Somerville begins with a glimpse into the lives of a young family and their dog. Everyone has fallen asleep on the couch watching TV, but a curious toddler gets into petty trouble and the family is forced to go about their daily routine. There is a kitchen that needs to be cleaned, but something doesn’t feel right. In an explosive moment that really took me by surprise, my family suddenly started thinking about an alien invasion. When Somerville climaxes and fires on all cylinders, it’s an electrifying spectacle, but unfortunately, technical issues and some unclear puzzles make it a truly incredible experience. is hindering
Calling a video game an alien invasion story might remind you of Space Invaders, but Somerville represents something more intimate and human. The story largely follows the father of this young family, without text or dialogue, examining what the world might look like and how he would survive if everything he knew about the planet instantly changed. Make your way through Somerville by moving along linear paths, solving environmental puzzles, and avoiding instant death at the hands of impressive enemies. After all, I didn’t know much about the invasion force, but I was only interested in how I survived and connected with my family, so I didn’t care.
After an exciting incident sets the game in motion, the father must leave home, find safety, and make use of strange new abilities that help him solve puzzles and progress. The design is fantastic and mysterious. Weird sound effects paint strange explosions in the distance, and occasional lights, synth orchestrations, and understated piano pieces are deftly used to accentuate the scene.
The simple design of the characters and the environment is impressive. The world feels big despite being as small as it looks, and there are many moments when the camera points out toward the horizon to compose a particularly striking scenery. The animation also feels natural and fluid…hopefully .
Somerville’s biggest problem is ultimately a functional one that is often overlooked, but unfortunately, is often not ignored. It’s detrimental if it disappears, or worse, if the protagonist gets stuck in geometry while trying to solve a puzzle. had. Bugs was especially frustrating at moments when you thought, “If the animation was done right, it would have looked nice.”
These problems also extend to solving puzzles. Grabbing levers and switches is inconsistent, and frequent jumps over ledges can be more difficult than necessary. However, even without these issues, there are a few puzzles I didn’t like the solution to.
However, when Somerville works well and the story is well delivered, it leads to some of the most memorable moments in the genre. I at least get him to tears in one emotional moment, the adventure goes where I never predicted, and ends in a way that would make Steven Spielberg proud.
My first playthrough in Somerville was rough, but as soon as I saw the credits, I restarted the game. No incentive to replay. It doesn’t even add context from the second playthrough on top of the new game. I just wanted to relive the story and hoped that giving it a second shot would give it a more consistent experience. It worked fine if I knew exactly what I was doing, but I was disappointed that my first playthrough felt like a dress rehearsal.
Somerville is hampered by technical shortcomings, but there are plenty of memorable moments worth experiencing with the lights low and the headphones up high. It sticks in my mind and those memories eventually outweigh the technical shortcomings. I hope