The rippling of a submerged, subterranean underworld, the whirs and groans of obsolete machinery, and the imperfect marching of the victims of experimental mind control and physical manipulation. It all comes together to make a really interesting atmosphere of eeriness and dread.
That was the story of Inside, a game whose environment was as desaturated as its gameplay dissociate – and at times frustrating – compared to other puzzle platformers of its time. And while Playdead, the indie development studio responsible for Inside is much loved by the community in its own right, ex-CEO and co-founder Dino Patti has been working in collaboration with Chris Olsen to found a whole new independent studio around an original project, called Somerville, and this game is happening soon!
Looking at the trailer and screenshot images for Somerville, the story it’s going to tell will feel immediately familiar to Inside fans. The vast post-apocalyptic setting, low-poly nondescript little humans – although these ones aren’t as faceless as those in Inside – and a general melancholic and delightfully dreadful aura around it all. It follows the story of a young family desperately trying to stay together in the advent of the arrival of monolithic alien structures and purple laser beams. Despite their best efforts, they’ll often find themselves separated, forcing you to traverse this desolate environment all on your own.
Somerville, as announced today, is set to release on November 15, and will be available for the Xbox Series, Xbox One, and PC via Steam.
