Somerville

 Xbox Series X
Metascore
67

Mixed or average reviews - based on 27 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 17 out of 27
  3. Negative: 1 out of 27
  1. Cubed3
    Jun 7, 2023
    40
    Somerville's greatest flaw is just how boring it is. It is more of a walking-sim than a platforming-adventure game. Reactive objects are also colour-coded yellow, so there is never any question about what to do. This robs any sense of discovery in a title that is already so tightly focused on pushing players forward. The terribly slow walking speed will pad out Somerville's length to around four to five hours, when there is maybe only two hours of actual substance. Traditionally, these kinds of games are short but make up for it with excellent pacing. Somerville feels like a flatline for most of the entire run.
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In Progress & Unscored

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  1. Eurogamer
    Nov 15, 2022
    An escape from alien invasion, with beautiful art direction.
  2. Xboxygen
    Nov 17, 2022
    With his previous works, Dino Patti got us used to dark and suffocating worlds and Somerville is no exception to this rule. Through his art direction and soundtrack, he completely immerses us in the drama experienced by our character. This narrative experience skilfully alternates between action and reflection phases and does not suffer from any break in the writing rhythm. Although the title deserves the status of a gold nugget, we would have liked the development team to step out of its comfort zone and take more risks to enrich the proposal.

Awards & Rankings

92
#92 Best Xbox Series X Game of 2022
32
#32 Most Discussed Xbox Series X Game of 2022

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
5.1

Mixed or average reviews- based on 77 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 26 out of 77
  2. Mixed: 18 out of 77
  3. Negative: 33 out of 77
  1. Thetype
    Nov 18, 2022
    2
    Boring... New gen game ? That's a mobile style not really interesting
    Gave us true technical games, not mini games running on ipad
  2. Jgitw
    Nov 17, 2022
    2
    This is a Very Bad Game. It desperately needs button prompts for obscure and inconsistent controls, and highlight for interactive objects, andThis is a Very Bad Game. It desperately needs button prompts for obscure and inconsistent controls, and highlight for interactive objects, and some sign of climbable surfaces. It's just not playable as it stands. The gameplay design is truly awful, and it all reads terribly to the player. Performance is bad, too—framey, glitchy. The few promising elements—scenario, cinematography, tracking camera—are just buried beneath the torturous experience of actually playing it.… Full Review »
  3. Jt0429
    Nov 16, 2022
    7
    Good-
    Captivating story; Effective, wordless storytelling; Simplistic and straightforward gameplay is largely engaging; Some gorgeous scenes    Good-
    Captivating story; Effective, wordless storytelling; Simplistic and straightforward gameplay is largely engaging; Some gorgeous scenes and vistas.

    Bad-
    Gameplay can be frustratingly opaque at times; Movement feels wonky and inaccurate; Some technical issues.

    Thoughts-
    Even with its issues though, Somerville is an accomplished sci-fi adventure title. Depending on how quickly you go through its story, it will last you anywhere between three and six hours, and throughout that brief runtime, it keeps throwing some fascinating things your way, whether it’s a smartly designed puzzle, heart-wrenching intimate moments, surprising story developments, or gorgeous visual vistas. Somerville might not be a genre giant, but if you’ve enjoyed similar games in the past, you’re probably going to enjoy this as well.    … Full Review »
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