawed, i think it is essentially creating "life" forms suited to deal with the current environment, if life from flesh cant survive then make it out of metal kind of way, because im quite sure evolution will come up with something either way, no matter if it looks like monsters or not. after saying all that im starting to think that the WAU is a better legacy then the ark minus all the monsters of course but its working on that.
As someone who struggles with night-extending existential panic attacks on a weekly basis, this game functioned as a great outlet to express and understand these feelings. I was hoping to gain something new from this video, but mostly found myself reliving the philosophical nightmare that is this game's narrative. Fantastic lore break-down, and can't wait for the potential follow-up!
I hope it gets better. Panic attacks are the worst :( and adding a layer of existencial crisis and philosophy Can really mess you up…or at least in my personal experience is not a good combo. Anyway i send you support
@@cottonpop8834 Appreciate it a lot. They really are a trouble, and I'm glad I've been actually handling them better and they are reserved to night time thought sessions for myself; I feel for those who suffer more and on a more frequent basis, as it's not an enjoyable experience. We all need the support and understanding in our most trying times, even in the most seemingly minor ways.
@@WolfyTheDark How old are you? I would like to say it gets better as you age mainly because you get busier with things but those thoughts never go away, but you find better ways to deal with them.
@@XxIcedecknightxX It was certainly a tad worse at a younger age, especially dealing with grasps on religion. But now well into my 20s it has gotten easier to rationalize these issues and distract myself and focus on things that matter. It's still a lingering dread that, while everyone struggles, is almost irrationally haunting to me. These episodes do generally manifest during stressful periods (such as finals) when I'm usually alone with my thoughts and concerns. I'm just hopeful that everyone with similar issues can also move past them.
I'm 35 and Soma is still the best game I have EVER played. Nothing even comes close to it, let alone touch it. This is what gaming should be like. I can't play it all the time, it's not meant to be like that, but I play it at least once every single year ever since it came out. My jaw ends up on the floor every single time and my throat closes up when Catherine breaks at the end. Especially if you shut down Simon 3 and you realize you truly are alone on the entire dead planet. This game is haunting to the best extreme sense of that word.
@@ccvtzvdv I did play it and the story doesn't even touch the surface of SOMA, let alone the depths. Compared to SOMA, Bioshock's story isn't even superficial. It's nonexistent.
Watching the video made me realise that just watching the ending doesn't give the same feeling of dread and loneliness as playing it. Cathrine finally breaking and leaving Simon all alone in the dark really did a number on me. I remember listening to Simon call out to Cathrine then getting the credits. I couldn't believe it would actually end like this. Seeing Simon 4 and Cath on the ark was a good thing but I couldn't stop thinking about the other Simon all alone in the dark. What will he do? Will he break himself maybe crippling himself forever to be stuck down there? Will he try to get topside and see the scorched earth? Maybe wait for the TAU to take over and make it's hellish paradise (I did not kill the TAU) None of the options were good and still I wouldn't want it any other way. This ending simply was the best
I mean ultimately, we would never really "know" what is consciousness. Just like the Ship of Theseus, if all the parts of the ship gets replaced gradually, is it still the same ship? For humans, it takes 7-10 years for every cell to get replaced... but are we still the same person? Is the you now, different from the you 7-10 years ago? Going further, if you believe in "spirits", where does the human spirit lie? Is it in the brain? The heart? What if you get an injury to the brain / heart, and it gets replaced, do you still have the same spirit? Even just sticking to human consciousness, don't you find it scary how people can "lose" consciousness? Like, think of people with dementia / schizophrenia, other mental diseases. Have a stroke and then something just goes wrong with your brain? Before you were a normal human being, and now you're an entirely different person. Get lobotomized... normal, to vegetable. At that point, are you still the same you? To me, much like what happens in the game... if the me "now" isn't the same as the me "before", then it doesn't really matter? I mean, he may have the same name etc. etc. but that's not "me". What happens to the me "NOW" is what I care about. So you can imagine what I felt in deciding what to do with the Simon that was sleeping, or whether I'd feel good if I was the Simon stuck on Earth, even though there's a Simon in paradise.
All these questions were already asked - and many were answered already by modern Psychology. Psychology, in case you don't know, is the study of the Psyche - the 'soul.' You don't have to ask questions we already have the answer to. -Despite cells being slowly changed out, we maintain a stream of consciousness as the colony of cells known as an organism (think human, or dog) lives on. The organism ("we") persists. -Our "soul" exists in the brain - as does our consciousness. Hypothetically "you" could live on without your body...as long as the brain is intact and sustained. Change out arms, legs, even the entire body - as long as the brain is intact, it's still a human consciousness. -People fear what they don't understand - and those of us alive have always existed. On death, our consciousness simply ceases to exist (I suspect - depending on manner of death - it's more of a 'fade to black and bliss,' judging by chemicals released by the brain upon expiration). And that is terrifying to most people. -There is no evidence of a 'soul' or 'spirit' - and claims of the existence of such predate, by far, modern medical understanding of the brain as the source of our consciousness. It's not surprising that people cling to beliefs of an immortal soul that exists outside of your body upon expiration, rather than facing the harsh reality that life is fleeting - and that that very temporary nature is what makes life so beautiful and precious. These questions were especially brought to light by the case of Phineas Gage - I'm sure you've heard of him. Quiet, respectful man - until a tamping iron was shot through his skull, damaging part of his brain - most notably the frontal lobe, to which at least partially our judgment is attributed (the brain is a bit more complex than that, but I'm no neurosurgeon). After the incident, his personality was altered - he was short-tempered, unpleasant, given to rage and the drink. You could always look it up if you'd like to actually find answers though...but ultimately people will have to either learn to come to peace with reality and their own frailty, or continue to live in ignorant bliss - only to eventually freak out, like those believers in the Continuity, as reality crashes against their delusions.
You are the sum of your experience and your soul is created by the complete object that is your conscious existence, maybe youll get lucky and be able to take it with you.
@@archibaldt.6 you make a good point but there's a big difference between belief and faith than ignorance, I'm not trying to change your mind but having faith that there's something better, something more meaningful than just dying and fading into nothing, some people think there's no way things can just appear out of nothing, that all this life and matter cannot just be here for nothing, that something must've created it, there's too many thoughts and questions in life to honestly care about all this, we live out our lives and do what we wanna do, life is complicated but it's the simple things that make life worth living, so who knows what happens when we die, but don't completely write down people's beliefs and faith as ignorance to the real truth, because in the end no one has the answer, a great quote by Neil deGrasse Tyson is "The universe is under no obligation to make sense to you." it's a great quote because in the end we humans like to make things make sense, and we like to understand things, and some things we will understand but in the end we won't understand everything, so live life your way, don't put people down as ignorance, because honestly maybe religion is bs, who knows but it's faith in that religion that keeps you going
Thank you for this video, I actually found new information with the precise reason behind why Catherine lied and broke after the results. I always thought it was along the lines of lying to Simon to avoid him just throwing away this chance and breaking due to stress only.
Imo that makes her a monster... atleast try to put the third verison out of his Misery but she condeems him to almosy worst then death cuz she was selfish? Also if i saw how it left the previous verison of "me" when we copied bodies, I would if flat out stopped. Call me evil but she is way worst morally.
Just recently subbed. I see alot of "explained" channels. But to summarize the first half then break down parts of the story is a really great style of analysis.
