The good news is that Soma, Frictional Games' follow-up to the horror hit Amnesia: The Dark Descent, is only about a month away from beta testing. The bad news is that you can't take part.

It was just a few weeks ago that Frictional tossed out a shadowy new screen shot and apologized for not being more forthcoming about the state of the game. At the same time, it said it was "closing in on beta," and now here we are.

"If all goes according to plan the beta for SOMA, our upcoming sci-fi horror game, will be done in 4 weeks," Frictional revealed on Facebook. "It feels both exciting and scary that the game is really nearly completed now. After several years of hard work, release is finally a clearly visible milestone."

Alas, this will not be an open beta, so unless you've already been admitted behind the velvet rope, you're going to have to wait with the rest of us for the full release. "Note that we already have all the testers we need, so no need to make requests," the message continues. "Game is still incomplete so just hang in there a little longer, and you'll get the polished and proper version to immerse yourself in!"

We confirmed with Frictional that "done in 4 weeks" means that the beta version will (hopefully) be ready to roll out in a month. There's still no solid launch date for Soma, but assuming the beta isn't a complete disaster, it will be out later this year.