SOMA Critique - Anatomy of the Soul

[@MontyZander]

Thanks for being here! Nothing to ask but a cheeky like (and maybe a subscribe if you’re new?) I’m in touching distance of reaching 100K subscribers before the end of the year and I want that shiny silver plaque thing

[@oliverr-v6670]

Thanks for another great video, bring on the 100k!

[@rileygray1556]

Thanks man, I don’t subscribe to many but you are one of the few creators I consistently look forward to viewing new content from. You guys’ Loredump’s are also hilarious and that helps. Keep it up dude!

[@wyldweaverandwyrm]

I’m already subscribed on my main but I have a spare account so just subscribed on that as well. It’s a tiny thing but I love your videos and hope you get all the support to make more.

[@Squirberus]

ill sub cuz you're honest about the plaque and don't blame you.

[@jmh8817]

I always watch your stuff within a day of release. Hope you get there!

[@Tamisday]

I never played Soma but having accidentally spoiled it for myself I am addicted to listening to essays about Soma.

[@Volth]

If you want a good let's play of it, I definitely consider AllieBeeMac. She's great throughout it, definitely understands the themes and concepts and (at the time, anyway), she was studying neuroscience, so it was definitely right up her alley. It was a livestream, though, so sometimes she gets a little bit distracted, not nearly as much as I've seen others. There's just one part in Delta where a troll comes in and it disrupts the flow for a bit, but nothing else apart from that.

[@Kris-wo4pj]

Mever even heard about it until i think jacob geller did an essay about it and a few other games like it a yr or 2 ago.

[@FleshWolf]

Same

[@GeorgeTsiros]

You could still play it. I mean, no matter how much analysis you've done on it, it's never the same...

[@CutieCatori]

I watched a playthru.. Two years later after a bad break-up, I sat down and finished it within a day on stream with friends. I cried harder than I ever have. AND I knew the ending. I recommend playing it. Even if youve seen countless playthroughs.

[@Nanabananb6]

I remember when I finished SOMA. It was almost two years ago but I remember that it put me in such a state that I didn't sleep that night. I just stared at my ceiling and thought. This game shook me to the core and made me seriously think about what it means to be human. This game is amazing.

[@kevinbissinger]

It's not every day that you run across a game that gives people a legit existential crisis IRL as the final boss.

[@GeorgeTsiros]

you are now ready for Peter Watts' books Blindsight and Echopraxia and his presentations: "we are entropic eddies complex enough to have woken up", "conscious ants and human hives", and "delusional optimism at the end of the world"

[@AmicusVA]

I played SOMA when it came out, I was 16. At the time I was already going through some strange existential dread and I played this game thinking "Oh another Amnesia game!" and oh was I so wrong. This game's concepts and philosophy took my already struggling-with-reality mind and dropped a horrific but deeply moving nihilism bomb onto it. SOMA was the final straw that sent me into a state of derealisation that lasted up until I turned 19, about 2 and a half years. Now this sounds traumatic and awful, and it was, but it also served as a slow-burn challenge to my beliefs and sense of self. This game is deeply meaningful to my outlook on the world and I am grateful that it came out in such a formative year of my life. I am 25, and have been in a significantly healthier state of mind for a long time now. It sounds very silly, because how can a game have such an effect on me? But it did. SOMA straight up changed my life, thrust me into a breaking point in my ego. It made me realise that if consciousness is such a vague concept and blurry picture, then I can refocus it into what I make out of it. My personality and way of thinking didn't need to be concrete, because just like a copy of yourself can go off to make different choices and fundamentally become a different person, you also have those paths ahead to choose from. Who you are 5 years from now can be vastly different depending on choices you make in the present. This is why it is my favourite game of all time and will always be my favourite game. No game or story has ever changed my brain chemistry on such a deep level as this did.

[@mariodrv]

Best SOMA essey comment ever.

[@CIeaner23]

@@mariodrv100% agree

[@CIeaner23]

I played SOMA with my dad in I think it was 2020 and that was such an unbelievable experience. The game has also changed my life and me. My birthday was in June but I’m not gonna pull up when I got the achievements in the game right now. Anyways I turned 16 which means I’m the age you were when you first played it. So I was either 11 or 12 when I first played it. I thought I played it in 2019 at first but I played it in 2020. If I get any replies I’ll pull up the dates on when I first played SOMA. I’ve replayed the games a few times not many though. I know almost every single fact about the game and it also made me think a lot about life. Truly an amazing game the best sci-fi “horror” game I’ve ever played.

[@saltycomet]

The end where Simon 3 is saying "dont leave me alone" and the music starts really got me. Beautifully done. I love this

[@Sahxocnsba]

First time I've cried in a while is watching this video. Monty did a fantastic job

[@Meepoth]

He's at the bottom of the ocean which would normally make it easy to end your misery. Unfortunately for him, his vessel is designed to withstand the pressure

[@FluttersShy-ln2ln]

The unfortunate irony being that Simon 3 was never going onto the Ark. The whole "coin toss" is just an illusion

[@lt3880]

​@@FluttersShy-ln2ln its only an illusion of you think Simon 3 is more real than Simon in the ark. But if that was true Simon 2 is more real than Simon 3, and still less real than Simon 1 who died in 2015. Whatever it means to be Simon lives in the ark, its not any more an illusion than Simon 3 existing.

