Check out our review of Selfloss to find out what we thought about this game of grief, healing, and meditation.
Selfloss is a game about grief and healing—a melancholy journey that is not readily apparent at first viewing. Developed by Goodwin Games, out of Kazakhstan, the game is set in a world of Slavic and Icelandic folklore. You play as Kazimir, an old healer – as you explore Nordic landscapes with a staff that can manipulate light.
That staff is used to solve puzzles and eventually, you gain some other equipment to handle the combat. You also have a dodge roll in your arsenal, that you must use to get away from some of the tougher enemies. But the combat or the puzzle isn’t the focus here. The game is about something deeper- the sense of loss and bittersweet despair – of memories of people we loved and lost. A whale mother is looking for her child, and a mermaid is looking for her long-lost lover. Kazimir heals them all while he looks for what he needs to heal himself.
I had never heard of the word “Selfloss” before – but it is, as the game points out, a method of helping people navigate through soul-crushing grief. This is reflected in how you get around in this world, with a little boat sailing over mostly calm waters to get from one dark recess to the next, shining your light to find the items needed to complete each Selfloss ritual.
Standing in your way are miasma covered puzzles and enemies. Puzzles specially are well designed, reminiscent of Limbo, with runes needing to be lit up in a specific order or miasma covered blockages to be cleared up with your light staff. It’s just taxing enough that the dopamine kicks in as you figure out the solution.
Combat, though is a different story. Clunky and slow, it takes a lot of effort to take down even one enemy and therefore gets frustrating near the end of the game, when multiple enemies show up at once. The camera doesn’t help, getting stuck in weird angles or downright refusing to realign itself for the correct view – this adds to the fact that the enemies move faster than Kazimir and dodging becomes a chore.
As for exploration, the game doesn’t hold your hands. I do not know if this was a design choice or simply a limitation of being developed by a small team. There are no maps and no real directions and the handling of the boat can be tricky. Again, the main culprit here is the camera – refusing to keep up with Kazimir and his antics. Floaty controls and a slow camera, don’t make a particularly appealing couple.
But, those are “gameplay” issues – I felt the game was trying to do something else. Tell a story about healing your soul and letting go of things that no longer serve us. It’s a game you find at the end of a bad day. To help you find the light – pun not intended – in the darkness. This sense of experience is aided mightily by art design and music – the atmosphere is stellar and some of the creature designs are amazing (the tall goose is my favorite). The muted color palette and haunting music combine to create an atmosphere that creates an achy situation – slow, thoughtful and reflecting.
The game has its flaws, but if you are willing to engage with it – it will reward you an experience you aren’t likely to forget.
Developer: Goodwin Games
Publisher: Goodwin Games, Maximum Entertainment, Merge Games
Release Date: September 5th, 2024 (PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows, Xbox Series X and Series S, Mac operating systems)
This review is based on a copy of the game provided by the publisher. The PC version of Selfloss was played for this review.
Thank you for reading our review of Selfloss. For more interesting articles about indie games, be sure to check out the links below.
- Into Indie Games Homepage
- Dungeons of Hinterberg Review
- SCHiM is an intriguing puzzler about hopping in and out of the shadows
- Conscript Walkthrough – Chapter 1
- Best Indie Horror Games of 2024
Videogames.
Gym.
Sneakers.
Manga.
My dog.
In that order.
