by In 2025, 2nd Law Games developed Self Simulated, a platformer game designed to run on Game Boy Color hardware. ModRetro published the game.
The premise fits the sci-fi setting. You wake up in a humanoid robot body with no memories of who you once were. The AI running the facility, M.A.C.R.I.S., tells you that your memories will be restored if you can fully synchronize with your new robotic body. To achieve this goal, you must run and jump your way through increasingly difficult platforming challenges.
So, did 2nd Law Games create a masterpiece, or a monstrosity? Let’s find out.
Gameplay
The controls are standard among platformers. Left and right on the D-Pad move our nameless protagonist left and right, respectively; down on the D-Pad does a roll on the ground and a stomp in the air; the A button jumps, the B button attacks, the Start button opens the pause menu, and the Select button activates anti-glitch mode, which makes you immune to glitches. Glitches are the equivalent of instant-death spikes.
The controls are extremely responsive, and controlling the character feels great. At the beginning, you can only move left and right, but as you progress, you unlock more options to complete levels and overcome new obstacles and enemies. For the most part, all of these moves feel great to use. Sometimes the dodge roll would stop short, but that might have been my fault.
The description of the Self Simulated on ModRetro mentions Celeste and Katana Zero as inspirations, and I think 2nd Law Games did a fantastic job recreating that level of responsive platforming, but on Game Boy Color hardware.
Overall, I really enjoyed the gameplay.
Graphics
The graphics are pretty good. They aren’t as complex and detailed as, say, Wicked Plague, but they are still quite solid. The white rooms are reminiscent of games like Portal. You’re clearly supposed to be in a sterile laboratory environment. The glitches show that something is wrong with the place, and certain events suggest that whatever is wrong extends to you as a character. This adds to the sense of unease and makes Self Simulated feel a bit trippy at times.
One scene I liked in particular was a close-up of the main character. For such a simple design, they made him look really cool.
Overall, the graphics are good.
Music and Sound
The music is a mixed bag for me. Some of the music is wonderful, and even rather catchy, but there was at least one track I wanted to turn off. Most of the tune itself was fine, but a certain sound that played every so often grated on my ears, which are admittedly more sensitive than most.
The sound effects were very fitting.
Overall, the music and sound are better than average.
Difficulty
On normal mode, you have unlimited lives and a save system. The game saves when you complete a room. So, you are never far from trying again. Even the largest levels aren’t massive. On hardcore mode, you get one life. You can still save by completing a level, but you have to reload the save to try again. On Insane, one death deletes your save. There are a plethora of accessibility options for people who want an easier time. A few examples are triple jumps, auto-stomp, and the aforementioned glitch immunity.
Disclaimer: I played Self Simulated on normal difficulty with no accessibility options, and I chose not to use the anti-glitch mode except where the game forces you to. With those settings, I found the game fairly challenging, but not frustratingly so. It took me a bit over half an hour to beat the game, and I died 246 times.
Final Verdict
I had a lot of fun with Self Simulated. If you like decently challenging platformers, I highly recommend it. It’s currently sold by ModRetro for $40, and is slated to come to Steam sometime in 2027.
