Somerville – Review

Time to wind down the day. They’re all snoozing in front of the TV, with the dog curled up at their feet. The television goes static, and the floor begins to shake. The toddler wakes up while the adults continue to sleep soundly. Oh no. Since the game’s creator, Dino Patti, also co-founded Playdead, the company responsible for Limbo and Inside, I have no doubts that the young child will meet an unfortunate end in my hands. Both are notoriously bad at taking care of their young leads.

There are blatant stylistic similarities between Somerville and Playdead’s music. Many people have mistaken Somerville for a Playdead game due to its 3D sidescrolling and light puzzle mechanics, as well as its beautiful lighting effects and minimalist environments. Chris Olsen of Playdead worked on the art long before Patti joined him.

Somerville, on the other hand, has a sound all its own. I won’t say what happens to the child because it would be a spoiler, but Somerville’s main character is the parent. The foreboding tremors prove to be an alien invasion, and after he and his family are separated, he must go in search of them. In Somerville, the story is told entirely without dialogue, so our protagonist is both nameless and nearly mute. All I can hear are the man’s laboured groans as he carries heavy objects or tries to get up after a hard fall. Also, he is merely a man, like any other human being, who was enjoying a routine evening in front of the TV before the aliens invaded.

Somerville revolves around a supernatural ability the man suddenly develops, a magical light beam capable of vaporising alien architecture. By touching any source of electricity, whether it be water, a junction box, or a light bulb, he can cast his spell over previously inaccessible regions. In time, he also learns to restore solidity to objects that had previously melted.

But Dad isn’t just rushing downtown at a brisk pace. As time progresses, it becomes apparent that the aliens are still present to round up any remaining survivors, so you’ll have to avoid detection as you make your way past them. A few of these aliens are truly enormous, making the times you come across them some of the most exciting of the entire game. Just the sight of a huge monster lumbering through the forest can make you feel very insignificant and defenceless.

And poor old Dad is defenceless. Somerville will not make a big deal out of his death, so he is free to end his life. A game that is rooting for its protagonist is also rooting for him or her to live, and vice versa. The puzzles and sneaking sequences aren’t too difficult; the only time I got stuck was when I couldn’t figure out how to position Dad so that he could grab something. He’ll clench and unclench his fist in front of a gate or button like a Sim who can’t reach the dishes they want to clean, but the simple act of holding down a button and pulling a cart is surprisingly satisfying to the touch, thanks to some stunning animations.

I’m going to say the unmentionable word: cinematic describes Somerville at its best just as much as it describes the Playdead games. As much as this isn’t the type of game that encourages pausing to admire the scenery, I couldn’t help but take a moment here and there to appreciate the skillful use of camera angles that often evoked memories of Resident Evil.

There is potential for Somerville’s settings to be more engaging. Similarly, the complexity of its puzzles could have been increased. Some early locations are particularly memorable, such as a massive, deserted music festival, but I found the game’s focus on caves to be underwhelming overall. An obvious choice for a location with minecarts, levers, and floodlights to manipulate is a mine, which is influenced by the game’s design, even if it isn’t the most aesthetically pleasing option.

While there are a lot of caves in Somerville, the game isn’t as gloomy as the name might imply, and the setting isn’t as oppressive either. It expresses a lot of optimism through the use of silent animation and sound effects alone. When the main character takes a tumble and needs to rest for a moment, clutching his sides, I get that same feeling in the pit of my gamer’s stomach.

There isn’t a tonne of time spent with everyone in the family, but what little there is is so touching that I wished there was more of it. You’re just a dad stumbling around in a cave by yourself when it matters most, and you can get that in any other game if you really want to. However, it is the attention to detail that Somerville puts into its friendly atmosphere that truly sets it apart, such as the inclusion of your dog or an unexpected friendly face coming to the rescue.

The final section of Somerville, however, failed to capture my attention because I was confused about what was happening. It felt more like a case of a game hitting the limits of non-verbal storytelling than, say, a game like Signalis that deliberately hides its goals. Somerville’s multiple endings, for instance, are unlocked in a manner that feels both random and, well, boring. There’s an air of abruptness to the game’s endings that makes Somerville feel like it had a solid grasp on the meat of its story but was less sure about how to wrap it up.

Somerville, which can be completed in no more than six hours, could have benefited from being just a tad bit longer in order to set up its ending more elegantly. I know this is going to be controversial, but after everything I went through with this family, none of Somerville’s farewells were as satisfying as the others.