SIGNALIS is a game that has received an immense amount of praise since its release. It caught my eye shortly after, as I’ve only really gotten into survival horror games in the past year or so and they have quickly became one of my favourite genres, so seeing a brand new indie game paying homage to the old RE games, and in a way that people were loving, was an exciting sight, so I decided soon after to buy the game. It was a bit unfortunate to come out of the game with disappointment and confusion, mainly due to not understanding entirely what people love so much about it, but I think some people are overlooking some pretty blatant flaws in the game.
First of all, is the often times clunky controls. There were multiple occasions where I was trying to leave a room in a hurry while being chased by enemies, only for the button prompt to either not show up, or show up and not allow me to activate it, leading to me getting hit. The enemies themselves are also a very flawed area of the game for me. It felt extremely unfair for enemies to be able to hurt you just from being next to you. If there was an attack animation, then fair enough, but that isn’t the case. All you need to do is stand beside any enemy and you will instantly take damage for no apparent reason. But that isn’t the only thing with the enemies. They tend to lean more towards frustrating obstacles that halt your progress and drain your healing items and ammo, rather than engaging challenges to improve the overall game and your progression. Placing large numbers of enemies in rooms is way too frequent and tends to be a massive nuisance where you either have to push your way past and almost always get hit, or waste all of your ammo on to get rid of. The controls don’t help either. When you press the aim button, it feels to me as though the crosshair should go straight onto the enemy, rather than requiring you to manually aim at them (This is more of a personal issue than one with the actual game, but it still damaged my impression of it to be honest).
The boss fights were also a fairly disappointing aspect of the game. The first one can be very tedious to fight, especially if she is stunned next to a pillar, which makes shooting the weak spot nearly impossible. Apart from that, the fight was pretty fun. The second boss fight was pretty pathetic though. You can very easily stunlock it with the pistol or the revolver, making quick work of it and allowing you to get past it without even getting hit. Final boss though was awesome. Proved to be quite a solid challenge with a nice, varied moves. Definitely a strong way to end the game.
Level design is, for me, the most important aspect of a survival horror game, with it being the crux of whether or not I’ll stick with these types of games. I can certainly say that the game delivered in this area. The simple grid-like layout of most of the areas in the game was a bit concerning at first, making it look quite simple, but it ended being quite effective. The puzzles were often times complex and engaging, but there were some exceptions that tend to be too far on the convoluted side. A few nitpicky things for me, for example, are when you use a key to open a new room, which only contains one item… another key. I find these kinds of things really annoying, as they’re so unnecessary and feels like its just there for padding.
The radio mechanic was a refreshing change of pace for the genre as well. It brought quite a few new and original challenges for both combat and puzzles, which was definitely an interesting and successful addition.
I know I’ve complained so much about this game, but I promise this is the last one: the inventory system. I shouldn’t need to backtrack to storage boxes as frequently as I did. 6 item slots feels like no where near the amount you should be given. It was incessant. I played through the game on survival difficulty and only really felt comfortable if I had heals, stun prods, and a gun. So that’s 3 slots filled straight away, leaving me with just 3 slots for key items and other pickups. I was probably returning to the storage boxes every 10-15 minutes. This is probably one of the biggest areas the game suffers honestly. It really halts the game’s momentum at certain points. I feel like the developers should have either given you 2 or so extra slots to begin with, or do what RE2 Remake did, and allow you to obtain items that increase these slots. Maybe even change it so key items can be picked up infinitely and regular items are what take up inventory space?
But anyway, I feel like I need to mention that I did enjoy the game for the most part. Filling this review with complaints was not my intention, I just find it easier to pick flaws than to point out what gets done well. The story was really interesting (amazing ending) and there was clearly a huge focus and a lot of care put into the game’s world and lore. The cutscene after finishing the nowhere area was absolutely phenomenal. Honestly, all of the cutscenes were great. The art design of them was brilliant. I’m definitely curious where rose-engine will go next if they continue with this level of passion. I think the problems with the game would’ve been easier to deal with if the game was shorter. For me, survival horror games work way better in a shorter form. Perhaps the game could’ve been cut down to 6-7 hours?
