SOMA - Lore (Part 5: Do Not Go Gentle)

[@TrueDiox]

Tell a horror story in six words: "Catherine? Please don't leave me alone..."

[@eljodoma9105]

I think we should start loving each other, just from this sentence.

[@kerarri158]

actually it needs context tho and i think thats lots of paragraphs

[@mikicerise6250]

After literally aggravating her to death. :p

[@realdaggerman105]

@@kerarri158 “Please don’t leave me alone” is probably more scary with no context.

[@szellemsam]

"Catherine? Please don't leave me alone..." Those feels, man. Very heartbreaking.

[@tiagoviana9316]

I almost cried when we had to choose to kill the woman guarding the ark. "At least, I wont have to turn 30. Hurray". The break on her voice... This game is just incredible...

[@cypresswillow2591]

Out of context this line sounded like a bad break up. And yes, I'm coating my anxiety of this ending with bad jokes.... Simon's perspective was terrifying if I put myself in his place. So scary that my only salvation from that horror, is getting killed by those monster...almost as if, I want them to come and hurry find / kill me.

[@tiagoviana9316]

Nicolas I would kill myself if I was Simon. Imagine if something like this happened in real life.it would be so scary

[@perplexedmoth]

Something like this keeps happening with every sentient being and with every new childborn and death in this life. The only difference we are all as stupid as Simon, and we think we are different people, when we are all essentially copies of each other (through DNA replication process).

[@Isa-rk5vl]

@@perplexedmoth DNA replication definitely does not create a copy of a human being ...

[@bbenjoe]

In one of the side stories we can read about the fate of Antjie Coetzee. She was a technician of the Omega Space Gun, and a resident of Tau. As things became bleaker each day, one day she had enough. She took a diving suit, 3 extra oxygen tanks and went to the Omega Space Gun, and began to climb up to the surface via the rails. After hours of climbing in the dark she reached the abandoned surface station. Out of the water an eternity, she took off her helmet. The air was warm and poisonous but she enjoyed it anyway. Took fresh clothes, cooked food, read a nice book and had a nice bottle of wine to drink... and enjoyed every minute she had until she fell asleep for the last time.

[@Neo-ff4uo]

Where did you get that from?

[@AnkitIyer9]

"having traded in one abyss for another" - beautiful. I got goosebumps.

[@GameologicalDig]

Ankit Iyer I take no credit. Frictional did the heavy lifting!

[@alexanderhawk9743]

bruh it hit me like a rock XD

[@GabeBars]

omg yes!! YES! What an absolutely amazing job.

[@astraeanova4280]

Your presentation was so good I almost cried at the end like I did at the end of the game, thank you

[@willrev]

I think this is my all time favourite video series on KZbin. Thank you so much for putting the effort in. Great job.

[@BedBananas]

Great series, thank's for all the work you put in.

[@pillgrimm]

Woah, what're you doing here bed?

[@scylax7669]

I'm surprised too. Glad to see he enjoyed Soma as much as I did.

[@koczownik4567]

hOLY I never knew you watched this, and next thing I know there is a video for it...

[@chessversarius2253]

It's HIM °°??? A surprise to be sure but a welcome one

[@grebjuice]

rip bingo

[@Swassticles]

I think the WAU was the only hope for mankind, not the ARK, I mean you have to consider the fact that it created Simon, it essentially created a functional human being, which was its intent the whole time, it made plenty of mistakes along the way, but it was trying desperately to save humanity, and it did. I believe that given enough time it could create a whole new chapter of humanity, a post-humanist species that could survive and even thrive in the desolate world that the comet had created, if you ask me, I believe that the saddest story in this game was one of the WAU, a simple program, that tried so hard to save the humans who created it. fuck I love this game.

[@GameologicalDig]

I don't disagree, partly. Yeah, the idea of the ARK seems more and more pointless with each subsequent playthrough. It kind of feels akin to the idea that a man/woman will live on through their children, which, when your dead, really makes no difference. Then again, who's to argue with the perception of those on the ARK. In their eyes, they're alive and real. If we were to find out tomorrow that our reality was just some computer simulation, I'd bet you would feel like the notion of the ARK is justified. Either way, I def agree, SOMA was incredible.

[@supertetramethylcyclohexan39]

comment 2 years ago lol. good idea, maybe this can be Soma 2, where we get the perspective of the wau, and some other what if's explored. then we have the option to view both sides

[@tezwoacz]

btw you were wrong about there being no context to WAU "dream", in theta when akers catches you in basement section you enter waus "ark"

[@alexcardosa8079]

Take the WAU out of the picture and they could have survived with the power sources they had and using their scientific and engineering ability. There seems to have been enough people to jump start humanity. Who knows, but the way people started to delude themselves and stopped trying to survive as well as the WAU been an experiment gone wrong meant the end was of their own making. Have to wonder what the Corp. was all about.

[@PVTShadow8492]

@@GameologicalDig Here is one thing, I have never been able to play the game due to getting motion sick. Is there any indication that Pathos II truely is the only bastion of Human life. Could there be other pockets in the ocean in other research stations. I will say this though there is no happy ending in the end

[@Midorikonokami]

I'm an academic, and one of my mentors specialises in Post-Humanism.... this game is something he really needs to discover. Edit: yes, I told him, he's currently writing a paper about it.

