When you have former CEO and co-founder of Playdead Dino Patti on your team, the hopes are that independent developer Jumpship has crafted a masterpiece in storytelling, akin to Limbo and Inside that came before. Enter, Somerville…
And straight off the bat, taking one look at the visuals of Somerville – releasing today on Xbox and PC via the medium of Game Pass – and the inspirations are clearly there: following a sci-fi catastrophe, this dark and depressing world throws us back to the sadness and terror that plagued those prior releases. But, enough fanboying over Playdead’s titles – this is time for Jumpship and Somerville to shine!
On both the small and large scale, Somerville tells a tale of desperation and conflict. On the one hand, our protagonist is constantly battling to repair a fractured family, and restore it to its once happy unit. Behind the scenes however – and wherever you look in the foggy backdrops – one can see the aftermath of an extraterrestrial invasion that has devastated the land, and thrown the world into major conflict.
In a gameplay sense, you’ll be attempting to hide from alien lasers and stalkers that could reside at every corner: rapid reflexes and making use of your environment is key if you are to survive. Oh, and you have a little doggy with you – even more incentive to get outta there!
Somerville is now available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC. It is also available on Xbox Game Pass for those of you enjoying the fruits of the service. Otherwise, make sure to pick up a copy of Somerville today via the Xbox Store, for £22.49.
Our review is coming in hot.Â
Game Description:
In the wake of catastrophe you must find the means to make your family whole again. Somerville is a Sci-Fi adventure grounded in the intimate repercussions of large scale conflict.