• Pop Culture
    • Movies
    • Television
    • Comic Books
    • Video Games
    • Toys & Collectibles
  • Features
    • News
    • Reviews
    • Articles and Opinions
    • Interviews
    • Exclusives
    • Flickering Myth Films
    • FMTV
  • About
    • About Flickering Myth
    • Write for Flickering Myth
    • Advertise on Flickering Myth
  • Socials
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • Bluesky
    • Instagram
    • Flipboard
    • Linktree
    • X
  • Terms
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy

Flickering Myth

Geek Culture | Movies, TV, Comic Books & Video Games

  • News
  • Reviews
  • Articles & Opinions
  • Write for Us
  • The Baby in the Basket

Video Game Review – SoundSelf: A Technodelic

April 23, 2020 by Shaun Munro

Shaun Munro reviews SoundSelf: A Technodelic…

With present global circumstances encouraging everyone to stay safely glued to their video games rather than enjoy the sun outside, there’s really no further excuse to leave your VR headset amassing dust in the corner of your room on a hot day.

And given the collective stress the world is under right now, a meditative VR experience is just what the doctor ordered – especially for those still reeling from the exhilaration of Half-Life: Alyx.

Self-touted as “the first video game measured to produce altered states of consciousness,” SoundSelf: A Technodelic is a meditation app – playable both “flat” and in VR – which completed its Kickstarter funding over 7 years ago, and is now finally available for all to play.

I say “play,” but it’s worth emphasising that SoundSelf is one of the VR medium’s many exploratory hybrids of game and app; there are no conventional goals, beyond simply completing whatever timed meditation period you set for yourself.

After the calming voice of “Sophia” guides the user through the initial breathing exercises, SoundSelf’s major hook unveils itself, with participants encouraged to use their own voices to manipulate the on-screen visuals and in turn guide them into the heavens.

As you’re hurled into a kaleidoscopic world of shapes and sounds, your own humming, vocalisations, and even your own breathing will influence precisely what your eyes and ears are witness to. It’s a neat concept for sure, and one which sporadically, fleetingly impresses in its trippiness, yet for the most part SoundSelf’s thorough lack of content and inconsistent presentation make it feel rather half-baked.

As an anxiety sufferer, the game’s soothing introduction disappointingly gives way to a relatively unremarkable core experience which doesn’t offer much beyond some fairly rudimentary visual modulation. Hearing your own voice filtered through synthesizers is at least a neat trick, but both the sound and visuals feel lacking compared to many other VR meditation apps; I too often felt like I was just staring at a decent Windows Media Player-esque screensaver.

Basic functionality can also be mildly frustrating; moving your head more than a few inches is an easy way to trigger a fade to black, and the overall lack of features is a certain fatal flaw. The main menu should accommodate at least some basic customisation options such as filters or other choices of music, not to mention the ability to disable the pre-lightshow preambles.

But the prevailing sentiment is that SoundSelf only sometimes relaxed me, and often quite the opposite; there were instances where the droning music played as vaguely ominous, immediately placing me in the head-space of a David Lynch movie rather than anything close to a positively transcendent experience.

As it stands, this feels like a tech demo, a free or budget app rather than a game that, astoundingly, retails for £24.95 on Steam. While there will certainly be those who connect with SoundSelf’s mindful journey into one’s own consciousness, it’s ultimately just too blatantly piecemeal to suffice – or justify that incredibly high price tag.

Pros:
+ Some trippy visuals.
+ Neat manipulation of the player’s voice.

Cons:
– Disappointing image quality.
– Not as relaxing as you might hope.
– Lack of customisation options.
– Extremely limited for the price.

Rating: 5/10

Reviewed on Oculus Rift.

A review copy was provided by the publisher.

Shaun Munro – Follow me on Twitter for more video game rambling, or e-mail me here.

Filed Under: Reviews, Shaun Munro, Video Games Tagged With: SoundSelf: A Technodelic

FMTV – Watch Our Latest Video Here

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:

10 Iconic Movie Weapons Every Millennial Kid Wanted

The Best Retro 2000 AD Video Games

The Essential Robert Redford Movies

Ten Essential Films of the 1940s

LEGO Star Wars at 20: The Video Game That Kickstarted a Phenomenon

10 Must See Sci-Fi Movies from 1995

Ten Controversial Movies and the Drama Around Them

Elvira: Mistress of the Dark Revisited: The Birth of a Horror Icon

7 Great NEON Horror Movies That Deserve Your Attention

American Psycho at 25: The Story Behind the Satirical Horror Classic

WATCH OUR MOVIE NOW FOR FREE ON PRIME VIDEO!

Top Stories:

Movie Review – Black Phone 2 (2025)

Movie Review – Frankenstein (2025)

Movie Review – Good Fortune (2025)

The Top 10 Star Trek: The Next Generation Episodes

Slow Horses Season 5 Episode 4 Review – ‘Missiles’

Comic Book Review – Star Trek: Picard Omnibus

Movie Review – Ballad of a Small Player (2025)

10 Must-See Horror Movies Guaranteed to Make You Squirm

Movie Review – Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein (2025)

Hasbro unveils new Star Wars: The Black Series Darth Vader, Boba Fett and Purge Trooper & Patrol Trooper figures

STREAM FREE ON PRIME VIDEO!

FEATURED POSTS:

10 Badass Action Movies You Might Have Missed

10 Great Movies You Can Only Watch Once

The Essential Gene Hackman Movies

10 Essential Chuck Norris Movies

Our Partners

  • Pop Culture
    • Movies
    • Television
    • Comic Books
    • Video Games
    • Toys & Collectibles
  • Features
    • News
    • Reviews
    • Articles and Opinions
    • Interviews
    • Exclusives
    • Flickering Myth Films
    • FMTV
  • About
    • About Flickering Myth
    • Write for Flickering Myth
    • Advertise on Flickering Myth
  • Socials
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • Bluesky
    • Instagram
    • Flipboard
    • Linktree
    • X
  • Terms
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy

© Flickering Myth Limited. All rights reserved. The reproduction, modification, distribution, or republication of the content without permission is strictly prohibited. Movie titles, images, etc. are registered trademarks / copyright their respective rights holders. Read our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. If you can read this, you don't need glasses.


 

Flickering MythLogo Header Menu
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Articles and Opinions
  • Write for Flickering Myth
  • About Flickering Myth
  • The Baby in the Basket