ONTOS Preview Hands-On: Frictional Games' SOMA Spiritual Successor Plays Like an Immersive Sim for Puzzles

Xbox Wire has published its first hands-on preview of ONTOS, the sci-fi mystery thriller from Frictional Games (SOMA, Amnesia) and publisher Kepler Interactive, following the title's gamescom Opening Night Live gameplay reveal on August 25.

Writing for Xbox Wire, freelance contributor Joe Skrebels describes ONTOS as "an immersive sim for puzzle gaming," built around moral-choice "Experiments" rather than traditional horror threats. The preview focuses on a single demo scenario set inside the moon hotel Samsara, in which protagonist Aditi must extract a key from a scientist named Crombie whose consciousness has been offloaded onto a server made of rats.

"There is no 'one solution,'" Skrebels writes, describing how the game's systems-driven design lets players choose how to interact with each Experiment: follow the machine's instructions, find an alternative path, or sabotage the scenario out of curiosity. The piece notes that the demo doesn't lean on stalking enemies or stealth, instead borrowing from immersive sims in how it lets players experiment with the world and react to those choices through voice lines and consequences.

ONTOS is positioned as a spiritual successor to Frictional's 2015 hit SOMA, sharing its philosophical questions about consciousness, identity, and the body-mind connection, but stripping out the survival-horror scaffolding in favor of tactile, hands-on puzzle solving. Samsara itself is described as a vast, interconnected labyrinth built on top of a failed mining colony and a long-abandoned hotel, with labs built inside former casinos, theatre stages, and emptied swimming pools.

Frictional Games officially announced ONTOS at The Game Awards in December 2025, with publisher Kepler Interactive confirming a release window of 2027 across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. The Golden Globe-winning and Academy Award-nominated actor Stellan Skarsgård is part of the cast. ONTOS will be an Xbox Play Anywhere title, meaning a single purchase covers both Xbox Series X|S and Xbox on PC.

Read the full Xbox Wire preview here: ONTOS: This Horrifying, Tantalizing Thriller Feels Like an Immersive Sim for Puzzle Gaming. The publisher's official gamescom announcement, including the Rat Server Experiment trailer and Stellan Skarsgård casting detail, is available on Games Press from Kepler Interactive and Frictional Games.