New Sci-Fi adventureSomervilleis looking to shake things up when it comes straight toXbox’s Game Passnext month, as its development studio announced Thursday viaTwitter. Coming out November 15, Somerville is set right after catastrophe strikes, and players are tasked with picking up the pieces of what’s left. It will be new studio Jumpship’s flagship title, and they’re hoping to hit the ground running.
While Somerville is coming from a brand-new studio, Jumpship has experience in its ranks.The main creative force driving Somerville forward is Chris Olsen, animator, writer, and director of the project. Since the game’s development, he’s kept a tidyblogdetailing both his inspirations and the process overall. The title is executively produced by former Playdead co-founder Dino Patti, the man behind Limbo and Inside. Looking at ateaser trailer, it’s easy to see similarities between the acclaimed indie hits and Patti’s new project. Inside is widely considered to be one of the best games of 2016 and Limbo won several awards.
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While inspired by other great indie games, Somerville is looking to set itself apart. After beingannouncedmore than five years ago, developers at Jumpship studios had plenty of time to decide on a direction. Stylistically, the title looks to be an adventure game, played from the third-person perspective like the previously mentioned Limbo and Inside. During the trailers, we see elements of platforming as well. Somerville is a game without dialogue, with a story looking to be told through the immense landscapes and vivacious animations.
Where the game differentiates itself from its predecessors is in its puzzle like elements — or lack thereof. Somerville also gives players the ability to break from the usual 2D side-scrolling gameplay of the other two titles, a change that may be welcomed by many. Artistically, the title is also much larger in scope than the other two, with trailers showing vast environments filled with hundreds of large aliens.
Somerville is set around a family consisting of a man, a woman, their young son, and a pet dog. In the game’s description onSteam, Jumpship details that, “In the wake of catastrophe, you must find the means to make your family whole again.” This eerie message, coupled with screenshots of just the man and his dog, probably means that the family will be separated during the events of the game, and it’s going to be your job to fix that.
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