[@WHOWHENWHYY]

That ending, as Simon 3. That shit is the scariest thing. Being alone, forever. Without hope. Fantastic game good job Frictional

[@saltycomet]

💯

[@moonpresence9707]

I mean, he'll die (i.e run out of power) eventually. Now...when exactly that will be, it'll probably be a lot longer than Simon would wish

[@sub-jec-tiv]

Heartbreaking

[@Amurkura]

I mean he doesn't have to be alone if he doesn't kill everyone along the way

[@averymccoytarnished6782]

I think it's horrifying in the moment, but the human mind is such a powerful and adaptable thing. I imagine he would eventually settle into a stoic lifestyle of bittersweet routine, salvaging little pleasures like rewiring the PA to play music, learning all the little quirks of the remaining machines, maybe even becoming "friends" with the WAU. In a way, Simon gets to experience the life of an immortal - like a living statue.

[@ennayanne]

Like the Flesher, Ross isn't actually teleporting, just messing with Simon's perception of time thanks to its electromagnetic pulses 🤓☝️

[@AHHHHHHHH21]

Another crazy thing to think about. How unlike other games, you don't know what happens to you when you don't know it

[@ennayanne]

@@AHHHHHHHH21 it's so fucking good I don't know what to do 😩

[@Tresadd]

Love that you made a video on this game. The concept about the “Copy & Paste” is one of the most horrifying things I've thought about before going to sleep.

[@Volth]

How can you be sure that you're the same you when you wake up that you were when you went to sleep? How do you know your cells just didn't replace you enough in your sleep that the you from yesterday doesn't exist anymore? I know it doesn't really make sense, but sometimes, I try to not think about it too much...

[@eightleggedanarchist]

​@@VolthOh, maybe I can help you soothe that worrying thought. All of your cells do get replaced within a week... Well, not all of them. Your neurons, the ones that make it possible for you to be you, never get replaced after a certain age. So, yeah! You're no ship of Theseus, I'm afraid haha

[@Volth]

@@eightleggedanarchist Yeah, I know, my comment was half-joke haha. It's more of a "Oh shit what if it worked like that and we never knew, though". I'm too rational to believe something like that, but sometimes, the middle of night does things to you :p

[@eightleggedanarchist]

@@Volth For sure, existential crisis can a heavy hitter. Thoughts like "we live in the Matrix" or that maybe today is just the last few firing neurons of our desperate brain trying to make sense of a slowly dying body... oh, damn, that got bleak. Anyway! At least the food tastes pretty good here ^v^

[@Karlswebb]

@@Volth It's the form of a thing that matters. The structure. Function. That doesn't change. It's the continuous stream of consciousness and memory that give us continuity. Ask yourself this; 10 years ago the structure of your brain was completely different. Even if you're 40 now; you are a completely different person 10 years later. It's the slowness of the change that gives us the continuity of self.

[@russelljackson2818]

I played Soma during the worst part of 2020, on the heels of both Amnesia games. While I remember being initially disappointed that it didn't have the same visceral terror as Amnesia, I quickly forgot all about Frictional's flagship game as Soma presented me with ethical quandaries, each more horrible than the last, set amidst this heartbreaking and endlessly fascinating world. The ending was a triumph of storytelling. I believe this game is an underappreciated masterpiece. I don't remember a thing about the story of Amnesia, but I have never been able to get Soma out of my head for very long.

[@meganhammer7857]

Johan Ross met the ARK team at Tau, which means things were already looking pretty dire across the whole station before he decided that he needed to stop the WAU - also, the point where the WAU is said to have "shrieked" was after Ross, using his weird new powers, convinced Raleigh Herber to make the special structure gel and take it to site Alpha. The corpses in Omicron are missing their heads because their blackboxes exploded all at once, caused by the radiation the WAU was producing. We find Herber's body in the power suit that becomes Simon-3. That doesn't invalidate the idea that the WAU felt attached to Ross though, and is another strong case for it being self-aware. Personally however... my choice relating to the WAU was less about whether or not it was "alive", and more thinking about the future of the planet. Humanity may be extinct, but the Earth is still there, just like it's still been there through many other mass extinction events. It's likely that life will continue to exist and evolve again. And if the WAU survives, it could evolve to become part of that new life, or it could overreach and force everything under its control, preventing nature from taking its course. Its original directive was to keep humanity alive, but maybe it's time to let go of that?

[@forpdrop3793]

Soma has one of the best story’s in games in my opinion. Very few games have made me feel the way this game did. It does a perfect job of exploring its theme within the games itself, which is a rare feat

[@jakeloh9456]

SOMA actually has a genius take away that I missed my first time around. If Simon hadn’t had his traumatic brain injury and hadn’t taken that day off work to get that brain scan, it is very likely the human race wouldn’t have survived in digital form. Before Simon’s digital ghost shows up on Pathos II, there is no chance of the Ark, humanity’s last legacy, launching into space. If he hadn’t been there, then the ark would have stayed on the bottom of the ocean forever.

[@thesidneychan]

If it wasn't Simon, someone else would have taken his place as a test subject. Simon is both important, and not important - just like each of us individually. No one is a destined chosen one, just one who chose to do something in the heat of the moment. Simon did those things because "we" are Simon, pushing the keyboard telling him where to go, in a game of Simon Says.

[@xanderkruger4904]

this feels like the same logical slope of "god gave this parents kid cancer to teach them a lesson in life" not everything is mystically interconnected, and david wouldnt have just stopped his studies because he couldnt specifically get simon for the test

[@SantosAl]

​@xanderkruger4904 Well, studies do get stopped if appropriate data isn't gathered, and Simons condition could have been special enough that a substitute might not have been readily available. This is just me hypothizing, I've forgotten a lot of what happens in the game.

