SOMA

SOMA lets players remove the threat and explore the story. SOMA's Safe Mode lets monsters notice you but not hurt you, so players can explore the underwater facility and its story without the stress of failure. Mark Brown describes it as turning off enemies entirely.

Brown cites it for players with cognitive disabilities, as a step beyond difficulty sliders. He pairs it with Furi, which lets players become invincible in boss fights.

SOMA lets players remove the threat and explore the story. SOMA's Safe Mode lets monsters notice you but not hurt you, so players can explore the underwater facility and its story without the stress of failure. Mark Brown describes it as turning off enemies entirely.

Brown cites it for players with cognitive disabilities, as a step beyond difficulty sliders. He pairs it with Furi, which lets players become invincible in boss fights.

Frictional added the monster-free mode two years after launch. Frictional left out a monster-free mode at launch so players got an oppressive, scary experience with a clear message. Two years later, the popularity of the wuss mode mod showed players wanted the story without the stress, and Frictional built Safe Mode.

Waiting gave the team time to make clear what kind of experience the game was. The source puts it as "Releasing Safe Mode this late after release feels better".

SOMA signals Safe Mode is optional through timing, not just wording. Mark Brown lists SOMA among games that used language, placement and timing to show how much weight an optional mode carries. Safe Mode arrived late and followed a fan mod, so it did not sit alongside the intended game as an equal choice.

The sources give no detail on SOMA's exact wording or menu placement. The fan wuss mode mod is also cited as an example of a mode that is clearly not the designer's version.