Achluophobia / Nyctophobia – Fear of the dark

• Trigger: Deep-sea blackout zones, dark maintenance halls, underwater trenches

• Why: Darkness is constant in SOMA, often concealing threats or distorting perception. Light is a precious, unreliable resource in many areas.

Acousticophobia / Phonophobia – Fear of loud or sudden sounds

• Trigger: Jumpscares, static from corrupted robots, monster screeches

• Why: The game uses sound to startle — whether it’s distant banging, glitchy audio spikes, or enemies screaming when triggered.

Agoraphobia – Fear of open spaces

• Trigger: Vast underwater ocean floor sections

• Why: Open seabeds feel oppressively large and isolating, with poor visibility and no clear direction, evoking vulnerability and dread.

Autophobia – Fear of being alone

• Trigger: Long stretches of silent solitude, especially underwater or between hubs

• Why: SOMA thrives on isolation. The lack of human contact, combined with distorted AI voices, heightens the loneliness and emotional weight.

Claustrophobia – Fear of confined spaces

• Trigger: Narrow airlocks, tight tunnels, and escape routes

• Why: Many interior areas feel crushing and maze-like — often with no clear escape and enemies nearby, making them feel suffocating.

Dementophobia – Fear of insanity or losing one's mind

• Trigger: Identity confusion, consciousness transfer, hallucinations

• Why: A major theme of SOMA is the unraveling of the self — players question whether they’re human or machine, alive or simulated. It blurs mental and existential lines.

Hemophobia – Fear of blood

• Trigger: Bloody environments, mangled bodies, medical scenes

• Why: Although more psychological than gory, SOMA includes corpses and visual indicators of violent death and decay.

Megalohydrothalassophobia – Fear of large underwater creatures and vast water spaces

• Trigger: Ocean trench segments, unknown massive entities, and deep-sea monsters

• Why: The ocean’s depths are vast, dark, and inhabited by powerful threats, with poor visibility and a constant risk of being overwhelmed.

Mechanophobia – Fear of mechanical objects or robots

• Trigger: Malfunctioning robots, AI entities with warped personalities

• Why: Many robots speak like humans, beg for help, or show signs of delusion — creating a deep sense of the uncanny and fear of soulless intelligence.

Mysophobia – Fear of germs or contamination

• Trigger: Infestation by the WAU (the corrupt AI), oozing organic/mechanical growths

• Why: Many rooms are contaminated with strange biological/mechanical goo that grows over corpses, machines, and walls — often pulsating or twitching unnaturally.

Necrophobia / Thanatophobia – Fear of death or corpses

• Trigger: Human corpses, terminal characters, and existential discussions of death

• Why: SOMA is built around mortality, consciousness, and the permanence of death. Characters debate the meaning of survival and the fear of oblivion.

Pediophobia – Fear of humanoid figures (especially doll-like or lifeless ones)

• Trigger: Robots mimicking humans, lifeless NPCs, mannequinesque androids

• Why: Some AI or robotic forms resemble humans but act unnaturally, creating uncanny valley discomfort.

Scopophobia – Fear of being watched

• Trigger: Surveillance systems, camera-like robot behavior, enemies that freeze when looked at

• Why: Certain enemies are triggered by being observed or not observed, making the act of looking or not looking a source of tension.

Spectrophobia – Fear of ghosts or spirits

• Trigger: Digital ghosts, flickering images, supernatural flashes

• Why: SOMA blends science fiction with spiritual horror. Some AI or data remnants act like ghosts, lingering with no physical form but clear presence.

Submechanophobia – Fear of submerged man-made objects

• Trigger: Sunken labs, wrecked bases, and broken sea stations

• Why: The oceanic setting is filled with derelict structures that once housed life, now twisted and crumbling. Their emptiness evokes decay and hopelessness.

Trypophobia – Fear of clusters of holes or irregular textures

• Trigger: Corrupted WAU growths, organic wall patterns

• Why: Many infected surfaces have pockmarked or irregular textures, which can cause discomfort in sensitive players.