Somervilleis a great game for all sorts of players, with the elements of a smaller indie game but with a scope of a massive triple-A one. This makes the game able to convey a better story and a better feel, in turn, makingSomervillea must-play. Plus, visually, players can get lostin the world, makingSomervilleimmersive. Following in the footsteps of one of themost important gamesin the indie world,Limbo,Somervilledoes the same. By dropping players in a world, with little to no context, and having them figure out the path on their own.
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This has made games likeSomervillerather really successful, and impactful for players. However, whileSomervillefeels like the real deal for an indie game, on the other hand, it doesn’t tell players much through the story, they will have to figure things out themselves. This will cause them tomake tons of mistakes, all of which can be avoided. This list will help players with that, if they canavoid these mistakes,Somervillewill be an experience unlike no other.
5Not Looking For Subtle Hints
As mentioned before,Somervillefrom the start doesn’t hold player’s hands other than teach them the limited controls. However, as they get through the world, players will notice much of the gameplay is them figuring things out. One of the things the game does tell players to do is explore the areas they are in. And that can serve two functions, the first much like other indie games that have aninteresting art style, players can take in the world ofSomerville,and attempt to get a better feel of the emotions of the character.
The other is that if players search the areas they’re in, they can find hintslike the dogfor example, who mostly will be near where players need to go. In a game likeSomerville,players need all the help they can get. While giving players the freedom to play how they want to, that freedom may also get them lost quickly. So looking for those hints is very important inSomerville
4Underestimating The Physics
This means a lot of the puzzles and other things behave like they do in the real world. So, if players use game logic while dealing with these situations, they’ll have a harder time throughSomerville.Even for the puzzles, players have to be particular and safer with them, because as much as they want to use the power that turns water into a solid, this will have implications. And because the objects behave much like their real-world counterparts, things will be a lot slower.
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This also means, being more accurate and timing everything properly because the physics adds more of complications. Once players figure this out and understand how each puzzle or object reacts, gameplay becomes much more fluid. On top of that, each puzzle players come across becomes tangible. The physics can be a double edge sword because it can hinder the progression, however, on the other hand, it makes players play better.
3Rushing The Puzzles
As mentioned before,Somervillehas a ton of physics-based puzzles, some of which aren’t as straightforward as the others, and because there’s no explanation for much, players may assume all puzzles are the same. It’s not, so if players are rushing the puzzles, some of which are just downrightpainful to do, they’ll get stuck and withthe clunky controlsof theSomerville,this can make them not want to play anymore. There are puzzles that will kill players if they mess up, so if they rush those, they’ll also get stuck making things harder when it doesn’t need to be.
Somervilleis all about figuring things out first, then executing the plan, once players have one. So if players are able to do this more often than not, they won’t need to rush the puzzles, and in turn, feel more rewarded when they do so. Plus, when the game doesn’t tell players what to do they would want to rush things and get through as fast as possible, however, that can ruin the experience as well. So if they are able to solve the puzzles in a fluid manner,Somervillebecomes a better experience.
2Assuming There’s No Trial And Error
Meaning, the players feel like they can through the game in one way, without any hardships. Like the puzzles for example, if players can solve each puzzle through trial and error, gameplay can become much more fluid. On top of that, it helps players learn the mechanics and the physics better. However, if they assume everything is on the same level, and treat all the puzzles the same, they’ll get stopped in their tracks often.
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Somervillerequires players to learn things as they go, like getting new powers that do different things for them, and this way of playing helps them do just that. Because if they do this a lot, everything goes down better. And rather than being turned off bySomerville’splay style, it makes everything much more fun. This in turn makes players want to play more and gives a much more immersive feel.
1Not Being Patient
This rule applies to a lot ofSomerville,from the exploring to the puzzles, if players are rushing every aspect of the game, as mentioned before things get harder. This is important for those timed sequences, where players must go from cover to cover in order to avoid the alien’s lights, that pulls them in. They will die more, making that portion of the game to be longer than it should be, and in turn, maybe cause players to not play anymore.
One of the best aspects ofSomervilleis that the timing gets players immersed far more fluidly than any other way to play, this can make them adapt to any situation better. UnlikeLimboandInside,both share some similarities withSomerville,but the formerhas ominous endings, and the latter is based on the choices players do during the last few chapters. If players rush those crucial moments, then they may not get the ending they want. So being patient, and not rushing everything gives players a much better experience, as opposed to not doing that.
Somervilleis available on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC.