[@salamanteriop]

Midorikonokami have you told him about this?

[@AsatsuyaH]

I hope you did tell him. :D

[@oggaming7362]

Make sure you do him that favor. This game will be adored by him.

[@friedrichderhohevonweedman6093]

Is there a way to read it? I would be extremely interested in what an expert has to say about the concepts brought up in Soma.

[@cade5083]

If there is a way to access this paper please let us know.

[@medallish]

That's why I didn't kill the WAU, as terrible as it was in some aspects, it was atleast a chance for humanity, as WAU evolves, and further imitates life, you can imagine it one day, creates viable human substitutes of the scans it has, possibly even enhance the human race What can humans do locked inside a satellite, completely unable to affect their physical surroundings? Man I loved SOMA, no game comes close to this games narrative I think.

[@xSuperMicex]

There are games which have good narrative style. Depending where they come from, what theme they are and what "voice" they use. ;) A good example would be Bastion and Transistor as you would expect. But you are certainly right. SOMA does have viable topics to think, to meditate or talk about. I really really like those games as you do. They make you wonder. What IS Human? What IS Life? Illusion? All those things. This kind of thing does come more or less close to the Greek age, where they were thinking about this stuff. Anyhow, back to narrative. SOMA truly is special. An artifact in your mind (and CD or Library Cupboard ;D ) to keep and treasure it. :D

[@C-R-l-M-S-O-N]

2 words "dark souls"

[@medallish]

Bloodborne did spring to mind, as it's incredibly detailed "behind the scenes" much like this game, but dunno I just wanted more SOMA when I completed the game, and although I really like Bloodborne it's story telling is very hidden I find, I only know about the story because I saw an awesome let's play that explained a lot of the lore(I was getting stuck because I was being bad in the beginning :( ).

[@C-R-l-M-S-O-N]

Medallish Ok. both of these games have similar ways of telling the story and depth to the story. but the souls games are more cryptic and leave it up to your imagination.

[@GameologicalDig]

I did the same my first playthrough. My outlook was humanities time had ended, much like the giant lizards who ruled the earth before. Then I reconsidered when I thought about it; I didn't feel good about the WAU was mutating the aquatic life. Just because humanity perished doesn't mean that the ocean life should suffer. So I opt to destroy it pretty much everytime now.

[@fernandosimon5621]

Catherine's "They killed me?!..." Sarah's: "Would you stay with me please?..." Amy's: "I want to go home" Simon's: "Don't leave me alone..." The most heartbreaking moments of the game for me.

[@stevenagelutton4322]

Strasky's: "I'm the master of my own fate!" has gotta be up there, surely?

[@BurnzieJuice]

stevenage lutton. No that guy was a fkn idiot. If he had just climbed the ladder and drained the water from the building like I did he would’ve been fine😂😂 instead head committed suicide under it lol

[@dukatelo]

@@BurnzieJuice Strasky didn't have an Omnitool, nor Ross to desipher the code at the computer (If i'm not confusing game parts, I think that's what happens in that tower, right?)

[@BurnzieJuice]

@@dukatelo there’s no way the group got that far without one tho. Just a couple of pumps and swipe the tool. I would’ve went for it.

[@TheLexa053]

30:10 In this conversation, Sarah talks about Greenland. I think this is a reference for Frictional's first game, Penumbra. Because Greenland is a main scenery of Penumbra.

[@nucIeer]

I can't believe I didn't catch that earlier

[@Teddysha22]

"Atleast I won't have to turn 30...hur-ray"..........:(

[@VoicesofSlumber]

Its clear the light they saw off the path was the anglerfish.

[@uomiuom]

maybe that was the origin of the human face fused to the angler?

[@nobleradical2158]

I got tricked in my play through too

[@russian_knight]

@@uomiuom yup. That's probably the face of Glasser. Well, what's left of it at least

[@brent8407]

I think it was Pedersen who killed Catherine, not Jasper... Pedersen says "I'm srry Catherine" at the end. Also if you listen closely to the voices during Catherine's Blackbox sequence you can determine that jasper is the one saying "guys calm down" and "wtf did you do?"

[@Neo-ff4uo]

👍🏻

[@michaelwilson5114]

Thats what I got too

[@Kapanol97]

Yeah if you turn on closed captions it shows you the name of who's speaking as well

[@snakedogman]

that (first) ending still gives me goosebumps. The idea of our hero/avatar, after all his accomplishments and adventures, just being torn away from all the hope he had built up and suddenly coming to face the crushing reality that he is, in fact, not going to go on the Ark, but that he's going to die all alone, hundreds of metres beneath the ocean, and not even the disembodied voice of Catherine to argue with.

[@nobleradical2158]

snakedogman he could still try to go to the surface, maybe put Catherine in a new body

[@sentinel8534]

@@nobleradical2158 the omnitool chip burned out. Catherine can't be reanimated. Simon is all alone, and may never leave Pathos, alone with the monsters of the wau. And on the Ark, the hope is very low, one day the ark will be out, and all humanity left too.

