Action-adventure game Somerville promises no "traditional game loops"

NEWS Sacha Loric - Feb 8, 2022, 16:16

Though it was introduced in both E3 2021 and The Game Awards, not much is known about Somerville, an action-adventure game being developed by Jumpship. The game is the brainchild of director Chris Olsen, working in tandem with former CEO of Playdead, Dino Patti. Looking at the game trailers, they seem to resemble another Playdead game, INSIDE. Have a quick look here:

Somerville follows the trials of a normal family—a man, a woman, their son, and their dog—as an alien invasion hits the Earth. All of a sudden, black spikes emerge from the sky, destroying everything in their path. From these structures emerge an entity called Sediment, a shapeshifting alien that hunts humans. It seems the family gets separated at some point, and you must find a way to reunite them and keep them alive.

From the trailers, the game looks very much like Another World with its cinematic approach. However, Olsen himself stated that he didn’t want Somerville to be another platformer. Over its eight years of development, Somerville has veered away from its 2D roots and even removed jumping as a mechanic.

Another fundamental change is that Somerville will not have a “traditional game loop” to avoid repetitive experiences. Scenarios change and you will have to adapt quickly to the aliens’ behavior to survive. This design aims to inspire dread, as you’ll never really know what will happen next.

How this non-repetitive experience will play out will be seen in greater detail when Somerville releases this year. It will launch on the PC and Xbox Series X|S. Unfortunately, PlayStation owners need to wait and see if the game will make it to their console. Check out the best prices for a Somerville code with our comparator.