Also Gameological Dig did a great thorough Lore info that is like 6 parts I believe. He really goes indepth on the event that happens in the game from the start -end. UwU
I think a sequel would work if you played as Simon-3 left at the bottom on Tau, who's mission it is to reunite with Simon-2 and climb back to the surface platform site (can't remember the name). You'd explore some untouched parts of pathos II with the ultimate goal of reaching the surface and taking one last look at the remains of planet earth. It'd be a bleak game where you know the ending is bad before you even start the journey. But I feel like it'd be fitting for SOMA.
i miss the old days where game studio would strive to create new inavative game with interesting storys and characters but now thats a rarity thank you for covering games like these it reminds me about those games that made me feel somthing
I recently watched a lot of your videos, and even though I never played some of the games that you reviewed as I usually get bad dreams after playing a horror game, this video is the most bone chilling so far. This is not ghost horror or Chtulhu scale horror, this is the ultimate Existential Horror. Just watching the plot summary made me got goosebumps.
This game destroyed my heart for a couple of weeks when I had finished it after it's release. Now this video did the same thing. The story is so thought provoking and deep.
4:42 Thats not the headless body of a staff member, that machine straight up twisted its head off. Thats why you see a lot of blood dripping down from the helmet.
There was no head to twist off, when Herber’s black box detonated with everyone else’s at Omnicron, she had the helmet on and locked, which contained the blast. Whatever was left was a liquified soup that came running out when the helmet’s seal was undone.
SOMA is my all time favourite game story. Such a depressingly existential yet though provoking take on the apocalypse. One of those few games that my mind was re-playing for weeks after I'd finished it.
soma is my favorite story in gaming hands down. and while i could imagine it being told in another medium, i genuinely think it's best presented as a game. so much of it comes from having Simon's perspective.
Ahh, SOMA, probably one of if not my favorite Horror Game nice recap on this one also that moment when he first says: "Why was it still talking?" and then again asks: "Catherine, why was he still talking?" like the impact and the realization came to him a second after he spoke the words
THANK YOU. it’s driving me insane that people are saying the coin toss idea is up for debate, it’s pretty explicitly created as simon trying to (incorrectly) grapple with his situation and catherine reluctantly trying to work with him on understanding.
I really appreciate trigger warnings. I’m quite old now and when I was younger and more uncontrolled, I’d have some minor or major freak outs when have viewed certain material. There weren’t trigger warnings back then and you’d only get made fun of for saying that you were bothered by it. The short message warning of things that can bring up dangerous feelings in one’s self is unbelievably helpful and I feel not appreciated for what it is. Sorry my comment is not about the game. Thank you Gaming Harry for including them in some of your videos
@@germanperalta4078 eh. In one way or another, my comment doesn’t matter and I’m fine with that. It’s more of a thank you to GamingHarry. There aren’t enough people saying thank you as there are people making useless comments.
Yeah but it would be hard to adapt it to films, and may flop like Flatliners. It would need an incredibly good script and great direction. No one makes Psychological horror movies these days, a lot were made lot in 90s and early 2000s. But , i would love to see this game adopted into a film
I stumbled on your Lore & Order series a few days ago and have loved watching the vids on games that I’ve already beaten! Good recap on games I haven’t played in awhile and makes me super nostalgic to play these games again!
The idea of this game reminds me of the hypothesis of human teleportation, that you are disintegrated at one site and reconstructed at the other site, did you teleport or just died and the "new you" at the other side is just a copy?
@@xanmontes8715There was never a coin toss. Only digital copies could ever be created. Simon in the abyss was never going to enter the ark. Only his copy. That's why at the start of the game, he says, "people used to believe that cameras would steal your soul". Or something similar. This was the whole root of soma.
Love your Lore & Order playlist. Soma was def a great game, i cant believe i wait so long to rip. i love game where you feel helpless and you gotta use your wits and perfect timing to get away
As someone that just finished the game today, I was on her side from pretty much the start. When we transferred in to the heavier Simon3 suit (I was totally expecting Ross to Ninja into Simon 2's body). Did have the initial "OH shit" its just a copy, once I learned we were "transferring" to the Ark I knew I was staying behind was just glad to see that upload in-time. REALLY hated his rage and felt so bad for Catherine being berated again. You both made it on the ARK, achieved your goal and (I chose to poison the WAU). Just be happy with each others company for the time you have in Phi site.
Thank you so much for your Lore & Order series, I love to watch the Story Explained videos you make because I'm too much of a jumpscare baby to play the games 😂😅 I've seen a few other gaming streams/game plays you've done on your channel of games I'm interested in knowing the story behind them. If you have the time to see if you are able to make story-explained videos on them (maybe use the footage you already have from game plays you did?) I'd appreciate the consideration. I'll still watch regardless. Here's a list of the ones I noticed didn't have Story Explained vids: -The Horror of the Deep -Those Who Remain -The Complex -Carrion -Maid of Sker -The Park -Monstrum -The Child's Sight -Infliction -Rise of insanity -Red Bow -Dont knock Twice -From the Darkness -Lunch Lady
"If you have a short attention span or if you don't like reading notes in games, which is probably why 90% of you watch this channel..." HEY!!! I also like the good conclusions and summary and editing!
This channel makes me want to try horror games again. Usually I can’t play the because 1) they’re too anxiety inducing, and 2) my instincts in such a situation are *anything* but do what the game is wanting me to do, and it just ruins it for me. But I didn’t realize how many of the games have AMAZING stories, and I’m aaaaallll about that shit. I’ll definitely have to suck it up and play some of these just to experience that level of writing and plot. Loved this story!!
I could watch SOMA videos all day. Yours is high quality, and a great description of what happened and why. Very nice! Such a one of a kind game, haven’t found a game quite like it in the sense of the questions it leaves you with at the end. Although I do wish the endings were switched. Would have been even more of a gut punch, had they been.
The first time i was having this kind of philosophy existential crisis when i watched "Sixth Day" movie. One of the scene was the antagonist were dying and he hurriedly clone himself. The clone is imperfect, yet he's being relaxed, leisurely took a gun and kill his "older clone". He isn't the "real" one, yet behave like one, and mercilessly kill his clone (a human being, a frickin himself but different body), and thinking it's like in Friday. SOMA deliver this kind of thought, way more deeper than the movie. Which is awesome and grim
Still the best horror game I’ve ever played. The lore, atmosphere, plot twist, and ending were perfect. Amazing take on existence horror and the philosophical question of what a human is and whether copies of the same person should be treated as individuals. The “coin toss” is just a simple lie to try and relieve the stress of the fact that you’ll lose and win at the same time no matter what. Maybe I’m just simple minded but I have no problem with the concept of copying myself and having my copy live on while I die. It’s better than the alternative
But it isn't a lie! Is it a technical truth. The scanned mind has the memories from before the scan as well, thus making it the metaphorical winner of the scan. Granted, since all the humans are originals, they are never going to win the cointoss themselves but their copies did. Thus the question that my doctoral thesis is based on: Would you rather know you were a copy or just believe you won the cointoss?
Theres no real "antagonist" in the story, just beings put into impossible situations of which morals and reasoning go out of the window. The outcome of the ark should've been made obvious to Simon after he copied his brain and had to choose to eliminate the original. But his human nature forced him to spend a majority of the game in denial, he even refused to accept that he himself was an AI, even after seeing himself in a robot body. But in my opinion thats the beauty of Simons character. I love how the game offers choices to the player, not to effect the outcome of the game, but to impose a moral dilemma onto the player of existence and what it means to be alive. Simons reaction to his surroundings were the most human interpretation of grief and trauma I've ever seen in a video game. Specifically his dialogue with Sarah and the ending sequence. There was a point that I forgot Simon was just a video game character because the interpretation of his character was so believable.