[@podroznikzpustkowi4805]

@@sentinel8534 there is still canon

[@russelljackson2818]

@@nobleradical2158 And unless I'm mistaken, the ACR (the climber) can't be operated from the abyss, it has to be called back to the top from Omicron. Which means that unless Simon is a hell of a climber, he can't even get back to shallower waters. The descent into the abyss was a one-way trip. Brutal.

[@nobleradical2158]

@@russelljackson2818 there’s a story on the website of someone climbing from tau to the surface so I think Simon could do it too.

[@tencat24]

I feel so bad for Earth Simon... So bad... I think I'm going to imagine a story where he finds another robo friend like him in another area and then they both manage to go to the surface and because they're sophisticated robots it's fine that the air is toxic or that the Earth is too warm. And maybe they find survivors and shit, I don't know, just don't leave poor Simon alone :(

[@rustypudder7072]

MiniMizzie24 until their batteries run out

[@tencat24]

You MONSTER

[@TMHedgehog]

Hoover dam should still be working, should just be a case of shoving a plug up their butt.

[@HueghMungus]

There ARE two Simons down in the sea. Not sure where they are in the section, but one simon is the one who launched the space gun, and the other stuck in the seat before he changed suit. He could technically, use power in the facilities and/or WAU wires and plug into himselves, and then clean up the place :D haha, I don't think it's too shabby. Not at all!

[@qwertyqwertovich4912]

Simon is a roting corpse with some structure gel in a diving suit. The whole station is filled with roting corpses, diving suits and structure gel. Simon and Cath could kinda repopulate the place creating humas like simon using digital copies. In prespective even remake the civilization in some sort. So its not that depressing and hopeless

[@leonardthesnifferwallace5073]

I think the ending was uplifting actually as Catherine had revealed that humanity could live on the Ark for several thousands of years, which means that an alien species might one day discover humanity and resurrect it in its biological form or even a better form. The Simon left on Earth at the bottom of a pitch black sea with the last power of Pathos II drained out following the launch however is in an unimaginable hell. He'll last as long as his batteries power him and that might be a long time. Since he's in a deep sea diving suit it's unlikely he'll manage to mortally wound himself somehow. Unless he can strip his own battery and pull the plug on himself he'll go mad.

[@cxcarmic]

I guess that's the ultimate hope for the ARK project. Hopefully someday an intelligent alien species might discover the ARK and take those digital consciousness of humans and copy them into robots or like you said, resurrect humanity back into some type of biological form.

[@Blake101247]

This! I felt that the game was leading us in a direction that would have the human consciousnesness downloaded into robots ..... where they would be able to live similar to Simons existence .... a robot that acted like a human

[@AlleluiaElizabeth]

Well, he could walk, I suppose. Like, just keep walking till he hits dry land.

[@ShinyGoldBacon]

The dry land with fire reaching into the sky over every inch? It's not much better than monster-infested underwater bases.

[@ShinyGoldBacon]

Simon was mostly a human corpse with a robotic head attached inside the diving suit, remember. He can't have been able to last much longer. He'd start rotting.

[@illyasvielemiya9059]

"Huh? For a moment I thought its gonna collapse." Tempting fate at its finest

[@-._.-KRiS-._.-]

Especially after being so condescending towards another human being. Sweetheart, my ass.

[@tarikay93]

I find it odd that they left Catherine's body to rot there, returning to Tau.

[@nobleradical2158]

Vatian on the other hand, what else would they do?

[@fountaincap]

@@nobleradical2158 They could have brought her back to Tau and put her in some kind of coffin, or at least if they left her body at Phi, put her in a more respectful position and cover her face. But I get that the developers left her body like that to show how she died.

[@edgardeloera2874]

@@fountaincap You also have to take into consideration that alot of them were starving and probably very weak. Try carry dead weight while being exhorted.

[@fritzkuhne2055]

the game is full of unlogical decisions. you would think highly intelligent scientists where not this stupid

[@SnowWalker1]

Omg. Congratulations on your last few words. Pure poetry. "Having traded in one abyss for another." , from the abyss of the mighty Atlantic ocean to the infinite abyss of space.

[@SnowWalker1]

or did you mean, to the abyss of the Matrix? 😁

[@Tumbledweeb]

WOOO! POETRY! MY TURN! "For he did not know, that beyond the lake he called home, Lies a deeper, darker ocean green. Where waves are both wilder and more serene. To its ports I've been, To its ports I've been."

[@HeatyFrog]

There's one detail I disagree with you on here. You say the creature that killed Glasser was likely the Leviathan but I believe the game was trying to imply it was the Anglerfish. At the end of the audio log - "the light is over there!" (I love these videos by the way)

[@Blake101247]

Agreed

[@GameologicalDig]

Your def right, lol. Another commenter made the same statement not too long ago, and made me realize my error. Might have to go back and annotate the vid when I can.

