SOMA Live-Action Prequel Series Shows Life Before it All Went Wrong

The world of SOMA, a first-person sci-fi horror title developed by Frictional Games, the team behind Penumbra and Amnesia, is set to expand through a live-action prequel series.

The first of the five-episode web series is available now, with the remaining chapters being released up until October 5. It shows the world before players arrive on Pathos-2 and discover that things have gone awry.

Although the first episode doesn't contain any major spoilers, it is advised that you play the game first and then watch the series.

SOMA was released on September 22, following nearly five years in development, takes place in an abandoned science facility. Unlike its contemporaries, it shuns jump scares for atmospheric tension.

In GameSpot's SOMA review the title was awarded a 9/10: "[A few] missteps of tedium shine a light on just how incredibly assured SOMA is elsewhere," said our reviewer.

"I came in expecting something similar to Amnesia, just in a terrifying new location, but what I found is an intelligent game that forced me to think and contemplate ideas as only the best sci-fi is capable of doing.

"It may not stir the hordes of wailing YouTubers looking for the next best haunted house, but SOMA succeeds at crafting something much more meaningful in a genre that’s deserving of more than just simple jump scares."