Selfloss PC Review
Summary: Kazimir’s journey handles topics like loss, and the frailty of humankind and nature, with such sincerity that makes Selfloss a journey worth shedding a tear or two for.
4
A journey
Something indie games have proven better than many AAA titles at doing is conveying emotion through gaming. Take Spiritfarer, This War of Mine and Night in the Woods for example, which all deal with difficult subjects whilst still allowing for incredible gaming experiences. It’s an impressive feat, the ability to bridge the gap between sadness and excitement, but many titles rise to the challenge so well. Selfloss looks to be the latest in a long line of titles that don’t shy away from tough subjects, and it does so with earnestness – even if its gameplay is occasionally not as successful as its storytelling.
Filling the shoes of an elderly healer looking to repair his broken soul, Selfloss’ journey takes players through a dreamy Slavic world full of deadly monsters, ghostly natives and endless sea creatures. Townships and wastelands play host to solemn locals often willing to chat, sometimes about the affliction taking over their world, but more often than not, about the grief they are suffering through.
These foundations make Selfloss a touching journey to go on. Many of the creatures you encounter during the game can be helped along the way, and by meeting certain criteria, you can help the wildlife and strangers move on from their anguish. It didn’t take long for this to happen either, within the first hour I’d helped a turtle say goodbye to their baby, and despite packing a solid, tear-jerking punch to the gut, I was surprised at how well the game managed to deal with such difficulties with such beauty and respect.
Conveying these story beats is made easy by playing from the unique point of view of the old man, Kazimir. While on land, Kazimir is slow, moving cumbersomely, relying on his trusty staff to get around. On sea he fares better, his boat able to weave in and out of rock pools and currents with relative ease, but he’s never overpowered, – he’s simply an old man with a few tools under his belt to help him survive.
But Kazimir’s restrictions help from a storytelling and gameplay perspective. Selfloss wouldn’t be as effective if you could zip around maps, and taking time to explore each nook and cranny, making sure I met everyone and didn’t miss a thing were some of the greatest pleasures I took from Selfloss. Over the six or so hours I spent with the game, even as an often impatient gamer, I found myself relieved that I was restricted to playing the game at its intended pace.
Of course, there’s more to do than simply exploring, with Kazimir’s journey also requiring plenty of puzzle-solving and a little bit of combat here and there. Puzzle-solving is nothing new and fairly simple stuff, mostly requiring you to find points of interest to light up with your trusty staff’s beam power. There’s also the occasional fishing-type puzzle, where you have to reel in sea creatures to capture their essence. It’s all serviceable, and I quite liked that it wasn’t too difficult as it meant Selfloss’ pacing was always consistent.
Likewise, combat is as simple as swinging at enemies or using your staff to keep them at bay. Honestly, it’s fine, but removing the combat elements of Selfloss entirely wouldn’t have any effect on the overall game, and I’d have taken one or two more puzzles over these sections personally. What I do like, however, is how the enemies, which are foul, bulbous pollution monsters, fit so well into Selfloss’ world, adding an extra layer of misery to Kazimir’s grim landscape.
Both elements do however fall foul to the game’s biggest issue. I lost count of the number of times I struggled to aim my light beam, a problem most frustrating when it came to combat situations, as enemy hitboxes are all over the place, with attacks landing sometimes and then missing mere seconds later. While puzzles fare the same, I spotted the issue in several other locations too, like when interacting with characters and objects. Not only did it lead to more than a few unfair deaths, but I also found it took me out of the game somewhat, which is a shame when it’s a world I’m quite happy to be lost in.
These issues aside, the rest of Selfloss is difficult to criticise. It’s a beautiful world, full of gorgeous animation, captivating characters, and fantastic storytelling, complemented by a brooding soundtrack. Most of all, though, Kazimir’s journey handles topics like loss, and the frailty of humankind and nature, with such sincerity that makes Selfloss a journey worth shedding a tear or two for.
4/5
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