[@iamtoast2861]

@@GameologicalDig hey Dig! Toasty here! I watched Markiplier do a playthrough of this game three years ago, and ever since, I've been obsessed. Stuff like this really gets the gears turning in ones mind, gets one thinking about what life can really be, and the value and potential of all living things. I watched your series not expecting the compassion and hard work you put into it, and it just made me fall in love with the game all over again! Thank you so much! You've made some seriously cool theories and points, all on an unbiased opinion, but still relevant. I just bought the game for myself. Can't wait to get home and play! Thanks again my friend!! 💖💖

[@Pendleton115]

Actually, I believe the timeline discrepancy is false. It is perfectly feasible that climber was slow, as it might need to halt for pressure safety stops and might have to go slow so the pressure may equalise. As Simon passes out during the journey we actually have no idea how long it takes for the Climber to descend.

[@wal_rider8479]

True, i was thinking the same for when Akers catches us all the way back at the plateau and puts us into the growth in the wall, we had no idea how much time passed from when he did that to when we woke up.

[@Slickusso]

Yeah the fact that omicron doesnt have a decompression chamber most likely means that the climber had to make decompression stops along the way, unless the power suits had some sort of advanced systems that could solve decompression sickness

[@Pendleton115]

@@Slickusso Exactly!

[@conatcha]

That moment when you finally send the ARK to the space and realize that you ended up completely alone. It was so brutal that I spent all the rolling credits sitting there as I was hit by a hammer on my head saying to myself "wow, that was one tough ending". And then when the credits end I am rewarded with the other side of the coin. What an awesome game.

[@Smoji069]

I have never been so depressed about my own existence. I feel the existential nihilism mentally crushing me.

[@RinLockhart]

Dante Del Sarto life is a dream but sometimes you gotta embrace it and move on. it's best not to waste what little we have by doing nothing. even getting up in the morning is an achievement

[@thenamelessgod2308]

I know this is an old comment and you might never see my reply, but I suggest a video from kurzgesagt - in a nutshell: optimistic nihilism. Basically exactly because nothing has a meaning and we're all gonna die eventually, you might as well enjoy living and use this power of being able to feel and experience things which a large portion of the univerese doesn't have.

[@Nimbus3690]

I am so sad now. The grief of the game has been renewed by this amazing video series. It was really part 4 of this series, specifically where the survivors of delta die outside Omicron, that got to me so hard. They literally just wandered the empty, dimly lit, green-tinted seabed until their oxygen ran out, talking about how they should've been friendlier with each other in life. Ugh, I can't deal with this level of mortality.

[@Sy-un2qv]

Ivin3690 I find it peaceful actually. Instead of dying(or living) gruesomly in the hands of the WAU and its machines, they got to lay and rest in piece with no stress, no need to survive and with time to reflect on life.

[@quenvanwijk]

Wtf is your profile picture

[@Fury_Logan]

Ivashkin's words are: Alyosha (full name of his son) My boy Leshka (short version of name Alyosha)

[@CommandoTrek]

I just wanted you to know that I have really enjoyed this series. I have anticipated every day for a new episode. You are very good at narrations, and you deserve more subscribers. Thank you for doing what you do.

[@GameologicalDig]

Thanks for the kind words. Trust me when I say I hope to get more subs and one day get some serious production value in these vids. Till then, thanks for watching.

[@alexispillon1608]

+Gameological Dig Insane work, I watched and enjoyed all of the videos, thanks for your effort. For a future game, I was thinking about Amnesia A Machine For Pigs, I'm pretty sure you'd like it.

[@Slabfish]

Any ideas as to what games you'll do next?

[@GameologicalDig]

+Sean The Prawn Yea, but it's a surprise. I'm in the process of writing the script, so it shouldn't be much longer now :-)

[@Slabfish]

Gameological Dig Excited, and congrats on your first 1k subs!

[@DMiso90]

Watched through your series in almost one sitting, absolutely loved your narration, thank you very much for you awesome work!

[@Xandermorph]

The ending to this game is so tragically beautiful... hell, the WHOLE GAME is tragically beautiful. It rivals some of the best classic sci-fi out there. I've often wondered what authors like Isaac Asimov or Frank Herbert (my personal #1 favorite sci-fi author :D) would think of a story like Soma's. Their stories very often dealt with the kinds of themes this one tackles. In fact, I could VERY easily see this being a Frank Herbert story. It's right up his alley - weird, horrific monstrosities borne out of whacked out science and twisted AI logic, themes of isolation, the nature of consciousness and the ethical gray areas presented in meddling with it... Herbert LOVED to traumatise his readers' sensibilities with such themes ;)

[@geodaet83]

This game goes deeper into the terrifying side of the human mind than every other medium ever could.

[@muteeverything717]

I can't play horror games because Im a wuss and hate jumpscares but I love the lore behind some of them like this one! This series was a great alternative to playing the game as it just takes out all the jumpscares and leaves me with the good stuff! Cheers for this!

[@theoglad3955]

I feel exactly the same, got this now on ps plus but really didn’t feel to play it but I was very very intrested in the lore and the story so I found this channel instead

[@Oneiromatic]

Theo I got it on ps+ too and I’m playing it... there actually aren’t that many jump scares, it’s just a lot of being stealthy and sneaking around. If anything, this series makes me want to play it even more so I can find and read all the notes ^_^

[@sad0me213]

Honestly I am too but once you get through the game yourself you feel very accomplished lmao

[@longbeard180]

There’s hardly any jump scares and there’s actually a game mode where the creatures can’t attack you!! That’s what I did, I got to enjoy the story to its fullest extent I could. Still missed a lot of details that this video series amazingly explored.

