One thing indie games have generally done quite effectively in this generation is to take darker themes or story beats and pair them with gameplay that feels well-matched to it. In this case, your adventure will take you both by land and sea as your character seeks a cure for his wounded soul, while working to fight back an affliction called Miasm that’s overtaking the landscape at the same time. Working with your staff, which is imbued with the power to create light which you’ll use in a variety of ways, you’ll need to solve puzzles and try to avoid dangers along your way.

While some of the mechanics for puzzle-solving here aren’t new by any means, there is something in the presentation around them that at least feels fresh. As you explore each area you’ll need to be on the lookout for various symbols you’ll need to highlight to activate them, which will either remove obstacles, create platforms you’ll need to cross certain areas, or a few other effects. You’ll also need to use it in a more concentrated beam for dealing with growths and sometimes animated beings that will shamble towards you, just to keep you on your toes. Finally, you’ll have the ability to put it down to either heal yourself with it or to control independently as you move, with an added tap allowing you to summon it back to you again.

While conceptually all of this works well enough, and you pretty quickly get a sense for some of the rules to how to operate in this world, I will admit that at times the game’s mechanics can feel sloppy or what the game expects you to do is unclear. Whether there’s an issue where the perspective makes properly aiming your light at a moving target a challenge, or working out some unspoken rules for how you’ll need to interact with some elements in the world, there can be some frustrations here and there. Thankfully, at least most of the time, the world tends to be pretty forgiving of mistakes so these generally pass quickly, but it can detract from the fun overall at times.

If you enjoy somewhat moodier adventures that are focused on sharing imagery and themes tied to other cultures, Selfloss absolutely delivers just that. Whether shared through notes that you’ll encounter that explain Slavic lore, or simply through the game’s very specific visual style and overall nautical focus, this is obviously moving you through a very specific world to help convey its story. While in terms of the mechanics it may not always work ideally, on the whole the unique journey is still one worth taking.