System Shock 2 started this genre for me as a child. Alien isolation was the most intense game which I am proud to finish, STALKER Is a different type of survival but also amazing. I have played several other type games not worth mention. PREY blew my mind on PC and also PS5. Now i have come across SOMA today (I know few years too late) but wow. The physics in this game are beautiful. One thing I love about any survival game is the ability to interact with objects or anything, I can literally look around for an hour in one area, SOMA probably does this the most out of any game I have played except the fact you never have a weapon on SOMA you must hide and use basic stealth to survive which I find realistic. The atmosphere really feels like you are in the game and at complete vulnerablity
Questions: 1. What destroyed the communication dome in Upsilon site? 2. When did each Phatos-II's personnel died? To be more precise, how many hours/days/months since the MC's arrival at their corpse's location? 3. How long did Linda have to wait until MC meets her? Also, how could she able to urinate or defecate in that state? Why- type of questions: 1. Why did they have lab rats readily available? 2. Why didn't the Phatos-II's personnel try to venture and reclaim the surface? I suppose they'd need to secure their base from the WAU first. 3. Why didn't MC's hand get crushed like a tin can at >4000 meters underwater?
Honestly, the first playthrough, I didnt understand everything to a hundred percent but after a while I did This just made my understanding more deeper To think, one day, I am very certain, Humanity will do this because this is what we are Hopefully not dou, but yet again, I cant say anything because I wont be alive by then HAHAHAHAHA
I always thought that Catherine dies after the Ark is launched because Simon poisoned the WAU meaning it was slowly dying and would eventually stop working. The omnitool was infused with structure gel and so was Catherine's chip so I thought that because the WAU finally died the machines/humans it had been providing life support to also would die. I'm not sure about one hand Simon's fate because Johan Ross says that Simon also needs to be destroyed to make sure WAU stays dead forever because he's immune to the new formula. So I'm not sure if that means Simon is able to survive after killing the original WAU because he contains a new version or not.
The only problem is in the fight killing Catherine. They could copy everyone, shoot up the ark and then work on a secondary ark at the deep sea station.
Well everyone did suffer through all that hellish nightmare and had to go through a selef realization that they arent human. I think they rather all give up in trying to fix what they have and instead go with something new and peace to keep the illusion that they are real. Some people just can't handle that they died and the ones that remain are just Shadows of their former self.
Or even better, make copies like Simon, fully humanoid in diving suits and not random weird robots. Usable so that they could rebuild and live their lives with some sort of normality.
This is one of my favorite games ever, and experiencing the story for the first time was one of the most depressing things I've experienced. Truly masterful story and great game team Edit: You explain the story very well.
I think that the concept of a coin toss was a lie created by the staff so that patients of conscience scans wouldn’t have some existential crisis breakdown. Every time Simon was copied his conscience also stayed on the old body as well. The video game continues the plot by switching Simon’s perspective to the body that’s carrying out the latest tasks but the reality is that the real Simon died hundreds of years ago in his original body and the majority of the game is being played by different scans of his conscience which all exist simultaneously and independently of one another. The only one that got a happy ending was the one on the ARK, the other two will languish in dead body diving suits for the foreseeable future.
I've heard of Soma from Zygart's video essay of it, and honestly, I don't think it can be beaten. (Disclaimer that I typed this before fully watching.) But still honestly, any "explanation" of Soma is a good watch nonetheless because of how good it is. And the fact that you make good videos, I'mma say this is above just a worthwhile watch. Cheers Harry.
This game is wild and I’ve never played it my thalassophobia doesn’t allow me to play any game that takes place in the ocean but the concept of copying your consciousnesses is insanely terrifying
Very well done, I know the coin flip is up for debate, but one of my favorite things about this game. Is how much it makes you think. Are we really our conscious, or are we more than that? Are we just our memories? And if so do we stop being who we are when we forget. Could we just be replace with someone with eh same memories. Conscious has always been a super interesting topic. Little is actually known. There's also those black mirror episodes that dable on the subject.
Fun! These ideas have been around in Sci-Fi for a long time, though not too much in main stream fiction. Take that Star Trek teleports, for instance. The teleporter scans you, breaks you down to energy, "beams" that energy to the destination and (somehow) reassembles you... without the aid of local hardware! Presumably you are "beamed" in some sort of holographic patterns that, through constructive interference, collapses back into particles... But no matter how it's done, the real question is why? Why bother breaking you into energy, which would be a massive amount to store and transmit, when the pattern alone could be transmitted and used to reassemble you with energy created by breaking down local rocks or something. Of course, the answer is "for television", because the idea of making and abandoning copies of oneself all over the place is rather disconcerting. But in some harder sci-fi, the matter is faced directly, and one sells a copy of oneself to fly off at the speed of light, only to materialize on some distance world far in the future where they are stuck in whatever situation made their buyer buy them.
Without all the philosophical questions/thoughts , this is basically a dark fairytale. Escape from the distopia world and live happy and forever in a utopia as Adam and Eva to start all over again with endless possibilities. Great explanation tho👍
Such a brilliant story, and pretty great game. Reminded me of stories like "Jonathon Livingston Seagull" by Richard Bach. Which I read in high school. Really helped me think outside of myself. The choices were at first observation simple, but as the game progressed. The outcomes of those choices made them much more important as the story progressed. The ending was perfect.
The Coin Flip - somagame.com/item-4520.html
What does it mean to be human to be the first
I believe the coin flip was fabricated by Catherine to give people false hope and encourage participation. Because people wouldn’t want to participate if they knew for sure their consciousness wouldn’t actually transfer, and they’d still be stuck. Plus, if there really was a coin flip, why not just copy yourself multiple times until you became the “new” conscious?
Catherine tries very hard to explain why the coin toss "theory" is bullshit, but our boi Simon never learns!
What about continuum theory
Just say you damed
From what I could understand from the game, the coin toss theory was a lie made up by Catherine for people who didn't understand how the scanning works, so they would keep working on the ARC project. They thought the process would be cut and paste, like ones in other sci-fi fiction, instead of copy and paste. In reality, you will ALWAYS be the one left behind.
This is also what I think. Because if it really was 50/50, why not just keep copying yourself until you really did become the “new” conscious
She's so manipulative lol, I agree
There's no coin toss, it was just a lie. Considering how this idea works, it's just a copy/paste, not a cut/paste. You're just storing their memories from that moment, and creating another entity completely, the game also plays with this idea in the beginning by making you think it's a 50/50 that you "won" twice, when in reality they're just putting you, the player, in the eyes of the new entity for continuity's sake.
Yes... I feel like not everyone grasps the fact that a living conciousness is always left behind. It's like being a parent: your child isn't where your life continues, but something you inherit for the future. You are two completely separate entities and therefore, there is no such thing as hypotheses of continuity, because there isn't any continuity between two individuals, who are separate from oneanother.