First of all, is the often times clunky controls. There were multiple occasions where I was trying to leave a room in a hurry while being chased by enemies, only for the button prompt to either not show up, or show up and not allow me to activate it, leading to me getting hit. The enemies themselves are also a very flawed area of the game for me. It felt extremely unfair for enemies to be able to hurt you just from being next to you. If there was an attack animation, then fair enough, but that isn’t the case. All you need to do is stand beside any enemy and you will instantly take damage for no apparent reason. But that isn’t the only thing with the enemies. They tend to lean more towards frustrating obstacles that halt your progress and drain your healing items and ammo, rather than engaging challenges to improve the overall game and your progression. Placing large numbers of enemies in rooms is way too frequent and tends to be a massive nuisance where you either have to push your way past and almost always get hit, or waste all of your ammo on to get rid of. The controls don’t help either. When you press the aim button, it feels to me as though the crosshair should go straight onto the enemy, rather than requiring you to manually aim at them (This is more of a personal issue than one with the actual game, but it still damaged my impression of it to be honest).
The boss fights were also a fairly disappointing aspect of the game. The first one can be very tedious to fight, especially if she is stunned next to a pillar, which makes shooting the weak spot nearly impossible. Apart from that, the fight was pretty fun. The second boss fight was pretty pathetic though. You can very easily stunlock it with the pistol or the revolver, making quick work of it and allowing you to get past it without even getting hit. Final boss though was awesome. Proved to be quite a solid challenge with a nice, varied moves. Definitely a strong way to end the game.
Level design is, for me, the most important aspect of a survival horror game, with it being the crux of whether or not I’ll stick with these types of games. I can certainly say that the game delivered in this area. The simple grid-like layout of most of the areas in the game was a bit concerning at first, making it look quite simple, but it ended being quite effective. The puzzles were often times complex and engaging, but there were some exceptions that tend to be too far on the convoluted side. A few nitpicky things for me, for example, are when you use a key to open a new room, which only contains one item… another key. I find these kinds of things really annoying, as they’re so unnecessary and feels like its just there for padding.
The radio mechanic was a refreshing change of pace for the genre as well. It brought quite a few new and original challenges for both combat and puzzles, which was definitely an interesting and successful addition.
I know I’ve complained so much about this game, but I promise this is the last one: the inventory system. I shouldn’t need to backtrack to storage boxes as frequently as I did. 6 item slots feels like no where near the amount you should be given. It was incessant. I played through the game on survival difficulty and only really felt comfortable if I had heals, stun prods, and a gun. So that’s 3 slots filled straight away, leaving me with just 3 slots for key items and other pickups. I was probably returning to the storage boxes every 10-15 minutes. This is probably one of the biggest areas the game suffers honestly. It really halts the game’s momentum at certain points. I feel like the developers should have either given you 2 or so extra slots to begin with, or do what RE2 Remake did, and allow you to obtain items that increase these slots. Maybe even change it so key items can be picked up infinitely and regular items are what take up inventory space?
But anyway, I feel like I need to mention that I did enjoy the game for the most part. Filling this review with complaints was not my intention, I just find it easier to pick flaws than to point out what gets done well. The story was really interesting (amazing ending) and there was clearly a huge focus and a lot of care put into the game’s world and lore. The cutscene after finishing the nowhere area was absolutely phenomenal. Honestly, all of the cutscenes were great. The art design of them was brilliant. I’m definitely curious where rose-engine will go next if they continue with this level of passion. I think the problems with the game would’ve been easier to deal with if the game was shorter. For me, survival horror games work way better in a shorter form. Perhaps the game could’ve been cut down to 6-7 hours?
A triumph of sci-fi horror audiovisual design, with a narrative that some will find frustratingly oblique but whose deliberate ambiguity largely worked for me. Gameplay-wise, it’s not quite on the same level (it could have stood to be a bit shorter, as the backtracking does start to get tedious by the end, especially given the strict inventory limit), but as someone who hasn’t played many old-school survival horror games, I still enjoyed this homage a lot.
Perhaps This Is Hell
I honestly don’t know how to articulate how much I love this game but I will try. one who has played many games might see derivation and believe there is nothing here but truly I feel like the actual content and storytelling, the themes and visuals, are so rarely done to this degree of excellence, or even done at all in video games, so I implore you to please play this game, because my words pale in comparison to the actual experience.