[@AShoutIntoTheVoid]

There is a Buddhist philosophy that roughly states Who is to say what is good and what is bad. Many examples of positive consequences coming from negative events and Vice versa. This is exactly that. Terrible to lose your friend and have a terminal injury but as it turns out, your brain scan ends up allowing humanity to live on. The nature of life resists the simplicity of events being good or bad.

[@zidanelionheart]

@@AShoutIntoTheVoid thanks very wise

[@lucariojet]

I know, as a creator, it can be impossible to know if all your work and effort was enough. I just want to say, for this stranger in the audience who gets to experience that year of dedication condensed into two hours, it was everything I needed.

[@TheGCRust]

Fantastic essay on a fantastic game. One thing I appreciate is while the game reacts to your choices, you are never condemned for them. In keeping with its deep themes, it never "talks down" to the player on what they ultimately chose.

[@eightleggedanarchist]

Yes! It's an extraordinary situation and we are faced with impossible decisions. Do we kill our copy to prevent them from an eternity of loneliness or do we refuse and abandon him under the ocean, forever stuck in the facility? I still couldn't do it, and felt miserable for it.That was Simon, that IS Simon, and after playing as him after so long, I saw myself as him. How could I choose? Rare are the games capable of making players feel so deeply.

[@xelith6157]

I never thought about that, but you're so right. A lot of games do talk down to you because of your "bad" moral choices. This game lets you sit with your own thoughts and I appreciate that

[@kandikidzora]

I never played soma, but a really good friend of mine was playing it while I lived with him for a month in between leases and it was our thing for many nights where he would play and I would just be with him watching. We would always talk about what we were thinking and feeling about where the game was going, and many deep philosophical discussions. I’ll never forget when we finished the game. We just sat there in silence for a good 10,15 mins and after a bit he looked at me and said “fuck the ocean” which made me laugh for a good while. Sadly he passed away some months back and NGL when I saw the video pop up I told myself I was going to ignore it. Obviously that didn’t happen. Thank you so much for this video. I have been a fan of this channel for a few years now and I’m so happy your channel is finally getting the recognition you deserve.

[@dq8619]

Honey wake up it's time for my bi-monthly SOMA long form content binge. The whole concept SOMA, about what is the self, I really love it.

[@AirSmellerThe3rd]

I can send a playlist with all sorts of videos on the subject if you like

[@broston_]

YESSS I can't believe i randomly asked this on twitter as a hypothetical and now it's happening

[@mcchickenbaptistchurch.org2]

I love twitter

[@HeatherHolt]

Twitter is a cesspool but I’m glad to hear something good actually came out of it for once lol ❤

[@iHaveTheDocuments]

​@@mcchickenbaptistchurch.org2 You love Twitter huh? You really just posted that. That's a thing that happened

[@beauty_isnomore]

I asked for this too. I love this game. 😍

[@nextgenwarrior]

The shot of the ark floating in space is one of the most melancholic images in media, IMO. It's hopeful, but the realization that all of human existence and history is reduced to a hard drive drifting through the void until ot eventually shuts off is utterly sobering. And of course Simon 3's ending, that whole sequence is incredible. It's a brilliant twist because it isn't even a twist and it works so well. It is bleak and somber. SOMA is an absolute masterpiece from start to finish, it realizes horror has so much more to it than "scares". The atmosphere, the philosophical and existential questions and concepts it challenges you with, that is horror. Also my favorite ending to any piece of media, period.

[@VaryaTheVillain]

damn. *damn* is this such a well researched and multilayered video essay. Monty, you just keep getting better with every single one of them.

[@creecher1118]

This game is so good and I'm so bummed it didn't have more of an impact or more staying power. Happy you're covering it, Monty!

[@elheber]

I'm crossing my fingers Frictional makes a VR port. That'll bring it back into the spotlight.

[@ennayanne]

This game really got shafted by reviewers. If that Joseph Anderson hadn't made his genuinely terrible video than I think SOMA would've made a much bigger impact

[@NaimHrustanovic]

​@@ennayannea) Joseph was very positive on the game as a whole, b) there is no way you sincerely believe a single internet dork holds that much sway over the market

[@ennayanne]

@@NaimHrustanovic no he wasn't? and he straight up just lied about it, and even declared it as "not a horror game" because he wasn't scared by it. He STILL does no research or fact checking and he's one of the biggest game reviewers there is. Of course he swayed people with that video, people who may otherwise have bought the game

[@Scarecr0wn]

@@ennayanne He ends his video by stating it is "something special". He did critise it for presence of the monsters which back then was something many people did not like. It was his opinion and even with that he still considered it great game because of it´s themes. If you really think his video did cause Soma to not be financially more succesful, you are wrong. It is simply because majority people are.. well dummydums. And other majority of people don´t find these hard philosophical depressing games entertaining. It is a sad reality that cost us many games and movies.

[@WIMMine]

I've been a Frictional fan since the Penumbra days and I still think Soma is EASILY their best work so far. And the other games ain't bad either. Also Soma still damn near makes me cry at a couple points even after several playthroughs later. The interactions between Simon and Cath are so damn human that when Simon stars shouting and cursing at Catherine, I *really* feel it.

[@joringedamke5597]

Did you know Simon was Jared Zeus' first role in English?