So, the coin toss isn't accurate and is a lie. There isn't any statistical chance that you'd be ending up in a new body, because you are the entity you already are as you exist and you'll keep existing as the same entity until your inevitable demise. The copy of your consciousness is inherited the same way your genes are inherited (though not copied) when you reproduce (though with slight variation with humans, sincee we aren't clones but an amalgamation of genes fron two biological heirs)
@@ElamankokemuksenasiantuntijaI like the way you explained it by using a child and a parent
Also good to mention that there was never a coin toss nor a transfer of conciousness. When a conciousness is copied, there are 2 identical conciousness and you are still the original you were, it just created a copy that will remember all you were before the scan, but you will always wake up in the original body. The reason why on Omicron Simon wakes up in new body is purely because of the narative of the game, it wouldn't progress further otherwise.
Well couldn't you say that the one in the new suit was the copy, and just thought he was the original?
There is a coin toss, metaphorically speaking. Will you be the lucky one and be the copy? Or the original that stays in the same place? You will know once the transference begins. The lucky one will feel like he was teleported to the new body, as if his soul was moved without much problem. The unlucky one... well. We know.
@@FrutoVT no, the whole concept of the coin toss is based in the inability of the scientists to determine if the original conciousness moved to begin with, the game makes it clear that there was never a 50% 50% in the end, the first transfer is for gameplay continuity
An interesting discussion on the coin toss, and I’m glad there’s a discussion going on. I read this before writing the video and it formed a lot of the basis for the coin toss theory somagame.com/item-4520.html
@@andresmunoz6356 i'm not so sure about this tho? Because why would we as the player first be able to transfer with our character to the next body, but not to the arc? - And let's not get down the rabbit hole of "for storytelling", because they couldve easely done something with this storytelling-wise in the game.
Don't forget that Simon's scan was used as a template for (who knows how many) experiments and test simulations.
SOMA is about humans not being able to see past our own individual existence. Katherine knew the whole time that if Simon didn't think there was a chance he would be the one to board the ARC he most likely would not have bothered to launch it. As manipulative as this was, I don't blame her for it.
Still evil of her, doomed the guy cuz she knew that anyone in his shoes would of flat out said no even her.
@@Subject_Keter Not evil. It's not like they were better off without the ARC anyway, so I don't see that as much of a choice to begin with.
@@Subject_Keter to be fair he was doomed the second he woke up
@@JasonBoyce the part i dont like is how she flat out knew but didnt tell him and give him a weapon to end himself, how am i appose to feel anything but she is a cold person who would screw over anyone cuz "Any normal person would refuse to help if they knew"
It doesnt matter if he was already doomed, she hides the truth and just so happens to get off scott free... very "convient" for her and her "please feel sorry for me" story
@@Subject_Keter You do realise shes quite literally in the same boat as him? She didn't get off if she hadn't broken she would've been stuck at the bottom of the ocean with him which is clearly a sacrifice she was willing to make.
She ensured that humanity in some form managed to survive all simon did was whine and think himself. She knew that she would be stuck and could still think about the bigger picture theres nothing more selfless than that.
This was one of the most depressing games i've ever played. Especially during my second playthrough. I took the time to digest every bit of the story. And it made my soul hurt.
I recomend playing Darkwood for more depressing story ;)
The most delusional game i ever played too oh this is just a game of ridiculous idealogy.. it us not about human but ai development
excuse me, what is soul?
@@triratna1397 What does soul mean in Hebrew?
nephesh
Description. We explore the Hebrew word "nephesh" that often gets translated as "soul." The English word usually refers to a non-material essence of a human that survives after death, but nephesh means something different. It is referring to humans as living, breathing, physical beings, or just to life itself.Nov 9, 2017
I finished this game the same night I was to move states away to a new home. I didn't sleep that night and had a major existential crisis, lol. Apart from that, this game was so good, but it isn't so great for those that can't handle heavy emotional/mental/moral predicaments... The end with Simon being all alone really did break me as I imagined myself in that situation.
Thank you so much for covering lore from SOMA. Soma is really good at existential and philosophical horror. The story is the best part of the game and each time I remember it, I always start thinking about the concept of copying conciousness and the ARK drifting in space in depth.
Have you seen Zygarts introspective on the game?
I always think about being the one left alive, no matter what you do, at least one version of you will stay behind.
That's fucking soul crushing lol
When we hear the other Simon confused I was totally gutted. The ending was even worse when Catherine breaks and Simon is all alone at the bottom of the ocean. Both were such mindfucks that still stick heavily with me all these years later. What a masterpiece of storytelling/world building.
I just came back to this video after I don’t even know how many years. Still sticks with me that he’s all alone at the bottom of the ocean. 10/10 game.
@@NickVillecco I finished the game last weekend for the first time and I can't stop thinking about it.
Horror is a genre that fits so well in Video Game format; imo, it’s the best way to enjoy the genre. When you play a game, you automatically identify as your character. That’s why you get irritated when you die or lose. But when something approaches your character in the game, you don’t think “That scary thing is going to kill my video game character,” you think, “That scary thing is going to kill ME.” This automatic tendency to identify with your character gives video games a leg up on many other entertainment genres and mediums, but it does so especially with horror. Video games are like a roller coaster for your brain. Horror video games are a roller coaster into hell.
Your vids are good. I like them.
As depressing and soul crushing the ending was, it still felt like the real way to end the game.
Because it's realistic thats why I love the ending
I just finished this game 5 minutes ago and holy crap this was one of the best and most unique games I've ever played.
So I know it's not a popular position to take but I'm with the WAU on this one. It seems utterly delusional to me to call a few dozen brain scans in a pod floating in orbit in the vain hope that an alien species picks it up and somehow resurrects humanity before the pod runs out of power or gets hit by something the "future of humanity". At least the WAU was trying something. Simon was fully conscious, independent from the WAU, mentally stable (considering his situation), capable of individual thought and emotion, and genuinely believed himself to be human, so it seems like the WAU actually was refining its work and getting close to the kind of body that could carry the human legacy even on an utterly destroyed planet, which I believe to be a much better solution than the Ark.
YES! it took me so long to find someone who has the same thoughts on this as i did, but ive finally found a kindred spirit
I agree, but the other WAU creations did attack Simon so it's not a perfect plan. But yes, the WAU had forcibly created a new evolution of humanity that could continue to exist.
However, I see nothing wrong with the ARK either. One is a potential solution in the physical present and the other is a non-physical solution. I don't think the WAU actually would have had a problem with it if not for the people killing themselves afterwards. Which directly conflicted with its intentions and goal.
@@clueless_cutie they were the first creations though. it didn't know what it was doing at that time.
I will say I think it is still fair that considering the lack of understanding that anyone at the time had, choosing to not let the WAU have the arc, and launching it is still fair. Because we can only really guess what the WAU is thinking because it is a general AI that is so far out of its depth and clearly not intelligent in the typical human sense.
