Soma dives deep into the mind and the philosophy around what it is to be human. To live a life with a purpose, not solely your own. This idea gets furthered when you meet the game’s characters, as do the questions and plotlines that break off in all directions. The main narrative is the core focus. How did Simon get to Pathos? And why? Who else is in this place? And can they be trusted? This is where it all begins.
These avenues continue to expand, although much more awaits below the surface (literally), and some pretty interesting plotlines may have been missed altogether. Here are a few story threads you only picked up if you paid attention to details and if you engaged with characters more fully.
5 Catherine's Relationship With Her Coworkers
Catherine is one of the essential characters, helping you through a lot of Soma and aiding you with where to go and what to do. She’s also described as never really being one to get along with people and struggling to form connections. However, Catherine’s alliance with Simon is necessary, which is why she continues working with him despite these social obstacles.
Throughout the story, you can uncover details about Catherine’s relationships with others. Though some of this is presented during the main storyling, the depth of Catherine's antisocial nature is more fully explored in optional files you need to go out of your way to find.
In one of these, a file dated August 25th, 2103, it tells how Catherine makes the others “so uncomfortable at all times” to the point it makes their skin crawl. Regardless of how you perceive someone, it’s complicated not to feel sympathy for how people talk behind her back rather than bringing it up to her directly.
4 Detritus On The Ocean Floor
Soma has a great many hidden details that are scattered around the ocean segments. Unfortunately, you’re likely to miss these because of how long it takes to get around this area. Walking is extremely slow, and for some, it can be disorienting to stay in the open ocean for an extended time.
The ocean is the most vastly populated portion of the game, a seemingly endless void with straying bodies, wildlife, and the dark abyss all around you. But something interesting to find is located near Site Theta — a graveyard that shows a headstone with the quote “Eternity among the stars.” It seems to reference the Ark project and its people, and while not being the only thing to spot is perhaps the most unsettling. With little option on where to bury a lost one, the darkness of the deep ocean is their last resort.
3 Hidden Messages From The Data Buffers, Audio Logs, And Black Boxes
Because there are heaps of hidden files, audio logs, memories, and a bit of everything else that you’re extremely unlikely to find in your initial playthrough (and maybe even subsequent ones), this entry will serve as a generalization of events missed. However, we’re specifically focusing on the audio logs and data buffers.
Discovering these is entirely dependent on how much you scour areas. But doing so will teach you more about lives lost and project ARK. One of the most intriguing logs is the black boxes which provide a glimpse into moments lost to the past, like Ian’s black box, where he and another mention how the situation would be better if they “had a gun” and how the ARK project isn’t of importance right now. These captured moments show the desperation and fear of these characters.
2 Contacting Theta And Omicron Before Catherine
When arriving at the Comm station near the beginning, you can contact various sites, one of which is Omicron. If you do so, a man will answer, telling you, “there’s nothing left to live for.” Of course, when you venture further through, this has a different meaning than being a direct message to the player and instead encompasses how defeated everyone inside the research facility feels.
You get a similar encounter if you call Theta. Strasky will speak of someone “being here,” a foreboding and ominous message since you, too, are dealing with strange beings stalking the halls. The moment is vague rather than pointing at a specific entity, making it all the more impactful.
1 What's Behind The Locked Doors
Theories are great, so let’s jump into them for a little bit. It's known that locked doors are a vital puzzle functionality of horror games; they add to the realism and make areas creepy because who knows what's behind them? It could be something completely mundane; a bathroom, a store room, a spare bedroom, or one where you throw all your stuff that you don’t know what to do with inside.
But for those doors that you never get to unlock, what’s behind them? There are plenty in Soma, and there’s no telling (aside from information in the Super RAR file) what's behind them. There may be nothing behind them, no assets or anything, but it’s always interesting to delve into what could be in those locked places. For example, unlocking Dr. Ross' room at Tau shows a mess of papers lying around and files that help explain his reasoning for wanting to kill the WAU.
It’s not as plain as a singular plotline but behind these locks is a new world of plotlines to sift through. You also have those doors you can, in fact, open, but it's optional, not integral to the story. They mainly provide audio logs and computer files to explore.