A collaboration between UK film animator Chris Olsen and Playdead co-founder, Dino Patti, the sci-fi adventure title Somerville evokes the brooding, stripped back nature of the latter figure’s previous Limbo and Inside.
Comparison to Playdead’s titles out of the way, Somerville handles a more ambitious, but genre-classic, premise of an alien invasion from the perspective of an unsuspecting suburban family. Absent of dialogue or any clear exposition, the playable father character swiftly navigates through his crumbling hometown in the dusky hours, avoiding and tackling an advanced alien species responsive to light. This makes way for some interesting light-based puzzles, involving terrain you can manipulate between liquid and solid states, as well as some familiar spotlight stealth segments.
Whilst the movement of the character is realistic against the rough terrain, adhering to a steady, dramatic pacing, it can sometimes feel like a real slog compared to similar adventure titles. It feels less like a cinematic journey and more like driving a vehicle through the mud. There are a few rushes of tension scattered throughout here, but for the most part the broad sci-fi premise needed punchier gameplay.
Regardless of which one you get, the ending is mostly abrupt and unsatisfying, especially with a final puzzle that is confusing at best. It’s the sort of key-moment that aspires to the ecstatic heights of that scene from Close Encounters of the Third Kind but the success criteria of said puzzle is distractingly unclear.
Whilst it can be ultimately underwhelming, it’s a game that somewhat scratches the itch left by Playdead’s masterpieces, although far from one itself. As the moody, short sci-fi adventure one would expect, it’s perfectly enjoyable.
Comparison to Playdead’s titles out of the way, Somerville handles a more ambitious, but genre-classic, premise of an alien invasion from the perspective of an unsuspecting suburban family. Absent of dialogue or any clear exposition, the playable father character swiftly navigates through his crumbling hometown in the dusky hours, avoiding and tackling an advanced alien species responsive to light. This makes way for some interesting light-based puzzles, involving terrain you can manipulate between liquid and solid states, as well as some familiar spotlight stealth segments.
Whilst the movement of the character is realistic against the rough terrain, adhering to a steady, dramatic pacing, it can sometimes feel like a real slog compared to similar adventure titles. It feels less like a cinematic journey and more like driving a vehicle through the mud. There are a few rushes of tension scattered throughout here, but for the most part the broad sci-fi premise needed punchier gameplay.
Regardless of which one you get, the ending is mostly abrupt and unsatisfying, especially with a final puzzle that is confusing at best. It’s the sort of key-moment that aspires to the ecstatic heights of that scene from Close Encounters of the Third Kind but the success criteria of said puzzle is distractingly unclear.
Whilst it can be ultimately underwhelming, it’s a game that somewhat scratches the itch left by Playdead’s masterpieces, although far from one itself. As the moody, short sci-fi adventure one would expect, it’s perfectly enjoyable.