I disagree wholeheartedly. The WAU is not sentient. Sentience implies self-preservation, yet it did absolutely nothing to stop Ross and Simon from waltzing into Alpha and killing it.(No, the Leviathan does not count, since it only showed up after Simon kills the WAU if you chose to kill the WAU). If the WAU was controlling the Leviathan and it showed up when it did in order to protect the WAU, then the WAU wouldn't have made such an elementary mistake of screwing up the timing of its arrival. The WAU is merely a program with a specific goal, and just because it is capable of coming up with solutions to unforeseen problems on its own does not in itself demonstrate sentience. The WAU is not a master architect. It did not build any of the facilities of Pathos-Il - they were around long before the WAU showed up. It didn't build any of the machinery that makes up its core functions, either. The only thing that it did build was the Vivarium, and even that point is shrouded in skepticism. Beyond that, the most complex physical thing the WAU ever made were the mishmash of nightmare-fuel life support systems made from scraps that keep various people "alive" which is hardly the infrastructure needed to build a global factory world. The WAU is not experimenting. It's easy to look at the monsters and think that it's getting "better" at making new humans, but if you look at the chronological timeline of what monsters were created and when, there is no clear line of progression. For example, if it figured out how to take living humans and keep them sane and functional with Ross, then why is Yoshida a monster despite being made after? The WAU does not care about human welfare or sustainability. It is fully satisfied with keeping them in a state that can be called living using the loosest of definitions. That's why it left Amy Azzaro in a state where she was alive but in mortal agony. It's why all the people in the dream state are withering away. It's why the vast majority of Mockingbirds were left to their insanity with no help, even in the form of a mercy killing. The WAU is not a future planner. If it was, it would've known that the massacre at Omicron was not in any way to its favor. It killed one or two dozen people just to stop one person when it could've easily waited to kill Herber on the elevator, at Tau, at Alpha, or at any point in between and, in doing so, incurred far fewer casualties. As such, the WAU is entirely reactionary, and with all humans either dead or enslaved there is virtually nothing left for it to react to. So people saying that it will continue to make more Mockingbirds to the point that they will take over the world is being optimistic to the point of foolishness. And finally, the WAU is not magic. There is not an infinite supply of structure gel or robot parts in Pathos-ll. Eventually the WAU will run out of components, at which point it will be unable to do anything at all, and will effectively be dead in the water (both literally and figuratively). The Simons will eventually break down as well, with their existence being entirely dependent on finite batteries and decaying bodies. There is no future where the WAU is concerned. Humanity is dead, barring their survival or resurgence elsewhere in the world. The ARK is the BEST hope, not because it offers a second chance at life, but because it's the best way to preserve the memory of the human species. PERIODT.
I remember first playing this "experience" as I call it. To me this is surpasses anything called a game in my book. It's the only time I can ever recall in which afterwards I really sat down and thought about everything that happened. I'm honestly surprised this hasn't been adapted into a film.
I love horror games that actually have a hidden depth to the story. Outlast was the same for me with every note I read helping me to understand what was going on until I got to the end and was absolutely mindf*cked 😂
This wouldn't work as a film. Because all of the little decisions we make throughout the game make us think. They are YOUR decisions. In a movie it would be the screenwriters decisions, and would have nowhere near enough of an impact on the viewer
This game is criminally underrated. One of, if not the best horror game I've ever played.
Soma is such a refreshing sci-fi premise, i love the concepts with which the characters/player had to struggle and how the ending isnt just a happy ending but continous the themes of the game
No, Simon 4 thinks he won the coin toss, likely. He likely doesn't realize there's another Simon alone at the bottom of the ocean. But his voice when he says "I can't believe we made it" suggests he knows and just doesn't want to say it. Catharines voice definitely says she knows they're still down there when she says "well .. we did."
This is my favorite of the games made by the Amnesia team. The pure existential horror of it was amazing. Thanks for reminding me of how great it is
Wow, fantastic to see that in 2022 there's still talk about this game. One of the most fantastic games I've played from last decade. Also, it's been 7 years. I think it's worth a replay
after thinking about what it means to be human, ive come to the same conclusion Descartes did, "i think therefore i am". coming to this it felt pretty trivial to me in a way; it doesnt matter how many of "yous" there is, the current you IS you, just dont overthink it. furthermore i would like to say that rather than what it means to be "human", it should be what it means to be a "person"; to think, to feel and all that, the body shouldnt matter in that prospect i reckon.
since ive solved my own personal existential dilemma time for another dilemma, should the WAU be kept alive? i think yes, sure the WAU made abominations but it also had "successful" attempts: for example Catherine, Simon and Ross to an extent and they are afaik its most recent attempts too. now you would argue that its still making horrific creations, but id also argue that anything that isnt human looking is horrific because thats our in built instincts to fear other creatures, and its clouding our judgement on the WAUs works because though its still flawed, i think it is essentially creating "life" forms suited to deal with the current environment, if life from flesh cant survive then make it out of metal kind of way, because im quite sure evolution will come up with something either way, no matter if it looks like monsters or not. after saying all that im starting to think that the WAU is a better legacy then the ark minus all the monsters of course but its working on that.
"Dont over think it" Is very easy to say, not so easy to endure.
As someone who struggles with night-extending existential panic attacks on a weekly basis, this game functioned as a great outlet to express and understand these feelings.
I was hoping to gain something new from this video, but mostly found myself reliving the philosophical nightmare that is this game's narrative.
Fantastic lore break-down, and can't wait for the potential follow-up!
average loner furry
I hope it gets better. Panic attacks are the worst :( and adding a layer of existencial crisis and philosophy Can really mess you up…or at least in my personal experience is not a good combo. Anyway i send you support
@@cottonpop8834 Appreciate it a lot. They really are a trouble, and I'm glad I've been actually handling them better and they are reserved to night time thought sessions for myself; I feel for those who suffer more and on a more frequent basis, as it's not an enjoyable experience. We all need the support and understanding in our most trying times, even in the most seemingly minor ways.
@@WolfyTheDark How old are you? I would like to say it gets better as you age mainly because you get busier with things but those thoughts never go away, but you find better ways to deal with them.
@@XxIcedecknightxX It was certainly a tad worse at a younger age, especially dealing with grasps on religion. But now well into my 20s it has gotten easier to rationalize these issues and distract myself and focus on things that matter. It's still a lingering dread that, while everyone struggles, is almost irrationally haunting to me.
These episodes do generally manifest during stressful periods (such as finals) when I'm usually alone with my thoughts and concerns.
I'm just hopeful that everyone with similar issues can also move past them.
I'm 35 and Soma is still the best game I have EVER played. Nothing even comes close to it, let alone touch it. This is what gaming should be like. I can't play it all the time, it's not meant to be like that, but I play it at least once every single year ever since it came out. My jaw ends up on the floor every single time and my throat closes up when Catherine breaks at the end. Especially if you shut down Simon 3 and you realize you truly are alone on the entire dead planet. This game is haunting to the best extreme sense of that word.
I bet you didn't play BioShock. The story is way better and you even have real gameplay.
@@ccvtzvdv I did play it and the story doesn't even touch the surface of SOMA, let alone the depths. Compared to SOMA, Bioshock's story isn't even superficial. It's nonexistent.
@@vazzeg you must be joking. The whole plot of soma is: you copy your consciousness and ,,create'' a new consciousness with it. Nothing too special.
@@ccvtzvdv That's an extremely gross oversimplification of the plot of SOMA. Go play it again and pay more attention this time.
@@vazzeg you are just a simp. Soma is a good game but nothing more.
This is one of the games I still think about from time to time even after playing it years ago
that can be said about every game
@@tnntlmmn277 I don't remember most of the mediocre stories from games
@@DemonVido Same dude!
Watching the video made me realise that just watching the ending doesn't give the same feeling of dread and loneliness as playing it.
Cathrine finally breaking and leaving Simon all alone in the dark really did a number on me.
I remember listening to Simon call out to Cathrine then getting the credits. I couldn't believe it would actually end like this. Seeing Simon 4 and Cath on the ark was a good thing but I couldn't stop thinking about the other Simon all alone in the dark.
