There are many games coming to the Xbox Game Pass, with some of these including several titles covering many different genres and demographics. This can be seen with third-party anime titles such One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 or Microsoft's first-party Halo Infinite. One noteworthy game that was shown coming to this lineup was a dreary and dark new title by Jumpship, titled Somerville. Much like its title implies, it will have a moody and somber atmosphere, where players are exploring the remains of a world after a large scale conflict.
The first trailer for Somerville was shown off during Microsoft and Bethesda's E3 2021 Conference, where it was announced to be coming to Xbox Game Pass, alongside many other games from ZeniMax's library and other publishers. This game stood out to many fans, due to its dreary and dark atmosphere, along with unique visuals and art style.
A brand new trailer for the indie was shown off at The Game Awards, showing off more visuals and environments. Much like Playdead's titles, Limbo and Inside, Somerville's main premise and art style share some similarities. To illustrate these similarities, abandoned areas like a playroom, as well as some of the sci-fi and dystopian elements are prevalent in the game's trailer. There is even a shot of a space ship travelling through the area, scouring for any survivors. This influence is not unnoticed, considering one of Playdead's former CEOs, Dino Patti, is the executive producer and founder of Jumpship.
To drive home the dystopian feel of the game, an unknown threat is showcased at various points throughout the trailer. For example, the presumed protagonist of Somerville is spotted running away from a robotic dinosaur creature, where they are then saved by a mysterious figure. More shots of the trailer show off the game's other explorable levels and environments, including the protagonist being carried down a river before being dumped off the side of a waterfall.
Based on what has been previously revealed about Somerville, the protagonist will be accompanied by a series of companions, with the central theme revolving around "making your family whole again." This trailer seems to continue these themes, as the protagonist and his family can be seen running away from a series of robots shooting at them through an abandoned city. Based on what fans have been shown, along with Patti's influence from Playdead's previous games, this game is looking to follow in its footsteps.
Somerville will be released in 2022 for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.