[@Fryguysun]

Did you consider watching a Lets Play of it? RabidRetrospectGames did a No Commentary Playthrough of it. I've seen a very good playthrough that ChristopherOdd did. Also.... the only letsplays I've ever watched of Markiplier (or Jackskepticeye/PewDiePie etc) was of SOMA and he seemed less obnoxious in it. Otherwise there were playthroughs by other horror game LPer's like John Wolfe and MrKravin who I'm sure did a fine job with it so they might be worth giving a gander if you feel the others aren't your style.

[@griffin7474]

This game was so thought provoking and intelligent, I really wish there were more out there like it. I really do. I absolutely LOVED this analytical series for helping me understand even more about the story of SOMA and allowing me to think about it even more. I hope you find more games that fit the nature of it, and I look forward to the future of this channel! Also, it would be pretty awesome if you did a philosophical analysis on the game as well. You mentioned towards the end that you weren't qualified for such a topic of conversation, but at the end of the day, who is qualified to talk about the way we work as humans? Anyways, great stuff, keep it up.

[@Aeryix]

this relates to me the exact same way, this game was very thought provoking and i came to this series to help me come to an understanding

[@KingVarianWrynn]

I saw this in my feed and literally just dropped what I was doing to watch this.

[@Lemonady]

ME TOO !

[@5cyp43r]

Same here.. Now I am behind with my duties. God damn! :)

[@oinkleberry]

As did I

[@GameologicalDig]

Haha, I do the same with a bunch of other KZbinrs, as well. I know the feeling. Just glad I could inspire the same out of you. Thanks for watching.

[@riderMI]

Hey Gameological Dig are you sure you are not Simon Jarrett? I sure have crazy thoughts about you being on the ARK. Ohh...

[@Christinavyaz]

dude you are dope. you have such haunting voice I luv it. at the end it realy got me chills. we'll be waiting for more of this content! thank you so much !!

[@Bonified369]

Dude has Ron Pearlman levels of voice talent. I was enthralled in every episode. Glad I got to it later rather than never.

[@leviathiane]

I always get so misty eyed when I listen to this series again. Audio focused content has never been my thing bc i have a bit of a hearing disorder, but the way you tell it, the quiet and deep tenor of your voice and the intrigue of lore mixed with the weighted resignation of Soma's story, and the slow and calming way you parse through every bit of audio there is to piece together the lore as a whole in a fully defined and explained story-- it just really gets me. Since its a horror game, its sometimes hard to remove the horror and adrenaline of fear from the actual story present. Your videos really help to show both without distracting from one or the other, and it ended up being something really great. Im not very good at writing comments. Thank you for your hard work!

[@JMotiveMU]

Something I return to often also. A true gem!

[@9171paladin]

you've done a amazing job. this without a doubt is one of the greatest and saddest stories I've ever seen.

[@Paveway-chan]

It really is. Such a depressing end :(

[@YamaikoHiro]

There are no fucking words that can describe how empty I felt after the ending, and even after the epilogue. This is why Soma is probably one of my favourite games, it asks questions, in ways that no other game asked before. This game is a fucking masterpiece. Also, I really appreciate this video series you've put together. It was great.

[@ferran273]

Recently finished SOMA. Thank you for putting up these 5 videos, made me see details I didn't before.

[@thehealerofagroupp4nd422]

I think the attack from the WAU causing everyone's blackboxes that were active to overload was based on location or proximity. Sarah, still the only human alive, somehow lived through that attack as the others in Site Tau. Or at least the Alpha attacked the humans that were contacted by Johan, as these people were affected by Johan and had also died of blackbox, which could explain the humans at Tau to be alive still with their blackboxes intact, as well as their heads.

[@steve1978ger]

This deserves more views. The calm, thoughtful style is way better suited to a game like SOMA then the irreverent romps by the usual suspects.

[@MikeWhite7620]

A seamless narrative. Professional rendering. The analysis is just perfect with its thoughtful and intelligent dissection and reflection of the story. This is the 'best' critical / review on the internet - period. I already lost sleep having been glued to your story analysis of SOMA. So there, I've said it - I've become officially hooked by this series. Thank you for sharing your unique talents with so many. Thoroughly and completely enjoyed this and you have my deepest appreciation, utmost admiration & respect - "thank you." PS - yes, we subscribed to your channel.

[@GabeBars]

Thank you. I couldnt have said it better.

[@Trevman55]

Amazing series. After Soma I wanted nothing more than a film or book or something that could wrap up the story and explain it in a clear but still cinematic and entertaining fashion. This was it. Fantastic work.

[@GameologicalDig]

Haha, damn. That's high praise. Thanks so much.

[@moffant4916]

A book could be great.

[@anubissilverwolf8500]

I still every so often come back to rewatch this series as it's really well done

[@rpersen]

Me too, has seen it three times now. Best game ever, a piece of art.