What will he do? Will he break himself maybe crippling himself forever to be stuck down there? Will he try to get topside and see the scorched earth? Maybe wait for the TAU to take over and make it's hellish paradise (I did not kill the TAU)
None of the options were good and still I wouldn't want it any other way. This ending simply was the best
*WAU
I mean ultimately, we would never really "know" what is consciousness.
Just like the Ship of Theseus, if all the parts of the ship gets replaced gradually, is it still the same ship?
For humans, it takes 7-10 years for every cell to get replaced... but are we still the same person? Is the you now, different from the you 7-10 years ago?
Going further, if you believe in "spirits", where does the human spirit lie? Is it in the brain? The heart?
What if you get an injury to the brain / heart, and it gets replaced, do you still have the same spirit?
Even just sticking to human consciousness, don't you find it scary how people can "lose" consciousness?
Like, think of people with dementia / schizophrenia, other mental diseases.
Have a stroke and then something just goes wrong with your brain? Before you were a normal human being, and now you're an entirely different person.
Get lobotomized... normal, to vegetable.
At that point, are you still the same you?
To me, much like what happens in the game... if the me "now" isn't the same as the me "before", then it doesn't really matter?
I mean, he may have the same name etc. etc. but that's not "me".
What happens to the me "NOW" is what I care about.
So you can imagine what I felt in deciding what to do with the Simon that was sleeping, or whether I'd feel good if I was the Simon stuck on Earth, even though there's a Simon in paradise.
All these questions were already asked - and many were answered already by modern Psychology. Psychology, in case you don't know, is the study of the Psyche - the 'soul.' You don't have to ask questions we already have the answer to.
-Despite cells being slowly changed out, we maintain a stream of consciousness as the colony of cells known as an organism (think human, or dog) lives on. The organism ("we") persists.
-Our "soul" exists in the brain - as does our consciousness. Hypothetically "you" could live on without your body...as long as the brain is intact and sustained. Change out arms, legs, even the entire body - as long as the brain is intact, it's still a human consciousness.
-People fear what they don't understand - and those of us alive have always existed. On death, our consciousness simply ceases to exist (I suspect - depending on manner of death - it's more of a 'fade to black and bliss,' judging by chemicals released by the brain upon expiration). And that is terrifying to most people.
-There is no evidence of a 'soul' or 'spirit' - and claims of the existence of such predate, by far, modern medical understanding of the brain as the source of our consciousness.
It's not surprising that people cling to beliefs of an immortal soul that exists outside of your body upon expiration, rather than facing the harsh reality that life is fleeting - and that that very temporary nature is what makes life so beautiful and precious. These questions were especially brought to light by the case of Phineas Gage - I'm sure you've heard of him. Quiet, respectful man - until a tamping iron was shot through his skull, damaging part of his brain - most notably the frontal lobe, to which at least partially our judgment is attributed (the brain is a bit more complex than that, but I'm no neurosurgeon). After the incident, his personality was altered - he was short-tempered, unpleasant, given to rage and the drink. You could always look it up if you'd like to actually find answers though...but ultimately people will have to either learn to come to peace with reality and their own frailty, or continue to live in ignorant bliss - only to eventually freak out, like those believers in the Continuity, as reality crashes against their delusions.
Oookkay fuck this im out
You are the sum of your experience and your soul is created by the complete object that is your conscious existence, maybe youll get lucky and be able to take it with you.
@@archibaldt.6 you make a good point but there's a big difference between belief and faith than ignorance, I'm not trying to change your mind but having faith that there's something better, something more meaningful than just dying and fading into nothing, some people think there's no way things can just appear out of nothing, that all this life and matter cannot just be here for nothing, that something must've created it, there's too many thoughts and questions in life to honestly care about all this, we live out our lives and do what we wanna do, life is complicated but it's the simple things that make life worth living, so who knows what happens when we die, but don't completely write down people's beliefs and faith as ignorance to the real truth, because in the end no one has the answer, a great quote by Neil deGrasse Tyson is "The universe is under no obligation to make sense to you." it's a great quote because in the end we humans like to make things make sense, and we like to understand things, and some things we will understand but in the end we won't understand everything, so live life your way, don't put people down as ignorance, because honestly maybe religion is bs, who knows but it's faith in that religion that keeps you going
Read up on the medical case of Phineas Gage, a railroad foreman from the mid 19th century.
Thank you for this video, I actually found new information with the precise reason behind why Catherine lied and broke after the results. I always thought it was along the lines of lying to Simon to avoid him just throwing away this chance and breaking due to stress only.
Imo that makes her a monster... atleast try to put the third verison out of his Misery but she condeems him to almosy worst then death cuz she was selfish?
Also if i saw how it left the previous verison of "me" when we copied bodies, I would if flat out stopped. Call me evil but she is way worst morally.
@@Subject_Keter Oh yeah, I know she's wrong morally but it's nice to see another pov on this character.
Just recently subbed. I see alot of "explained" channels. But to summarize the first half then break down parts of the story is a really great style of analysis.
Holy heck you finally did one about SOMA, I love this game so much!
Just yesterday I was searching for the SOMA lore and order video. Now here it is. Thanks Harry. Keep up the good work
Search for Zygarts Soma Introspective. Trust me
@@dantauche7917 I think I have seen that one. Thx for the recommendation though.
Also Gameological Dig did a great thorough Lore info that is like 6 parts I believe. He really goes indepth on the event that happens in the game from the start -end. UwU
yesss! Soma is one scary ass lore man, would love to see a sequel to the game.
How could you make a sequel?
Man...where would it go? Maybe there was another water station in another part of the world? I dunno...
Not everything should be a franchisefest.
It will lost its horror factor if it will have a sequel
I think a sequel would work if you played as Simon-3 left at the bottom on Tau, who's mission it is to reunite with Simon-2 and climb back to the surface platform site (can't remember the name). You'd explore some untouched parts of pathos II with the ultimate goal of reaching the surface and taking one last look at the remains of planet earth. It'd be a bleak game where you know the ending is bad before you even start the journey. But I feel like it'd be fitting for SOMA.
i miss the old days where game studio would strive to create new inavative game with interesting storys and characters but now thats a rarity thank you for covering games like these it reminds me about those games that made me feel somthing
I recently watched a lot of your videos, and even though I never played some of the games that you reviewed as I usually get bad dreams after playing a horror game, this video is the most bone chilling so far.
This is not ghost horror or Chtulhu scale horror, this is the ultimate Existential Horror. Just watching the plot summary made me got goosebumps.
This game destroyed my heart for a couple of weeks when I had finished it after it's release. Now this video did the same thing. The story is so thought provoking and deep.
Everything abut this game is amazing. Imagine a remaster or a different story reimagined.
Honestly i fell of my chair when i saw you actually decided to cover this game man. Amazing and thorough video.
4:42 Thats not the headless body of a staff member, that machine straight up twisted its head off. Thats why you see a lot of blood dripping down from the helmet.
There was no head to twist off, when Herber’s black box detonated with everyone else’s at Omnicron, she had the helmet on and locked, which contained the blast. Whatever was left was a liquified soup that came running out when the helmet’s seal was undone.
SOMA is my all time favourite game story. Such a depressingly existential yet though provoking take on the apocalypse. One of those few games that my mind was re-playing for weeks after I'd finished it.
soma is my favorite story in gaming hands down. and while i could imagine it being told in another medium, i genuinely think it's best presented as a game. so much of it comes from having Simon's perspective.