[@cassish]

as someone who has watched each of the BioShock critiques no less than six times each and the forgotten city one a few times as well, I am so beyond excited. see y'all in two hours

[@ennayanne]

I love how Catherine's bear is a half robot monstrosity just like the entities we see throughout the game

[@Wonzling0815]

I've always wondered if you can take it with you into the basement to mess with the hearing-dependent monster there.

[@ennayanne]

@@Wonzling0815 that's actually a really cool idea I never thought of that. I can't see why it wouldn't work

[@4.0.4]

​@@Wonzling0815 unfortunately it's one of those items you pick and inspect I think? Like when you pick photos.

[@Wonzling0815]

@@4.0.4 No, I think you can pick it up and walk with it. I'm relatively sure because the funny bit is that it keeps tipping over :) Question is if you can carry it all the way into the basement...

[@ch3burashka]

SOMA has some of the best pacing in terms of communicating different aspects of the theme. I feel like you could set your watch to the beat of character encounters.

[@IKeepGettingFlagged]

I cant believe I watched all 2 hours, this was a fantastic video. I loved the philosophical conundrums soma posed. Thank you for the wonderful video. I would really love to see your take/critique on Signalis as well, keep up the good work chap!

[@Scarecr0wn]

Thank you for keeping memory of this game alive. Very few pieces of art ever broke me in a way Soma did. In the best way possible.

[@lucariojet]

Monty - I swear you're in my head. You're either covering something I know but still want to engage with (Like SOMA), or covering something I don't know and didn't realize I needed (like the recent Red Dead 2 Lore Dump). Easily becoming one of my favorite channels/creators!

[@magiefish6368]

Genuinely when I saw that this video was about SOMA I audibly squeeled with delight. I love the way you dissect games, tieing in outside research and getting deep into the themes and questions of a story, and you did not disappoint with this video. You raised quite a few ideas I didn't consider before and I can also say that I now know a bit more about niche neuroscientific quarrels than I did before. I've always loved SOMA and Frictional's work in general, it's all had a major impact on my own creative work, so if you ever covered any of their other stuff I'm sure it would be awesome. Then again, any game would also be great - keep up the good work 👍

[@aLonelyCow92]

I was having a rough day at work when I got around to watching this. I'm really glad that, as always, it was an excellent video essay to lose myself into. Something about SOMA just leaves me in a delightfully dreadful mood that makes every other problem seem so little in comparison. It really gets one thinking and you did it justice by looking into the psychology behind the game's themes. Great work as always!

[@HowdyYT]

So glad I went into soma blind. It was an experience I think best utilizes the interactive medium and I loved the experience. If you haven’t already, play the game before you watch.

[@hawiianshark]

I can not describe how excited I am to see you review SOMA, probably my favorite game story of all time. It truly has one of the best stories in gaming, somehow managing to tell a story deeper than the ocean it's set in without losing its way or feeling pretentious. I'll never forget the ending, the fear in Simon's voice when Catherine shuts off and he realizes just how alone he is..

[@kowrow]

wtf this is the first time i realized the “complete” and “done” differences 😱 soma always had such an effect on me because of the isolation and being under the sea, but here’s another trauma bomb added 😅 well done!

[@insanityhawkboy]

Soma is one of my all-time favorite games and its themes and the ending of it stuck with me for many weeks. This is a game that deeply challenged my thinking and I'm so glad you wrote a critique for it, which I wholeheartedly enjoyed. Thank you so much for giving this game the attention it deserved 🙏❤️

[@M1SF0RTUNE]

Definitely puts Joseph Anderson's analysis to shame. Great work man; the script, the research, the editing & footage and the thoughtful analysis all around.

[@gam3rfr3ak13]

Just played through this game for the first time a few days ago. I absolutely loved the story, definitely one of those games that keeps you thinking. I kept everyone alive on my first playthrough and my head canon is that Simon 3 meets back up with Simon 2, explains what happens, and they travel and visit everyone they've met through their journey, keeping everyone company as they slowly waste away with a dying world.

[@GeorgeTsiros]

Didn't even think of that. I am worried though that with the WAU disabled/killed/destroyed, all entities will have died 😕

[@gam3rfr3ak13]

@@GeorgeTsiros I think if the robots had power, they'd still be alive. Plus the human wasn't attached to the WAU

[@nucIeer]

Unfortunately the elevator is only one way, it must be called back up from site Omicron. So unless Simon 2 somehow escaped site Omicron, and managed to call the elevator back up just when Simon 3 was on it, there doesn't seem to be much hope for Simon 3 to leave the depths.

[@gam3rfr3ak13]

@@nucIeer how is it only one way? What would be the point of that elevator?

[@nucIeer]

@@gam3rfr3ak13 I dunno why, but it is mentioned in several points in the game. Also you may have misunderstood, it *can* go back up, but only when called from site Omicron, there's no way to operate it from the depths.

[@alexandermatthews3493]

What a great piece of work this video is! Similarly to the concepts in Soma, there's a minor villain in the Invincible show that clones himself but specifically knocks himself out before the procedure is done to avoid the coin toss of the switch and to prevent one entity from knowing it is the clone and having to live with that knowledge.

[@SoloMael]

I immediately thought of Soma while watching that episode with Robot

[@The_Evilman47]

Soma along with being a good game is a good conversation That is what makes this game special

[@davidwit7749]

The additional unsettling implication I took from our Brandon simulations is that something similar likely happened with Simon’s brain scan. Catherine says something like he’s a legacy scan that’s been included with AI development packages for years. How many times over the last century have scientists run simulations with his brain scan?