I honestly don’t know how to articulate how much I love this game but I will try. one who has played many games might see derivation and believe there is nothing here but truly I feel like the actual content and storytelling, the themes and visuals, are so rarely done to this degree of excellence, or even done at all in video games, so I implore you to please play this game, because my words pale in comparison to the actual experience.
Signalis has cool aesthetics and a lot of style. The gameplay is very close to being Resident Evil (which doesn't overly appeal to me) but not quite as successful.
The visuals and audio here are incredibly striking. This is one of the coolest renditions of an abandoned space facility I have seen. Rose-Engine has nailed the aesthetics and doing it with graphics that look like they were ripped straight from Metal Gear Solid is impressive and inspired. This facility creaks and groans, with intense music cues kicking in to warn you of encroaching enemies and heighten the tension in all the right ways. Though I found myself growing desensitized to the enemies themselves, the visuals and audio never stopped working.
I found Signalis hard to play in a few ways. This is gameplay that is a lot like Resident Evil -- equipment scarcity and puzzle solving through crest/key/socket wrench collection with the occasional environmental brain teaser.
Combat works fine and plays well but with enough friction that I was never quite comfortable. Enemies (especially bosses) feel like they take an arbitrary number of bullets to kill, preventing me from having a clear idea of the power of my weapons or character. This is exactly like RE.
Equipment scarcity makes expending bullets on enemies a weighty decision, but running by most of them is so easy that it soon becomes the obvious, repetitive strategy. The inventory limit is extreme and adds to this scarcity in a way that is more tedious than challenging.
The key/lock mechanics here never seem to be tied to anything, which makes fetching keys and opening doors often feel perfunctory and meaningless in a way that is unsatisfying. Keys are found sitting on a random desk or in a locker, giving no sense of place to the puzzles or sense of life to the people that were in this facility. This sort of level design works best when the player can make intentional plans based on information they are gaining and have those plans pay off. Through my time with Signalis the only plan I made was "I guess I explore the only place I haven't been."
The environmental puzzles were mostly cute little brain teasers that work well and are similar to things you have seen before. Connect fuses in a fuse box in a certain order, hit switches in a certain order, etc... The one exception is a water leveling puzzle that is a bit tediously complicated, though it seems like the developers identified this, since there is a note in the room that just gives you step by step instructions (!?!?).
The environments themselves, though evocative and cool, are too samey and feel too arbitrarily connected for me to ever really have any sense of place or direction. I never had a clear idea of where I was or the layout of the facility.
The narrative felt very overwrought to me during my time with Signalis. It seems like something interesting might be going on, but it is plastered over with no-context quick cuts, shaky-cam or glitchy footage that is meant to be disturbing, and heavy-handed references to tropes or other media. This type of 'horror' storytelling often feels like it gets in the way of whatever is interesting about the narrative, and I found that to be true for me here as well.
If you love survival horror games, this one may strike a chord and it is probably even worth checking out for an hour or two for the expertly crafted visual and audio experience. It is unfortunately definitely not for me, so I have abandoned it.
The visuals and audio here are incredibly striking. This is one of the coolest renditions of an abandoned space facility I have seen. Rose-Engine has nailed the aesthetics and doing it with graphics that look like they were ripped straight from Metal Gear Solid is impressive and inspired. This facility creaks and groans, with intense music cues kicking in to warn you of encroaching enemies and heighten the tension in all the right ways. Though I found myself growing desensitized to the enemies themselves, the visuals and audio never stopped working.
I found Signalis hard to play in a few ways. This is gameplay that is a lot like Resident Evil -- equipment scarcity and puzzle solving through crest/key/socket wrench collection with the occasional environmental brain teaser.
Combat works fine and plays well but with enough friction that I was never quite comfortable. Enemies (especially bosses) feel like they take an arbitrary number of bullets to kill, preventing me from having a clear idea of the power of my weapons or character. This is exactly like RE.
Equipment scarcity makes expending bullets on enemies a weighty decision, but running by most of them is so easy that it soon becomes the obvious, repetitive strategy. The inventory limit is extreme and adds to this scarcity in a way that is more tedious than challenging.