Soma gives you that sense of, when your alone you are truly alone, its kinda terrifying if you think about it that way
This game left me feeling so... hollow and depressed. A very well done game. It just left me very sad.
This game has damn good spooky atmosphere.
Ahh, SOMA, probably one of if not my favorite Horror Game
nice recap on this one
also that moment when he first says: "Why was it still talking?"
and then again asks:
"Catherine, why was he still talking?"
like the impact and the realization came to him a second after he spoke the words
I’m so happy you did this game. I loved this game and think it’s insanely underrated
It’s true - many of us despise reading notes in games… thank you for your videos!! 😂😭🙏
This game has always confused me. Thank god there is Harry to explain all of it to me!
This game is criminally underrated,thank you for covering it
I've been so excited since your community post!
Thanks for adding the disclaimer. I'm moving on from the video for now, and I hope to be able to view it at a later time.
worth noting, with "continuity:" there is no coin toss. The you that goes in to copy your consciousness away will NEVER win the coin toss.
THANK YOU. it’s driving me insane that people are saying the coin toss idea is up for debate, it’s pretty explicitly created as simon trying to (incorrectly) grapple with his situation and catherine reluctantly trying to work with him on understanding.
I really appreciate trigger warnings. I’m quite old now and when I was younger and more uncontrolled, I’d have some minor or major freak outs when have viewed certain material. There weren’t trigger warnings back then and you’d only get made fun of for saying that you were bothered by it.
The short message warning of things that can bring up dangerous feelings in one’s self is unbelievably helpful and I feel not appreciated for what it is.
Sorry my comment is not about the game. Thank you Gaming Harry for including them in some of your videos
useless
Useful
@@germanperalta4078 eh. In one way or another, my comment doesn’t matter and I’m fine with that. It’s more of a thank you to GamingHarry. There aren’t enough people saying thank you as there are people making useless comments.
You know a lot of these games I haven’t even played or will play but Gaming Harry describes them so well I watch all his videos.
I've only heard of Soma in passing but damn... This would make an amazing film/tv 🤯
Yeah but it would be hard to adapt it to films, and may flop like Flatliners.
It would need an incredibly good script and great direction.
No one makes Psychological horror movies these days, a lot were made lot in 90s and early 2000s.
But , i would love to see this game adopted into a film
I loved Soma so much when i played it, one of the few horror games i actually like and the ending of this game had me in tears
I stumbled on your Lore & Order series a few days ago and have loved watching the vids on games that I’ve already beaten! Good recap on games I haven’t played in awhile and makes me super nostalgic to play these games again!
The idea of this game reminds me of the hypothesis of human teleportation, that you are disintegrated at one site and reconstructed at the other site, did you teleport or just died and the "new you" at the other side is just a copy?
You just need to "win" the cointoss, I guess.
@@xanmontes8715There was never a coin toss. Only digital copies could ever be created. Simon in the abyss was never going to enter the ark. Only his copy. That's why at the start of the game, he says, "people used to believe that cameras would steal your soul". Or something similar. This was the whole root of soma.
4:04 soma really saw the future considering it is based 100 years from now
Been looking forward to seeing this since those posts! Keep up the good work man!
Love your Lore & Order playlist. Soma was def a great game, i cant believe i wait so long to rip. i love game where you feel helpless and you gotta use your wits and perfect timing to get away
As someone that just finished the game today, I was on her side from pretty much the start. When we transferred in to the heavier Simon3 suit (I was totally expecting Ross to Ninja into Simon 2's body). Did have the initial "OH shit" its just a copy, once I learned we were "transferring" to the Ark I knew I was staying behind was just glad to see that upload in-time. REALLY hated his rage and felt so bad for Catherine being berated again.
You both made it on the ARK, achieved your goal and (I chose to poison the WAU). Just be happy with each others company for the time you have in Phi site.
soma is my absolute favourite game from gameplay, voice acting and the premise, i love it all
That’s why I love science fiction. So much incredible ideas and questions to think about.
Thank you so much for your Lore & Order series, I love to watch the Story Explained videos you make because I'm too much of a jumpscare baby to play the games 😂😅
I've seen a few other gaming streams/game plays you've done on your channel of games I'm interested in knowing the story behind them. If you have the time to see if you are able to make story-explained videos on them (maybe use the footage you already have from game plays you did?) I'd appreciate the consideration. I'll still watch regardless.
Here's a list of the ones I noticed didn't have Story Explained vids:
-The Horror of the Deep
-Those Who Remain
-The Complex
-Carrion
-Maid of Sker
-The Park
-Monstrum
-The Child's Sight
-Infliction
-Rise of insanity
-Red Bow
-Dont knock Twice
-From the Darkness
-Lunch Lady
This game had such a kool and dark premise. I never played it but I watched a friend play and I still loved the game
"If you have a short attention span or if you don't like reading notes in games, which is probably why 90% of you watch this channel..."
HEY!!!
I also like the good conclusions and summary and editing!
This channel makes me want to try horror games again. Usually I can’t play the because 1) they’re too anxiety inducing, and 2) my instincts in such a situation are *anything* but do what the game is wanting me to do, and it just ruins it for me. But I didn’t realize how many of the games have AMAZING stories, and I’m aaaaallll about that shit.
I’ll definitely have to suck it up and play some of these just to experience that level of writing and plot. Loved this story!!
I could watch SOMA videos all day. Yours is high quality, and a great description of what happened and why. Very nice! Such a one of a kind game, haven’t found a game quite like it in the sense of the questions it leaves you with at the end. Although I do wish the endings were switched. Would have been even more of a gut punch, had they been.
Theres a dlc which show a differ person in a differ time but idk how it relates to the pathos 2
The first time i was having this kind of philosophy existential crisis when i watched "Sixth Day" movie.
One of the scene was the antagonist were dying and he hurriedly clone himself. The clone is imperfect, yet he's being relaxed, leisurely took a gun and kill his "older clone".
He isn't the "real" one, yet behave like one, and mercilessly kill his clone (a human being, a frickin himself but different body), and thinking it's like in Friday.
SOMA deliver this kind of thought, way more deeper than the movie. Which is awesome and grim
Still the best horror game I’ve ever played. The lore, atmosphere, plot twist, and ending were perfect. Amazing take on existence horror and the philosophical question of what a human is and whether copies of the same person should be treated as individuals. The “coin toss” is just a simple lie to try and relieve the stress of the fact that you’ll lose and win at the same time no matter what. Maybe I’m just simple minded but I have no problem with the concept of copying myself and having my copy live on while I die. It’s better than the alternative
But it isn't a lie! Is it a technical truth. The scanned mind has the memories from before the scan as well, thus making it the metaphorical winner of the scan.
Granted, since all the humans are originals, they are never going to win the cointoss themselves but their copies did.
Thus the question that my doctoral thesis is based on: Would you rather know you were a copy or just believe you won the cointoss?
Theres no real "antagonist" in the story, just beings put into impossible situations of which morals and reasoning go out of the window.
The outcome of the ark should've been made obvious to Simon after he copied his brain and had to choose to eliminate the original. But his human nature forced him to spend a majority of the game in denial, he even refused to accept that he himself was an AI, even after seeing himself in a robot body. But in my opinion thats the beauty of Simons character.