[@guitarman0365]

What if the entire game was just a bigger simulation for Simon and all that played out to make it believable for Simon to help do what he needed to do. Maybe it was a big Turing test by munchies and Catherine works for him creates a fake backstory for her and this world and inserts herself into the simulation to help see if Simon feels real off a scan. Then her breaking at the end is just her leaving. I mean as possible alternative hidden story it sounds cool but the real horror I guess is in what we see is actually what plays out and makes him being left alone on earth more frightening

[@ASR6]

This is absolutely my favourite game to touch the subject of the soul. I can simply not get enough of essays about this game.

[@Pimpgamer101]

Beautiful work Monty. This is one of the best dives into philosophy and neuroscience I’ve seen on this platform. All through the lense of a video game. And there are people who still say it isn’t art. smh.

[@Schwenne1994]

52:36 For me the decision to end all the left consciousness came more down to the feeling that it was time to let earth sleep, to let this all finally end. in a "leave no lose ends" kinda way I suppose.

[@Uluhe]

That and let other organisms move on without the WAUs influence

[@orangemirror8756]

Another thing is that before the brain scan a little remark on Simon's end playfully mentions that Indians once thought pictures would steal their souls and I think that's a little intriguing since essentially the brain scan was in fact a picture of his soul so to speak

[@FrittenFriseurLPs]

You really did SOMA justice. What a great made video dude. I love to see peopke thinking and talking about SOMA after almost 10 years... So cool to see that i am not the only one, who found that game truly remarkable! ❤

[@Amandahoshall]

Thank you Monty for making another amazing video. I hope you know that we all are super happy that you make this content and I hope you reach 100K soon because truly you deserve it

[@kinglyer5640]

I deeply love how much philosophy you cram into these. For me, it's what makes your content special. I've watched this video two or three times now. And still, I think about what it's saying and what you have to say about these things. Thanks for being a fantastic and thoughtful communicator Monty.

[@CringelordJen]

choked me up several times but that well crafted ending was got those tears to go, for this being my first vid to see i will certainly see more of what you've made. undoubtedly an incredible video and worth the time you put some much time you put into it

[@DavcollgroTHEMAN]

SOMA was such as well-made game. There aren't too many like it out there, and it really sticks out from the rest of Frictional's library IMO. Definitely a game that will stick with me for a long time.

[@FeironLucs]

Hey Monty, it's me again. Another fantastic dive into a great game. SOMA is also one of my favorites and its ending will stick with me. Loved hearing all of the philosophical research and input in this video and you offered some interesting opinions on the WAU that I'm happy to digest for a bit. Thanks for your hard work. We love you.

[@cabbagenjam]

Absolute gem of a game, really loved the story! Stayed with me for a long time. That scene when he first meets Carl and the two of them are in a muddled conversation about who looks like what was just genius!

[@yairmimran729]

Honey wake up monty dropped a new video critique

[@RabbitAfternoon]

This video is done so wonderfully and I enjoyed every minute of it. Really nice to hear you break down the concepts of Soma which make it such a hauntingly beautiful experience while playing it.

[@nightmareeternal8454]

In a way the WAU invented the ARK, it was based off a machine Cathrine found that the WAU made before the mockingbirds. The vivarium.

[@NemFX]

Soma is one of those games that really should have been bigger. I wish there were more games set in the world of Soma, because there's a lot of good environmental horror that was pretty underused compared to the psychological stuff.

[@joringedamke5597]

Modding is a thing.

[@smallspidersad78]

This video essay was absolutely beautiful. I hope you play Outer Wilds- it’s another game like SOMA that has a deeply philosophical and beautiful story that could not be told in any medium as well as it is told in a video game

[@elheber]

I will keep watching SOMA video essays until I die. This game has stuck with me that much.

[@-chippedstars-2889]

I'm so excited for this ive been marathoning your previous essays you're currently my favorite video essay creator. My favorites are you bioshock and evil dead ones, though I can guarantee this ones gonna be up there!! Another amazing creator, Mert KayKay, also did a Soma video and mentioned how it wouldn't work outside of a video game.

[@barrettkepler7618]

I remember when I played this game back on the release date. I was in middle school. I remember how soma left me speechless after the post credits. It's so different from other frictional games. It's so different from any other game I've played in the past. Such a beautiful game. It's a bit sad that this game got recognized after almost 10 years. But frictional games are still around. So, better now than never. Please support them

[@firebat9664]

Damn! Your videos always goes so hard! You deserve so much more! You always put in the best work I’ve seen in the analysis space. I know these videos are due to go viral. Amazing channel!

[@rayumbo]

Here I am 8 months after this video comes out, sitting at a feed store in a rural county in Texas, completely questioning the anatomy of the soul, what makes us, us? The beauty in life and the ability to understand self and the beauty of seeing another’s self which I’d argue is easier to find than your own. Some people say video games aren’t an art form, and to them I say go watch a video by Monty mf Zander. Beautiful.

[@philiphartman7541]

If Soma falls under the 'walking simulator' category, which is filled with great entries like Firewatch, WROEF, among many others - I think Soma is the best entry among them. For every reason explained in this video and more, Soma has so much attention and care put into its story, characters, and themes. I genuinely think Soma, especially as time passes, will go down as a classic and an excellent insight into what future awaits for us humans.

