Mysterious Soma tweet leads to new videos and other secrets

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Something interesting is happening with Soma, the upcoming psychological horror game being developed by Amnesia creator Frictional Games. Earlier today, the studio retweeted a partial URL originally posted by the PathosII Twitter account that, when completed, leads to a PathOS computer terminal hiding some secrets.

Pathos-2, as the Soma Wiki explains, is the name of the underwater research station in which the game takes place. The terminal at somagame.com/YuXIm5/pathos2_cnsl/ also appears as though it could be running an operating system of the same name, although the logo on the screen may belong to the facility and not the OS. In any event, it effectively runs under DOS, and if that doesn't ring a bell for you, it's also possible to get acquainted with its use via the "help" command.

Buried not too deeply in the system are a couple of videos, including the one playing above (which was included in the original tweet, and so I don't feel bad about reposting it here), as well as a very dark, distorted image, and a block of what appears to be encoded text, although my minimal efforts at decoding it haven't gone anywhere. Two of the folders on the system are currently inaccessible, although it's a safe assumption that Frictional will unlock them later to tease the game further.

Frictional Games, in case you've forgotten, is responsible for setting a new high-water mark in videogame horror with the magnificently awful Amnesia: The Dark Descent. In a March 2014 post on the PlayStation Blog, Frictional co-founder Thomas Grip explained how the studio is using the lessons it learned from that game to make Soma even better—which is to say, worse. Or maybe it's the other way around? Soma entered beta in April and is expected to be out later this year.

Update: As expected, some of the previously restricted directories have been unlocked, revealing new images, a number of audio files, and a new video, playing below. Three more directories have also been revealed, but for the moment are inaccessible.

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Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.