SoundSelf

SoundSelf is a single-player simulation game that uses your voice to generate a mesmerizing world of sounds and visuals, creating an exhilarating journey into altered states of consciousness. This unique experience, backed by cognitive neuro-science, takes you through a tunnel of light, shapes, and meditative trance, while your own voice harmonizes with the emergent music. Dim the lights, turn up the volume, and let your voice guide you through an immersive odyssey of color and sound.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

80%

Audience ScoreBased on 190 reviews

graphics16 positive mentions

stability6 negative mentions

SoundSelf offers a unique and immersive meditation experience that effectively engages users through audio-visual feedback, helping them achieve a relaxed state of mind.
Many users report that SoundSelf has significantly improved their meditation practice, making it easier to focus and achieve deeper states of relaxation.
The visuals and audio are beautifully executed, creating a captivating environment that enhances the overall meditative experience.

The software is criticized for being underdeveloped, with limited content and functionality, leading some users to feel it does not justify its price point.
There are frequent technical issues, including bugs and a lack of responsiveness to user input, which can disrupt the immersive experience.
Some users express frustration over the rigid structure of the experience, feeling that it lacks options for customization and variety in meditation techniques.

graphics
58 mentions
28 % positive mentions
67 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game are described as visually striking and beautifully executed, with a mix of 3D environments and 2D visualizer-like sequences that enhance the meditation experience. However, many users noted issues with low resolution, poor texture implementation, and inconsistent visuals, which detracted from the overall experience. Despite these graphical shortcomings, the interactive and procedural visuals are praised for their ability to engage users and facilitate a meditative state.
- “Beautifully executed visuals.”
- “Beautiful procedural and reactive visuals bring unique treats for the eyes with every session.”
- “Relaxing, nice variety of visuals between nebulae and geometry; would recommend if you usually have difficulty with mind-wandering during meditation - the visuals are about enough to keep a more active mind gently engaged.”
- “The graphics are often low res, distractingly so at times.”
- “Jagged edges, poor texture implementation, and wildly inconsistent visuals.”
- “I'm not sure if this game isn't optimized properly for varying graphic cards, but my VR experience was literally a screen with one color slightly changing.”
music
24 mentions
17 % positive mentions
71 % neutral mentions
13 % negative mentions
The music aspect of the game has received mixed feedback, with many users expressing a desire for a music mode that allows for personal soundtracks, which they feel would enhance the experience. However, the developers maintain that the game is designed to utilize the player's voice to guide the visuals and breathing cues, arguing that adding external music would compromise the intended experience. While the voice interaction is praised for its effectiveness, some users find the graphical fidelity lacking and wish for more customization options in sound manipulation.
- “It uses the sound of your own voice to carry you into its visuals while the soundtrack subtly cues you on your breathing.”
- “It's basically a music visualizer that you navigate with your breath and chanting.”
- “Honestly, the part that had me most interested in this game is the visuals at the start and beginning of the meditation, which are actually 3D environments - the rest of the meditation is just a sequence of essentially 2D visuals similar to what you would see in a music visualizer.”
- “This is not a music visualizer.”
- “Honestly, the part that had me most interested in this game is the visuals at the start and beginning of the meditation, which are actually 3D environments - the rest of the meditation is just a sequence of essentially 2D visuals similar to what you would see in a music visualizer (remember MilkDrop?).”
- “Why is there no mode to use music from your hard drive?”
stability
6 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with frequent bugs and unexpected pauses that disrupt immersion and focus. Users report sound glitches and a general lack of polish, leading to a frustrating experience that many feel does not justify its price.
- “However, it sadly is also a buggy, broken mess that will regularly pause during the experience for no reason whatsoever, destroying your immersion and meditation state.”
- “I never felt immersed; I could not focus like I can in my normal meditation, and sound glitches and pops added distractions.”
- “It is a little too buggy and too underdeveloped to justify $30.”
optimization
6 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been criticized for poor graphical fidelity, leading to a subpar VR experience that feels more disorienting than immersive. Users report issues with compatibility across different graphic cards, resulting in visuals that fail to engage and detract from the intended relaxing atmosphere.
- “I'm not sure if this game isn't optimized properly for varying graphic cards, but my VR experience was literally a screen with one color slightly changing.”
- “This experience isn't optimized and replicates a fever dream rather than a relaxing meditation session.”
- “The visuals are at times truly engaging, but the graphical fidelity is so poorly optimized.”
gameplay
4 mentions
50 % positive mentions
-25 % neutral mentions
75 % negative mentions
Players find the gameplay lacking in variety and interest, often noting that it feels repetitive and similar across different sessions. While some consider modding to enhance their experience, the current mechanics do not seem to offer enough engagement to justify the investment.
- “The gameplay feels repetitive and lacks innovation; I've seen similar mechanics in other games that do it better.”
- “I was hoping for a unique experience, but the gameplay is just a rehash of what I've played before.”
- “The mechanics are poorly implemented, leading to frustrating moments that detract from the overall experience.”
story
4 mentions
0 % positive mentions
100 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Users find the story to be deeply immersive and relaxing, enhancing their overall gaming experience. The narrative's impact has even motivated some players to invest in new gaming hardware, indicating its strong appeal and engagement.
emotional
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Players report that the game evokes a profound emotional response, often leaving them with a sense of strangeness and physical reverberation, indicating a deep, immersive experience that resonates on a visceral level.
- “Made me feel very strange, like my whole body was reverberating.”
grinding
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Players express frustration with the excessive grinding required in games, feeling that it consumes a significant portion of their time, similar to the grind of everyday life.