I love how the game offers choices to the player, not to effect the outcome of the game, but to impose a moral dilemma onto the player of existence and what it means to be alive.
Simons reaction to his surroundings were the most human interpretation of grief and trauma I've ever seen in a video game. Specifically his dialogue with Sarah and the ending sequence.
There was a point that I forgot Simon was just a video game character because the interpretation of his character was so believable.
I bought SOMA at launch after having watched all the prequel videos. I still think about it sometimes. It was a trip.
System Shock 2 started this genre for me as a child. Alien isolation was the most intense game which I am proud to finish, STALKER Is a different type of survival but also amazing. I have played several other type games not worth mention. PREY blew my mind on PC and also PS5. Now i have come across SOMA today (I know few years too late) but wow. The physics in this game are beautiful. One thing I love about any survival game is the ability to interact with objects or anything, I can literally look around for an hour in one area, SOMA probably does this the most out of any game I have played except the fact you never have a weapon on SOMA you must hide and use basic stealth to survive which I find realistic. The atmosphere really feels like you are in the game and at complete vulnerablity
Questions:
1. What destroyed the communication dome in Upsilon site?
2. When did each Phatos-II's personnel died? To be more precise, how many hours/days/months since the MC's arrival at their corpse's location?
3. How long did Linda have to wait until MC meets her? Also, how could she able to urinate or defecate in that state?
Why- type of questions:
1. Why did they have lab rats readily available?
2. Why didn't the Phatos-II's personnel try to venture and reclaim the surface? I suppose they'd need to secure their base from the WAU first.
3. Why didn't MC's hand get crushed like a tin can at >4000 meters underwater?
Honestly, the first playthrough, I didnt understand everything to a hundred percent but after a while I did
This just made my understanding more deeper
To think, one day, I am very certain, Humanity will do this because this is what we are
Hopefully not dou, but yet again, I cant say anything
because I wont be alive by then HAHAHAHAHA
I feel like crying. I justw amt to rexepeince it all over again and i only fi ushd it today. Whata a game oh my goodness.
Aaaaaa soma has my favourite lore of all time! Thankyou for covering this 🥰
Cant believe how fast your channel grow man! Nearly 100k, long way from the 5k sub channel when I subscribed!
Great vid as always, Keep it up!! :))
Thanks for your support!
... ... ... After a few minutes of silences, once i finished watching this video , i finally subbed. Thanks Harry.
The game really got me thinking. Soma is an experience. It had some pretty chilling things in it.
I watch all your lore and order videos please don’t stop pumping them out!!
Listening to this while lifting weights
Gigachads dont need music just lore.
@@DaBwiggz perfectly worded my brother
Megachads use white noise
@@dantauche7917 hard to argue with that
I always thought that Catherine dies after the Ark is launched because Simon poisoned the WAU meaning it was slowly dying and would eventually stop working. The omnitool was infused with structure gel and so was Catherine's chip so I thought that because the WAU finally died the machines/humans it had been providing life support to also would die.
I'm not sure about one hand Simon's fate because Johan Ross says that Simon also needs to be destroyed to make sure WAU stays dead forever because he's immune to the new formula. So I'm not sure if that means Simon is able to survive after killing the original WAU because he contains a new version or not.
The only problem is in the fight killing Catherine. They could copy everyone, shoot up the ark and then work on a secondary ark at the deep sea station.
Well everyone did suffer through all that hellish nightmare and had to go through a selef realization that they arent human. I think they rather all give up in trying to fix what they have and instead go with something new and peace to keep the illusion that they are real. Some people just can't handle that they died and the ones that remain are just Shadows of their former self.
Or even better, make copies like Simon, fully humanoid in diving suits and not random weird robots. Usable so that they could rebuild and live their lives with some sort of normality.
I’ve been binging thru your vids, and i gotta say its amazing quality content and well put together, cheers to you Harry!
I love plots like this esp. how I love Blade Runner in the first place.
underrated creator 4 sure !!! keep up the great work your vids are enjoyable af .
This is one of my favorite games ever, and experiencing the story for the first time was one of the most depressing things I've experienced. Truly masterful story and great game team
Edit: You explain the story very well.
I think that the concept of a coin toss was a lie created by the staff so that patients of conscience scans wouldn’t have some existential crisis breakdown. Every time Simon was copied his conscience also stayed on the old body as well. The video game continues the plot by switching Simon’s perspective to the body that’s carrying out the latest tasks but the reality is that the real Simon died hundreds of years ago in his original body and the majority of the game is being played by different scans of his conscience which all exist simultaneously and independently of one another. The only one that got a happy ending was the one on the ARK, the other two will languish in dead body diving suits for the foreseeable future.
My day actually brightens when I see a new Gaming Harry upload 🥰
What gets me is the hopelessness. Even if you do everything right humanity is doomed and the mockingbird are just ghosts.
I've heard of Soma from Zygart's video essay of it, and honestly, I don't think it can be beaten. (Disclaimer that I typed this before fully watching.)
But still honestly, any "explanation" of Soma is a good watch nonetheless because of how good it is.
And the fact that you make good videos, I'mma say this is above just a worthwhile watch.
Cheers Harry.
That video blew my mind
@@dantauche7917 Same. The ending made so fucking sad man
This game is wild and I’ve never played it my thalassophobia doesn’t allow me to play any game that takes place in the ocean but the concept of copying your consciousnesses is insanely terrifying
Ive been subbed for one day. But i just really enjoy the feeling of watching quality content. Thats had effort put into it. I feel old saying this
Thanks!
I liked how you switched from content to commentary, really nice video!
Very well done, I know the coin flip is up for debate, but one of my favorite things about this game. Is how much it makes you think. Are we really our conscious, or are we more than that? Are we just our memories? And if so do we stop being who we are when we forget. Could we just be replace with someone with eh same memories. Conscious has always been a super interesting topic. Little is actually known. There's also those black mirror episodes that dable on the subject.
Fun! These ideas have been around in Sci-Fi for a long time, though not too much in main stream fiction. Take that Star Trek teleports, for instance. The teleporter scans you, breaks you down to energy, "beams" that energy to the destination and (somehow) reassembles you... without the aid of local hardware! Presumably you are "beamed" in some sort of holographic patterns that, through constructive interference, collapses back into particles... But no matter how it's done, the real question is why? Why bother breaking you into energy, which would be a massive amount to store and transmit, when the pattern alone could be transmitted and used to reassemble you with energy created by breaking down local rocks or something. Of course, the answer is "for television", because the idea of making and abandoning copies of oneself all over the place is rather disconcerting. But in some harder sci-fi, the matter is faced directly, and one sells a copy of oneself to fly off at the speed of light, only to materialize on some distance world far in the future where they are stuck in whatever situation made their buyer buy them.
Without all the philosophical questions/thoughts , this is basically a dark fairytale.
Escape from the distopia world and live happy and forever in a utopia as Adam and Eva to start all over again with endless possibilities. Great explanation tho👍
One of the few games that made me question my humanity and literally gave me an existential crisis
I loved this game so much. It caught me completely by surprise.
Such a brilliant story, and pretty great game. Reminded me of stories like "Jonathon Livingston Seagull" by Richard Bach. Which I read in high school. Really helped me think outside of myself. The choices were at first observation simple, but as the game progressed. The outcomes of those choices made them much more important as the story progressed. The ending was perfect.
Yess, a new SOMA analysis. Thank you!
Love the channel and really enjoyed your coverage of Soma