Frictional Studios moving onto ONTOS

• Announcements by Jack Allin
• Published:

Thought-provoking "spiritual successor" to SOMA coming to PC and consoles next year

With their Amnesia and Penumbra horror series, Frictional Games have taken players to a variety of unique environments, but the only time they've delved deep into science fiction was in 2015's brilliant SOMA. That's about to change, however, as the acclaimed indie Swedish studio has just unveiled their next psychological thriller, a "spiritual successor" to SOMA called ONTOS.

Players assume control of a "resourceful engineer" named Aditi Amani, who is drawn to the "repurposed moon hotel Samsara in search of the truth around her estranged father," a once brilliant scientific mind who came to consider himself a prophet. Guided by "fragments of [her] father’s past," Aditi soon discovers that this outpost is a "vast labyrinth built atop the ruins of a failed mining colony," a place in which "every corner ... tells a story, and every story has something hiding beneath the surface, waiting to be found." But this will be no ordinary investigation, as truths here are "buried beneath layers of deception and obscurity." The deeper you delve, the closer you'll come to "the edge of reality," where you must "confront disturbing revelations about the nature of existence – and your place in it."

While promising to be Frictional's "most ambitious project yet in terms of scope, production values and sheer thematic ambitions," ONTOS shares much in common with its acclaimed predecessor, with its crisp first-person 3D graphics, hi-tech research facility to explore, and thought-provoking philosophical themes to ponder along the way. As you explore Samsara, you'll discover that it has been "carved up by philosophical factions, where science bleeds into faith." The "repurposed spaces" in each territory are uniquely different but equally surreal, whether depicting "labs built in lavish casinos and dramatic theatre stages, experiments set up in emptied pools, [or] strange machines built in ancient moon caves." Populating the regions will be a variety of different characters to interact with, performed by a talented voice cast headlined by Stellan Skarsgård. 

There will of course be puzzles to solve in another "tactile, systems-driven gameplay experience" we've come to expect from this developer. Here they're presented as a "gauntlet of chilling experiments and disturbing encounters that push the boundaries of both science and morality." To progress you must "scavenge materials, manipulate intricate machinery, and engage with analog systems requiring careful calibration and hands-on interaction." Unlike in many games, however, there is no single solution to your problems, as they are designed to be "intense tests of morality" left up to you to approach as you see fit – and to deal with the consequences of your actions. 

Presumably there will be some horror elements involved (this is Frictional, after all), but the focus here looks to once again be more psychological, even philosophical in nature. According to creative director Thomas Grip, "Where SOMA tackled consciousness, ONTOS aims to do the same thing with the very nature of reality." The game's "mind-bending narrative" will ask players to consider "existential questions that will make you question the nature of the soul, suffering, and the very fabric of reality itself." The trials on Samsara, then, are not just obstacles to bypass, but rather "provocations" that compel you to make difficult decisions for yourself, all too painfully aware that "even what you judge to be the best moral actions can lead to devastating outcomes." 

There is no target release date just yet, but ONTOS is due to arrive sometime in 2026 on Steam and Epic for Windows PC, along with console versions for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. In the meantime, you can follow its progress through the game's official website.