[@Yog3r]

It may fall into similar case as original Blade Runner did, that it was somewhat missed in its era, but at some point it may emerge to wider audience, offering such unique emotional journey that's nowhere elese to be found. I'd love to drown myself into more content polished and thought through like Soma.

[@Pit_Lord]

Amazing work. This is such a difficult topic to tackle, but you did it admirably. Soma is a game unlike any other, filled with stories and questions everyone thinks about on some level, but is rarely forced to confront. I personally love that the game offers the player this exact opportunity by presenting choices and ideas, but avoids forcing your hand in any direction or offering judgment for your choices. It’s the only way the game could work and the fact they pulled it off is remarkable and what makes it an experience that transcends its medium.

[@crowaes0]

soma is a game that holds a bit of a special place in my heart as it was one of the first horror games i played. in retrospect it really informed my tastes in horror where its not so much jumpscares and monsters that i care about but how horror can cause us to be introspective. soma does have plenty of spooky elements that are obvious on the surface but the thing that made it so resonant and lasting as a game is whats brought up in this video- questions of humanity and consciousness.

[@wavvyair]

This is one of the best videos analyzing the philosophical aspects and implications of Soma. Thank you so much for your great video

[@MildTomfoolery123]

I hope Simon 3 goes back to rescue Simon 2. They would be alone, but they could be alone together.

[@elheber]

It's probably not possible, but maybe there's a slim chance. If Simon kept the WAU alive, he might be able to use structure gel to repair an Omni tool and work his way up the climber. If he left the WAU alive, either or both Simons could let themselves be captured and brought into one of those dream states. And who knows, given enough time the WAU could network all its captured scans into its own vivarium so they can all share a virtual world like Catherine's Ark. If Simon destroyed the WAU, well then... he already made the choice to let everything die.

[@michaelbyrkett6381]

Ive watched this a couple times now, and im still taking in all the information and feelings that come from soma. I think you did this game justice. It provokes a lot of introspective and out the box thinking in the consepts of what it means to live, experience and grow. What counts as a living thing, and how we all define like. Thank you for the amazing review of one of the best horror games ever.

[@manusiajawa715]

listening to your explanation alone brings tears down my eyes.. even tho ive heard and watched play throughs before, but your wording brings the reality of the game into reality of real life

[@ParUhDroyd]

Soma to me feels like frictional proving they can make an amazing thought provoking story. I love the horror mechanics in the amnesia games but I always felt their stories were lacking. Yes Soma isn’t as scary but like you said the scares are in the story. It’s not as creepy of an atmosphere and it’s not a jump scare, it’s a thought provoking terror.

[@gilbertlopez2333]

This is my favorite game of all time. Straight up. I’m so happy you made this because you are one of my favorite KZbinrs. Cheers Monty!

[@COZYTW]

I like how it explores the soul (a meta-concept we use to root our identity in spacetime) because I'm interested in how the self interacts with time. What is time? Is it material, or social? Which is easier to recollect, 16.2 seconds or the first taste of terrible beer? If both Simon-2, Simon-3 and Simon-4 all continue to exist, what should their age be - Do we match the version identified from their consciousness? (what if that extends to infinity?) Do we measure from the moment they split? (but what about the experience as understood by the split copies?)

[@zealotguy]

Oh that’s good but check this: physics may already have an answer. Physics describes Time is the measure of change. Relative change, but of change. If something is unchanging, it is, in fact, perfect to describe it as ‘frozen in time.’

[@elenurna4520]

Fantastic video on one of my favorite games of all time! Was so excited to see this since people don't seem to talk about Soma enough, and listening to you talk about a bunch of moments that have haunted me for years (the Brendan Wan simulations, the Simon 2 to 3 switch, the ending) brought me right back to those horrifying feelings I had when I first played. It's wild how much impact this game can have on the player, thanks for the wonderful analysis!

[@adamtapparo2168]

Bro, I’m a therapist and I was listening to this on the way to my session. You can’t just give me an existential crisis and break my brain right before I’m supposed to work with a client lol But in all seriousness, fantastic video. I love the way you fuse psychology and philosophy with gaming retrospectives. I watch a lot of retrospective channels but nobody does it like you. Keep up the incredible work!

[@dgsams]

👏

[@morganfarlie]

Though I've seen another video on this, as ever, I'm humbly grateful that you lent your incredibly insightful and thoughtful mind to yet another incredible piece of art. Thank you for your creativity, analysis and thoughts on some INCREDIBLY difficult questions and art.

[@kimishou]

When I played soma, I had put on the safety mode and went through the entire game not having to worry about the monsters. But the ambiance still allowed me to feel that same uncomfortable fear. Soma is a wonderful story, that was pulled back by the video game mechanics. And the best part? The choices ultimately not mattering. The story still happens on its own rails. The choices you make just leave you with the implications of the what ifs.

[@DungeonMusings]

I only recently discovered your channel and, while I have enjoyed all of the videos I have watched to date, this one is going to stay with me for a long while. Phenomenal work. Thanks so much for sharing and hope all is well on your end.

[@DissonantSynth]

Commenting for the algorithm...!

[@lydiaperson7251]

jeez! my god, that game.... wow you did a lot of research! this video is very creative, and beautiful

[@itzDusk]

I love the way SOMA tackles the concept of personhood. Undoubtedly one of the best games of all time!!

[@allypoum]

Soma is one of the most affecting and memorable games I've ever played. And I've been playing video games since Pong came out.

