Offering up control over a colourful wisp as you lead the innocent Selma through various environmental obstacles is Selma And The Wisp a game with basic platform elements, adventure and discovery around each map screen. Opening with Selma alone in her room with a monster under the bed the player guides the bright wisp to Selma, giving her hope amongst the darkness and a way to safety from the unknown monsters that stalk her.
This is where your bond with each other begins with Selma following you through the dark and unforgiving environment of monsters, spikes, sharp objects and even massive heights. Neither Selma or the wisp are completely safe though and rely on each other to stay alive through the adventure. On the one hand if Selma is left alone for too long she’ll succumb the the darkness and pass over. Similarly though players (as the wisp) can extinguish their own light as their energy dwindles over time with actions meaning you’ll have to play smart with your actions.
Guiding Selma is easy enough with the wisp moved through mouse movement on PC or joystick for console versions. In addition players can cause a small explosion with a click or button press or command Selma to stay at her current location with a right click or alternative button. With the ability to also move objects also available this rounds out your puzzling solving tools in Selma And The Wisp. The result is puzzles of careful timing and forethought as you leave Selma alone (although not for long) while clearing the path ahead.
For the most part Selma’s AI is reasonably effective during these sort of puzzles although is painful on a small handful of puzzles that rely on super soft control over her, causing frustration when she manages to kill herself despite your best efforts again and again.
Actual puzzles that you’ll encounter though have good variety and use your available tools in varying ways. The pacing of puzzles also vary throughout your adventure from ones that are time sensitive due to your distance from Selma to ones that are slower and you can sit back and think about your approach beforehand. Veterans of the genre will be able to breeze through most of these levels quickly due to the low overall level of challenge which makes the variety all the more appreciated.
Selma And The Wisp is a decent puzzle platformer once you consider the atmosphere and the dual character design of the adventure game that help it stand out amongst mostly single character platformers.
Summary:
- Guide Selma through a dark journey as you play as a guiding wisp.
- Use small explosions, move items and command Selma to hold in place to traverse dangerous paths.
- Great variety in puzzle design and pacing switches constantly from fast paced to slow methodical challenges.
- Stay connected to Selma to keep her alive while also managing your own energy.
- For Windows, Mac and Linux with later releases on Xbox One and Switch.
Links:
- Buy Selma And The Wisp (Humble Store)
- Buy Selma And The Wisp (Microsoft Store)
- Buy Selma And The Wisp (Nintendo Store)
Videos:
Review Platform: PC