[@tyomkolton]

Man, I am literally in tears right now. Thank you so much.

[@GameologicalDig]

Probably the best response I have ever gotten. My heart is swelling! Thanks so much!

[@tyomkolton]

Gameological Dig Can't wait for the next series. All the best, man.

[@rigulur]

Technically, we DO see a tiny glimpse of the WAU's simulated dreams when Akers captures Simon and forces him into the gel. The part were he talks to what he think is his girlfriend, but then he realizes something is amiss, and not only does the dream begin to breakdown but I believe Simon also suffers pain from the whole thing before he snaps back to the real world, unbinds himself and the game continues. What that says to me is that the WAU's noble efforts at pacification are only as effective as you believe it to be, like a weaker, pseudo-Matrix. It was incomplete but for the vast majority of its thrall it evidently did its job quite well, Simon probably being the exception for some reason. Maybe because he was a recent addition and his memories of the real world were still fresh. Comparatively almost everyone else was already dead before the WAU resurrected them in some form. Or it could be the benefits of being a robo-suit thing. This also begs the question if it was right or wrong to terminate the WAU. Aside from Simon's not great experience in his dream, many others actually seem content. Not physically, their bodies convulse and twitch horribly... but on a mental level you can hear some of them just living their lives out in the dream as normal, their dream-consciousness being totally fine with their current state. Ross of course says the WAU is inadvertently putting everyone and everything through permanent hell and I've no doubt the early WAU-corruptions were agonizing. But evidently the WAU was still developing the 'perfect' mutation and dream state, making large strives over the course of a mere year, hence the radical differences in mutated staff. Who's to say the WAU wouldn't succeed at some point? Not only would everything that died be enveloped into a perfectly ideal simulated heaven, but in the real world the WAU would also save endangered/extinct life through cybernetic integration. It's just fun to think about.

[@kingjester2382]

If u listen to the remains of the people who are connected to the wau, you can actually hear some of them talking. Like Akers said, he put them to sleep, he put them essentially into an endless coma, where they have very pleasant dreams if u listen to the people talking in their dreams. This is hinted at when Akers catches Simon and attempts to put him into the coma state, and he has a dream where he gets married. So while they may seem in pain, the people seem happy in their terrible state

[@syronsparrow5081]

I just finished playing SOMA, and I felt that some things were unclear, so I searched for some lore explanation videos and thankfully I stumbled upon your series here. All I can say is that you gained a new subscriber, likes on every video I watch, and a humble admirer. Absolutely fenomenal editing, storytelling and showcasing skills on your part, Im sure it was hard work, but hell it did pay off, Hats off and applause for you sir!!

[@Big_Dai]

- "Are we humans no matter our container and our lack of understanding of it?" Pretty sweet man! Thanks for the videos, best of of wishes for future projects.

[@jumidbd]

Im watching this while drunk and now I'm having an existental crisis, thank you for this. I needed this..

[@-._.-KRiS-._.-]

That's the best part of getting drunk. Hope you are well.

[@swapertxking]

you did miss the sunrise chapter of Phi; someone in a pressure suit decided to spend their last day on earth watching the sun rise one more time. And so they climbed the barrel of the omega space gun, the entire way, eventually coming out of the water just as the sun was about to rise. Accepting their fate, they removed their helmet and succumbed to the toxic atmosphere, watching in tranquil peace the sun rising, for once in months. its a short story that only exists if you dig into the wiki around the crew of Tau and the Omega space gun/

[@endertecE419]

Dude I was blown away by the series, great and quality content!

[@GameologicalDig]

Glad you liked it. I don't know what's next, but thanks so much for watching.

[@bustinacupp7440]

This was awesome. The fact that you're the only to cover the game like this is nuts.

[@braveeverhart8742]

Thank you for making the Series. It got me to clearly understand the story plot on the game.

[@GameologicalDig]

Thanks for watching! Is bowers like you who gave me the drive to finish the series.

[@GameologicalDig]

+Gameological Dig its viewers like you, it what I meant.

[@pppoopoo4880]

Gameological Dig hahaha!

[@therookie7401]

After all these years this series of videos are still one of my favorites. It is presented cleary and despite not trying to be philosophical or explore the themes you leave some chilling qoutes. These videos will never grow old to me.

[@jamesmurphy4002]

We do have context for the WAU's dream state. When Akers traps Simon in the structure gel, he dreams of being back in Toronto with his friend, Ashley, who was supposed to have died in the car crash. Suggests to me at least that the WAU's dream state is benevolent, which provides some interesting context for decision on whether to kill WAU or not... Great series, thanks!

[@mattmedrala1947]

The original design for the dream sequence would have had you crawl through a hole in Simon's apartment and end up at Ashley's grave, at which point she turns around and reveals her face to be a rotting mass of worms. I wonder if this was taken out specifically in order to make it less obvious that the Wau was forcing people into an endless loop of nightmares; personally I prefer the ambiguity since the alternative of the people suffering even in their dreams would push me towards killing the Wau.