[@danhair]

I always wondered something: if you can transfer memories and personalities to robots then why didn’t the humans make robots with their personalities and send them to the surface of the planet to : search for any sanctuaries or make a sanctuary on the surface?

[@Wonzling0815]

The full memory and personality transfer was only developed between the WAU and Catherine in the final months, before and during the Arc Project. No one apart from the WAU even knew that it was possible to do more than transfer minds to the arc. Simon is arguably the most successful result of the WAUs attempts, and it basically had to resort to techno-necromancy. Even if the people at Pathos II would have had the ability to transfer minds to robots, they had neither the supplies nor the necessary information to search for anything beyond the station. They had a very limited number of robots, each of which again was limited in mobility and range, especially out of water. With all sources of communication cut off and the land engulfed in a constant firestorm, there was no way to even start a search on the surface.

[@danhair]

@@Wonzling0815 This is one of the reasons why I support keeping the WAU alive. But beyond that, how did they not understand what they had? They had Simon’s scan from 100 years in the past and Catherine basically assembled the parts to remake the scan machine from Pathos 2 parts. And she got that idea from what the WAU was doing with the pilot chairs. It is strange that a technology that could have saved humanity and extended its reach in a new era was just misused or lost… then again we have cloning that could save our world right now and we aren’t using it either… Also realistically speaking, tell me: wouldn’t humanity have developed some underground bunkers or cities in case the comet was unable to be stopped. Also amazingly the comet hit the Pacific Ocean, Pathos was in the Atlantic Ocean and avoided the catastrophe but somewhere remote like the Himalayas was also devastated

[@Wonzling0815]

@@danhair Apparently people did know they could use the scans to recreate artificial intelligence, which is not a small thing. However it seems that individual scans didn't differ too much from each other for that use, since Simon is still one of the few legacy scans we see on Pathos 2. I think that if scan were interesting on an individual level, we would find a much bigger set of legacy scans. It was the WAU that finally made a breakthrough after the apocalypse, probably because it could experiment on living minds without any ethical constraints. Just consider how high the barriers for human testing are in our society. The legal problems with any mind duplication tech would also be immense, since any duplication of an adult minds creates a legally autonomous person that did/could not consent to being part of an experiment. Im sure there were quite a few places on Earth with survivors, like bunkers. Apart from the difficulty of reconnecting the scattered communities, the atmosphere was for all intents and purposes permanently rendered incapable of sustaining life. Short term survival may be possible, long term repopulation probably not.

[@diegowushu]

Man, this was brilliant. Been playing games for 30 years and this is the only one that's stuck with me so many years after I've played it. All the aspects you've mentioned (the lived in, plausible environments, the personality that they gave every scientist so you end up feeling like you know them, the way you end up considering your choices harder than in any actual RPG, the utter tragedy of the plot...). The perfect voice acting deserves a mention, it's up there with the best of them. The companion videos too, they give a great perspective at what happened immediately before the game starts. Also the additional material on the website is cool, there's a story about Munchi and one of the gunner that decides to go up the barrel of the space gun to see the sky. I've watched most of YT's content on this game and this is probably the best.

[@SageofStars]

I have to admit, this is one of those where I got something entirely different out of it than I know the developers wanted me to, as I'm supposed to be, like this video's title suggests, thinking about the issue of the soul and continuity of consciousness , but my mind instead goes to another route. Clones...every single copy is a clone, sure cloned at different times, but still, each version of Simon is the original, + a few hours of memories. So it becomes less of, how much of the soul is preserved in doing this, and more of a personhood issue with cloning, and in that light, Cat is probably the worst monster in history. I'm quite serious, this is one of those stories where I wanted choices just to tell this person whose talking in my ear off after only a few minutes, and by the end, I wanted to tear one of the pipes off the wall and jam it into the thruster for the ship, either destroying it, because screw it everything dies anyway, or perhaps just disabling it so the station's other residents/maybe part of the AI is still online can salvage something better from it. Why do I feel this way? Because her plan is stupid. She's building a mental fishtank, with no outside access to the rest of the world, and calling that 'good enough', while the AI, malfunctioning as it is(Maybe), is at least trying to help. Plus her attitude towards Simon is so much worse when you realize she might be lying about some of this. After all, her statements sound annoyed with questions he asks, less in the, we don't have time, and more in the, I ALREADY explained this. Why? Because I honestly don't think this is her first Simon. Her reason for him being her tool here is that he's the only brainscan she can access, but like SHODAN in System Shock 2, I think she's lying, especially since she later casually gives us access to at least one, maybe up to three brainscans that are perfect for our situation. Her explanation of Simon's being the template, and thus the least protected is bulls from the word go, as otherwise the three(I think it's three) times we change bodies would be with a fresh Simon every time, as that's the one scan that should be hard coded to be never able to be changed or saved over. Heck, she actually does something Mr. Zander(Can I call you Monty?) points out in Resident Evil 8. No one explains jack to Simon in this one. She knows he doesn't understand her, but rather than trying to simplify or otherwise make him understand, she just dismisses him, or outright lies to his face, and in the end, I honestly wish you could hook the computer up to a repair kit like the rest of the station, force her to keep running in the empty darkness for as long as possible, let her suffer for all this, which is her fault. Worse...her explanation of why she doesn't just load herself into a body never sat right with me, as if she can't access those systems, then WHY is she able to talk with us so freely? Wouldn't that be an access point too, and thus shut her out? Personally, I think she HAS tried to do this with others, or herself, and each one tells her off. Once she's on different hardware, the versions of her immediately twig onto the fact that something is wrong with them, and thus try to reason with her, before she uses the control she has to shut them down. Finally, she finds a mind that would have no context for anything except what SHE gives them. And again, she seems annoyed when Simon asks pretty standards questions, so I don't even think this is her first him she's tried this with, just the first successful one. And since the AI minds can be stimulated, perhaps Simon has been modified slightly, and this copy, which she can obviously do since she can make others of him later, is remembering things in ways to make him trust her more. So yeah, I know none of that is true, the makers have outright said as much, but it was going through my mind, and I can't unthink it when this game comes up. This is a story where you're working for a voice on the radio, and help them succeed, which sounds more and more like a bad thing as the game goes on.

