Developer: Goodwin Games
Publisher: Merge Games
Platform: Mac, PC, PS5, Switch, Xbox Series X/S
Tested on: Switch
Selfloss – Review
Slavic folklore has seen a rise in popularity and representation for years. In their atmospheric adventure Selfloss, Goodwin Games from Kazakhstan brings whale-worshipping myths from Iceland into the mix. In this review, we will answer whether you should go on this soul-healing journey.
Story
An old man wakes up on a windy cliff near a tall, robed creature with a bird mask. We are told Marena agreed to bring us back in exchange for doing work for her. She is described as the enigmatic Wife of the Ocean and the sovereign of Leeway, the afterlife. Soon after, we encounter enemies for the first time, spawned from the so-called Miasma. After healing a Miasma-infected whale, we are rewarded with a beautiful title scene as its soul flies off into the sky.
Our protagonist, Kazimir, knows how to perform the Selfloss ritual. Healing the soul from losing a loved one requires two things: An item of value for both persons and the essence of the Loss fish. We explore a world of oceans, sandy shores, and rocky cliffs. It is inhabited by wise Elfur, mighty Giants, and myriad spirits. Lost scrolls written by Mirro the scholar tell the lore of this world; of the Miasma that befell it, of a Giant invasion, and powerful Elfur spells. Kazimir has lived through his own tragedy, and we get to walk his dark memories in time-frozen dioramas.
Marena points the way to our first assignment.
As much as we want to know more about the world of Selfloss, as disappointing is it to find out how little there is. The game banks on us knowing nothing about Elves, Giants, and Mermaids. Mirro’s lore scrolls are written awkwardly with frequent typos and often tell what the world has already shown us. Kazimir’s dark past is also highly unremarkable but you are simply expected to connect with him emotionally. Yet why should you care when there is absolutely no hint of Kazimir’s personality?
Graphics
Graphically, Selfloss aims for a dark and somber tone, stylized and minimalistic. Great attention was paid to the choice of color, rendering the world mostly in tones of desaturated blues and faded greens. Contrasting this is the sickly glow of Miasma in all the shades of bruises and infections; it stands out as a mortal illness in purples, pinks, and unhealthy off-whites. Another aspect of the visuals is the withdrawn perspective which often creates the look of a diorama. In combination with bold lighting, we get a strong perception of depth. Selfloss‘ visuals really sell the dream-like quality of its shores and the vastness of its oceans.
Rarely, when everything falls into place, Selfloss looks gorgeous
All this combined, you might conclude that Selfloss looks gorgeous – every frame a painting, as they say. Sadly, this falls apart as soon as you put those frames in motion. Animations are mostly stiff and inexpressive. The camera frequently fails to find an appropriate angle. Maybe it’s the walls of the current level getting in the way, maybe larger objects on another island. On top of that, the Switch version suffers severely from performance issues. Low frame-rates make the game appear to run in slow-motion during vast parts and one boss dips into the single digits. Performance this awful is inexcusable, even for much more complex graphics.
Sound
From the very beginning, the soundscape of Selfloss is captivating. Ambient sounds of wind and waves, the hum of organs, and flute tunes shifting between ominous to optimistic. All combine to create an eerie, almost oppressive atmosphere. We occasionally experience warmer, brighter moments accompanied by calm strings and guitars. Overall, Selfloss‘ sound is the centerpiece around which its dense atmosphere is built. We want to direct special attention to the theme song Selfloss, Håbets Ven by German composer project Arigto and Danish composer Cisser Mæhl. It powerfully evokes feelings of loneliness and grief with its haunting mix of strings, synthesizers, and siren-like vocals.
Making a game based on Slavic folklore without Baba Yaga is practically illegal.
Gameplay
Some issues we encountered are probably due to a botched Switch port. Still, most of the gameplay simply fails to reach mediocrity. Movement is slow and imprecise on foot but becomes barely controllable when sailing. The speed increase of our sprint button is minuscule, lasting only seconds. Camera swings not only throw off movement and targeting, they also complicate navigation. As the game becomes more open, simply finding an NPC becomes an annoying search for landmarks.
There are two categories of obstacles in Selfloss: Monsters and puzzles. Both are overcome by pointing your staff’s beam of light at them. Slight enrichment comes with additional tricks: You can focus the beam, shoot a pulse of light, hit stuff with a sickle, or fix the staff on the ground. It’s obvious Goodwin Games didn’t know what to do with the concept. The beam could have been reflected, light could have different colors. The possibilities would have been vast, and early trailers even show several features that apparently got cut.
Combat has little to write home about. A resource supposedly limits staff attacks, but almost never matters. Half of the monster designs are differently sized “Miasma Humanoids”, the other half doesn’t get much more original. Bosses are sea creatures infected by Miasma, the exception being evil Wizard Koschei – the “Big Bad” of the game. Most puzzles are incredibly simplistic and dull where you just shine the beam on a series of objects. Sometimes you need to do this in a specific order, sometimes with a time limit, sometimes the order is written on the wall, and sometimes you even get to do some very shallow thinking. Your biggest challenges are always the imprecise controls, spotty collision detection, and the unpredictable camera.
Your reward for beating the boss – a bugged fishing minigame.
The inconsistent game design adds to the overall frustration that is playing Selfloss. It’s indiscernible if you can fall off ledges or if they’re protected by invisible walls. There are two health pools and a healing item, but the majority of deaths are instant. Despite the camera, some of the levels are just confusing by design, missing points of interest and clear guidance. On top of it all, frequent bugs lead to undeserved deaths and time wasted with soft-locks.
Conclusion
Selfloss is a prime example of highly talented artists failing to make even a mediocre videogame. Despite its incredibly compelling atmosphere, conjured up with great visuals and sound design, its potential is wasted with fundamentally flawed gameplay, an abundance of bugs, and atrocious performance. Sadly, Selfloss evoked the deepest feeling of despair when we thought of actually playing the game – an experience akin to pulling teeth when your dentist is extremely drunk and wearing boxing gloves. At a price of €29,99, this passage is simply an awful deal.
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