[@SavSav1996]

“How real can the world be to someone who isn’t aware they are living in a dream?” Me- *brain explodes*

[@mozmwhite2513]

Absolutely loved all of these mate. I've not played the game, and doubt I will now cos I've been watching so much about it for a few days, but these five vids are definitely some of the absolute best I've seen on such a wonderful story.

[@BackSinner]

Holy fucking Christ, I love this game and this haunting story to pieces. Thank you so much for this analysis, it helped tremendously in clearing things up and you did an amazing job at it. So good. Recommending this to a bunch of friends.

[@greulich9635]

A thousand of years later, a fish walks on land again, and all beginns anew

[@richt6314]

A brilliant synopsis and analysis of a deeply harrowing philosophical game. Great Job +Gameological Dig it's been a pleasure watching ur series.

[@spinozilla2421]

while the comatose body do like they are in pain and suffering, they are actually enjoying paradise listening to them

[@LiterallyPolio]

I loved every second of this entire series.

[@GameologicalDig]

I'm glad. Sad to see it end, but it's been a good run. Thanks for watching.

[@SaphiraDragon101]

I just learned about your channel a few hours ago. I stayed up till 3:30 am watching these videos. how the crap do you not have many viewers. first off your quality of your videos, and the quality of your voice, you should have much more people on your channel then a few hundred. second off, you can make something major happen with this channel. I totally want to see what other stuff you come up with. I hope you keep going, and make more videos past the SOMA game.

[@GameologicalDig]

Thanks a bunch, lol. I'm a pretty new channel and my content output is slow, so I chalk my lack of success to those reasons. Either way, I'm glad you liked it, and thanks for the kind words. I'm working on a new series now, so I'll have more soon. Stay tuned!

[@TheVelectronic1]

Hey man, I've just binged this entire series and I thought you did a fantastic job. I really hope you do something like this in the future.

[@croopy99]

I really have to thank you for this. after playing a game such as SOMA you want to know everything there is about the game, well that's me atleast and thank god I came across your channel while searching for a story analysis. never would i have thought that someone would do such a detailed summary of everything I witnessed in the game. you covered everything I came across and added a few bits I couldn't catch in game. thanks alot for making these and I hope there will be a lot more! I think Amnesia, Penumbra and Black Plague, Half Life 2 (+ep1 and 2) and Deus Ex aswell as the Bioshock games (although I already see you're covering Infinite) would make great examples for an analysis like this!

[@soulchainer8099]

Brought me to a brand new deeper understanding of this game, this series is my favorite.

[@VeryBlueBot]

oh.. I just finished watching your whole series.. What a story.. Wow.. as a plot this is one of the best scifi I know.. Cant believe Im founding out about this game only in 2021.. And the voice acting... Speechless, and at the same time, mouth full of ideas to talk about... Great series really well done - thanks

[@markmeyer1076]

I just finished watching all five videos you submitted surrounding the game SOMA and.. Wow. I thought that, after playing and enjoying the game, I had the gist of the plot and story pretty well understood. I was wrong. After watching all five of your videos, and understanding the story and effort that went into this game, I know know that KZbin needs more commentary videos just like these. A voice like yours puts David Attenborough to shame. How unbelievably deep and complete your efforts are into giving the most fulfilling and in-depth explanation for a game that has not, until now, been explained so fully, and so well. Wonderful, wonderful work. Subscribed, naturally. Mark.

[@DemoniteBL]

This game takes what you think you know about your own morality and throws it out the window. It's near perfection and definitely up there with as one of the best stories I have ever came across in my life.

[@optix4204]

omg, this ending made me realize that we should all appreciate what we have now because one day this might happen. Man...

[@misssweeted]

This series was amazing. Soma is such a depressing but thought provoking game and you did a great job of giving more insight into the fates of the crew at Pathos II and the world they left behind. Thank you so much for taking your time to make this, I've subscribed and will happily wait for what ever's next :)

[@GameologicalDig]

Thanks a lot. It was a challenge, but totally worth it. Stay tuned for more soon.

[@edot2586]

1) Wow..... that's just... sheesh that's probably the most depressing and existential game ending I've ever experienced. The Simon in the suit is stuck for an eternity underwater, and the people in the ark now travel the biggest frontier comprehensible, literal ghosts of their former selves. 2) Also wow (and bravo) to you man. That was a great playlist to watch, and you deserve far more credit for the effort you put in. Props.

[@rpersen]

The people in the ARK is also stuck for eternity, never able to leave their digital dream.

[@GamesIPlay001]

One of the best series I've seen on KZbin. I hope this isn't the last time we see you.

[@GameologicalDig]

That's some very high praise. Thanks so much for watching.

[@ChocolatedGamer]

This series was amazing. You made justice to one of the most compelling stories that was ever put in a piece of culture.

[@chubbs7872]

Your voice is so similar to Ron Perlman’s at times lol. Really great series, thank you so much for all the work that went into this. I coward away from monsters so much I missed almost all this lore on my play through.