[@zacharron]

Brilliant video, Monty. Soma is one of the very few gaming stories that has continued occupying my thoughts over the years (Bloodborne is another). 100,000 subs incoming and well deserved!

[@tamim4927]

Man I think I clicked on the wrong Sword Art Online Alicization video.

[@Tonitzki]

This was a brilliant video, and exceptionally well articulated ponderings tied together with a recap of the story of SOMA. Despite having played this game years ago and returned to it multiple times since, I managed to find plenty of new ways to approach the story and mental-exploration of the existence, morals, and soul. Easiest like & subscribe of my life 😎

[@Baddaby]

Great video dude Sorry for the personal question, but I got really curious given some of your points in the video: Are you pro-life? Sometimes you mention that you wouldn't take away the possibility of life that copy or copies of someone could have

[@MontyZander]

Pro-choice for pragmatic and societal reasons. It’s just the potential of life still makes it a difficult swallow spiritually for me.

[@Baddaby]

@@MontyZander nice, I tend to lean to that side too And thanks for answering!

[@MorawskiGRK]

Thank you Monty. One of my favourite games as well. Appreciate all the philisophy and neuroscience parts. It does the game full justice.

[@frankkummer6419]

I watched countless hours of essays about games and psychology, but what you put together here is nothing short of an absolute masterpiece. Thank you so much for all the effort to share with us such a profound insight into so many questions around the topics of soul, consciousness and so many sci-fi tropes that just leave the listener with a feeling of WOW! ( ;) ).

[@octopaul]

very nicely put together video. It's great to see more people getting as much out of this game as I did, I put it right up there with Silent Hill 2 and think it will be fondly remembered as a classic. Without doubt, one of the most important games ever made, and by far one of the best.

[@TheCalifornianeskimo]

Dude. The way you frame all this is amazing, full stop. I haven’t felt this much existential dread since watching a kursgezagt video

[@rocketmancmbn]

What a treat getting Monty’s take on this thought provoking game. Monty, you aced this essay.

[@jainafication]

Damn. Another amazing video essay. Makes me wish I could afford to be a name in the credits again. Since your video on Inside I really came to appreciate your take on these kind of topics. Hope there are more videos like these to come!

[@shuwusVT]

I finally got around to watching this video, and I have to say that your work is an absolute wonder to watch. The in depth analysis and how you tie in ideas from the world around is phenomenal and keeps me coming back each time. From a little commenter, thank you for doing what you do

[@8saiharamasukoi]

I can't believe you're still under 100k subscribers. When I look back on 2023, I'm going to look back on how much your videos comforted me when I was feeling depressed-like, _really_ comforted me and gave me respite from feeling down-during a time when my life was, actually, getting a lot better The stuff you make has so much depth to it, this video especially made the hermeneutics student in me geek out. You're destined to either get like, idk 50 million subscribers any day now. Or just keep blowing up until you want to do something else Also, the part where you said you'd always choose your wife in the Shyamalan movie was really heartwarming tbh

[@Kamishi845]

I really like your comment that what makes SOMA great isn't just that it's asking big questions but how it does it. This is also why I love Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, because beyond the attempt to present mental illness and specifically schizophrenia in a genuine way, it really developed into what it means to become your own person distinct from trauma. Like SOMA, it stuck with me in a way few other games have. I think the only other game I'd also consider to be on that list that not only asks deep existential questions but in a profound way is Bloodborne.

[@NaimHrustanovic]

I don't generally measure quality with success but DAMN Monty, if you don't deserve fame and fortune for your work, I don't know who does. Keep it up!

[@etanderkaraglal8087]

Thanks to you, I'm more grateful to the makers of it. Such a game to be remembered. Great effort to make the video essay. Appreciate your work, time and talent. Beautiful 👏

[@couragetheactor]

One of most brilliant and well done video essays on the philosophical and moral themes of a horror game I've ever seen on KZbin. I haven't seen anything do a game like SOMA such justice!!

[@lostsanityreturned]

Soma is by far my favourite of frictional's games... not for the gameplay, but not in spite of the gameplay either. It is simply so well told. Not perfect, but probably the closest to perfectly told I have witnessed in a horror game all things considered.

[@DillNyeTheHighGuy]

This was fantastic. I love soma, it scared the shit out of me in more than one sense of the word. You definitely did an amazing job on this video essay, and I think you are an amazing person for being able to do such justice to a game like this one. Both the game itself and this video are one of a kind. Bravo, honestly. Definitely going to be checking your channel out, as I am a brand new viewer to your content!

[@ilovekaelenn]

you have seriously become my favorite video essayist on youtube in the span of like a week, been binging the hell out of your catalogue and i love the way you write these and the comparisons you draw, much love monty good luck on 100k ❤