[Update]: Amnesia: Rebirth's new Adventure Mode replaces otherworldly horror with puzzles.

While this might sound like an absolutely bizarre thing to do for a horror game, Frictional Games have now added a Safe Mode to SOMA. Instead of just making the enemies ignore you, however, the Safe Mode completely changes their behavior since the intent isn't to introduce a cheat, but rather a new way of experiencing the game.

That said, it is important to mention that the newly added Safe Mode will not be removing all of SOMA's horror aspects, only the danger that comes with them. This will greatly reduce the overall tension and give players the ability to explore the world more freely, but the oppressive atmosphere and storytelling will be exactly as they are in the original, so don't expect to see a leisurely walk through the park.

Whether its going to be worth playing through SOMA with most of the tension removed, that's a bit of a difficult question to answer, but I'm leaning more towards the "yes" side of things. SOMA has always been torn between its sci-fi storytelling and horror elements, with each side often appealing to completely different types of players, so having them separated makes a fair bit of sense. Horror fans can still get their pants-wettingly intense moments in the Normal Mode, while those that are most interested in the bizarre story can explore SOMA at their own pace. Since the decision is entirely in the player's hands, this to me looks like a great example of a win-win situation.

You can learn a little bit more about the Safe Mode, as well as SOMA itself, by heading over to the Frictional Games blog. And as a final note, here's the recently posted trailer showing off the Safe Mode in action. Enjoy!