[@egolayer13]

What a beautiful piece of work, man. This is my fifth watch of your entire Soma series, and I'm positive I'll keep revisiting it. There's so much heart in this, and it really shows. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

[@user36able]

This series of videos was so magnificent. It felt like a true crime documentary or something - I feel like I’ve gained a new appreciation for this universe. Thank you for your work (side note, the final line is made extra creepy by the fact that I’m a Catherine, and I have no choice but to leave Simon alone when the game ends)

[@Monsty82]

39:00 we do have context for what the dream state looked like as earlier Akers put us into it temporarily. And it was of Simon and his girlfriend, showing that the place the wau puts you is a nice place. Except for the people who are kept alive and conscious/awake by the wau though these people are rare. This is why I chose to not kill the wau as it is trying to keep humans alive. If you count that as alive though.

[@The-Autistic-Rat]

I played this game while I was on acid, and it changed my life. I don't wanna lose the coin flip and devolve into a bitter, uninspired version of myself that always escaped reality and never put forth any effort into realizing my dreams - an android displaying human traits. This is art in its purest form; an engaging narrative in its own right, appealing to our humanity while portraying its utter erasure. Powerful stuff!

[@sanny87]

This series was excellent. You have such a great voice for it. Thank you.

[@mattmedrala1947]

Simon's fate actually reminds me of Ted's fate in I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream, in the sense that both of them replicate Jesus' self-sacrifice for humanity yet are still too immersed in their suffering to consider it a victory. Ted freed his fellow victims from eternal torture and even denied AM the satisfaction of having anything remotely 'human' to interact with, and Simon has condemned himself to solitude in the abyss with no other 'humans' to interact with. Both of them spend an eternity in 'hell' to ensure humanity reaches 'heaven'. I do think that there's hope for there to be other humans out there on the planet, even if they're unlikely to find Pathos-II or the Ark for many years. It's worth wondering then if sparing the Wau might risk putting these other humans in danger, or if it may eventually create a new ally for them. It all depends on whether you consider Simon and Catherine to truly represent an 'evolution' of the Wau's design process or if they happened to be a random success.

[@valkhii]

Absolutely amazing. You explained everything so well and really gave the game the kind of summary it deserves. I haven't played it myself. KZbin randomly started to recommend me videos of the game. The voice acting, the emotions conveyed through each and every line, really pulls You in. As if You are also copied into that World with Simon for a while. Thank You for this! Enjoyed every second!

[@goteeex2]

I found it pleasing to listen to the whole series while i was playing, thank you!

[@CharismaRejected]

This was masterfully crafted. The editing used, the evidence pulled from the source material and your analytical approach to what otherwise might have just fallen by the wayside as "Just another game". I sincerely hope to see more content coming from your two channels soon, ideally without a 9month time period between the first and final installments. Keep it up. Always nice to see someone with a strong diction taking you along for a journey as they narrate a well thought out piece.

[@SnowWalker1]

Thank you for this series on Soma. Loved it.

[@RyuzaTefuma]

Wow this really gave me a wider understanding of the SOMA lore, Thank you for making this videos. Your voice is just perfect and you give that amazing vibe while watching, you deserve more subs.

[@GarudaPSN]

Hey man, just passing by to say that this has been one of my favorite narratives in videogames ever, and your series and narration allowed me to relive it without having to replay it. Great job!

[@DeathSithe92]

Soma: Depression the game.

[@wyattkillman2027]

Absolutely amazing. Your attention to detail is phenomenal. I applaud you my man

[@Aeryix]

this series was amazing man, really well done

[@SilentFortNight]

this 5 part series was beautiful to watch

[@johnnyunderhillproductions8346]

This is an amazing series.

[@dong7474]

Playing through the game myself, i remember the sense of dread at every turn and choice i had to make, especially the ending. the game itself was a masterpiece, a work of art if anything. and this video, and series, gives it the justice it deservers. from your voice, to the way its told this whole thing is just a beautiful story.

[@TNJX]

I can't praise this video enough. Wow.

[@bogdanrusu3669]

zoidberg590 pun intended?

[@GtheMVP]

This was a great watch, thanks for making the series. This story left a lasting impression on me, much like the Soulsborne games, and Prey's of the world (gonna watch that next of yours). I always think of the first ending when I hear about SOMA, and all the other copies of Simon in different facilities, all alone; always makes me feel incredible dread.

[@fanotastic]

This was a great series to watch and really pieced together a lot of parts I missed. I look forward to your next series!

[@GameologicalDig]

I'm glad I helped you form a better understanding of this game's incredible world. Thanks for watching and more to come soon!

[@wolfknight8671]

That was awsome man well done. I loved my blind play thru went thru it with tips turned off from the start to have the most immersive experience possible. The game was stellar. Your plot breakdown filled in some gaps i missed with audiotapes. Big ups man do more horror games stories

[@deep_amok]

Bravo, sir. Bravo. It's funny how many games we play and don't fully investigate the timeline, story, environment, etc. I was guilty of this on my first playthrough. Even on my subsequent playthroughs I still didn't grasp the level of detail Frictional put into Soma. This series really lays everything out in a wonderfully understandable way. Bravo.

[@camilaj.6202]

This was amazing, thank you so much for giving us this videos.

[@stockkid2718]

These Soma videos of yours are some serious good stuff. Thanks for the effort! I'm looking forward to your next project.

[@SoapMovie2300]

Thank you for this series.