The key/lock mechanics here never seem to be tied to anything, which makes fetching keys and opening doors often feel perfunctory and meaningless in a way that is unsatisfying. Keys are found sitting on a random desk or in a locker, giving no sense of place to the puzzles or sense of life to the people that were in this facility. This sort of level design works best when the player can make intentional plans based on information they are gaining and have those plans pay off. Through my time with Signalis the only plan I made was "I guess I explore the only place I haven't been."
The environmental puzzles were mostly cute little brain teasers that work well and are similar to things you have seen before. Connect fuses in a fuse box in a certain order, hit switches in a certain order, etc... The one exception is a water leveling puzzle that is a bit tediously complicated, though it seems like the developers identified this, since there is a note in the room that just gives you step by step instructions (!?!?).
The environments themselves, though evocative and cool, are too samey and feel too arbitrarily connected for me to ever really have any sense of place or direction. I never had a clear idea of where I was or the layout of the facility.
The narrative felt very overwrought to me during my time with Signalis. It seems like something interesting might be going on, but it is plastered over with no-context quick cuts, shaky-cam or glitchy footage that is meant to be disturbing, and heavy-handed references to tropes or other media. This type of 'horror' storytelling often feels like it gets in the way of whatever is interesting about the narrative, and I found that to be true for me here as well.
If you love survival horror games, this one may strike a chord and it is probably even worth checking out for an hour or two for the expertly crafted visual and audio experience. It is unfortunately definitely not for me, so I have abandoned it.
Despite an engrossing visual style and an immediately intriguing hook, Signalis doesn't measure up to its opening moments. Playing too close to the survival horror greats that inspired it, the warts of bizarre key collecting and micro managing inventory are preserved here despite the genre largely moving on.
The final act is a slog, and in the end you're rewarded with an ending based upon gameplay factors you weren't even aware of without checking a wiki. I'm sure others will enjoy this endearing throwback to older horror titles, but the execution felt a bit too copy/paste for my liking.
The final act is a slog, and in the end you're rewarded with an ending based upon gameplay factors you weren't even aware of without checking a wiki. I'm sure others will enjoy this endearing throwback to older horror titles, but the execution felt a bit too copy/paste for my liking.
wtf these robots gay!!
good for them. good for them.
good for them. good for them.
Light and shadow. Hope and despair. Despite being at times almost impenetrably dark, Signalis is ultimately a tale of contrasts. It's simultaneously one of the most impressive and most disappointing indie games I’ve ever played. Impressive, because the story, setting, and visual design are absolutely top notch; disappointing, because I can’t help but wonder how much better it would be (and to be clear, it’s already excellent) if it wasn’t held back by the constraints of independent game development.
The DNA of the original PlayStation runs thick through Signalis’ veins. The most obvious influence is Silent Hill, lending generous portions of metaphysical horror and gameplay conventions like limited inventory space. Dig a bit deeper, though, and you’ll spot traces of Metal Gear Solid, as evidenced by style of the first-person 3D sections, as well as the presence of a radio with tunable frequencies. Psycho Mantis would feel right at home here.
Signalis spent eight years in development and it shows. The backstory, woven of interplanetary empires and oppressive societies, resonates fully with the graphics and gameplay, from the design of the metallic coffin you pilot through space to the emotionless violence of the Replikas you encounter. It’s a game that asks deep questions but never forces answers. You can ponder over the true meaning of your journey or you can run from room to room and blast Replikas. Regardless of how you choose to play, you’ll be rewarded.
Why, then, did I also feel disappointment? It mostly comes down to limitations. While the game looks great as is, the overhead camera perspective always keeps the player at arm’s length from the horror. Although pre-rendered backgrounds like those in the original Resident Evil games were probably out of the question given the game’s indie scope, a dynamic camera system like the one in Dino Crisis and Resident Evil: Code Veronica could’ve made for a nice middle ground. As it stands, running through the game’s rectangular spaces feels more Zelda than horror. Of course, classic survival horror locales like the Spencer Mansion are also largely grid-based, but clever camera work made those grids come alive. The world of Signalis feels static in comparison.
Combat mechanics are also not a strong point. Shooting is functional but not particularly fun, and usually I found myself running around enemies unless I absolutely had no choice but to clear a path. Perhaps this was the developers’ intent, but given the wide variety of weapons they provide it’s a shame that firing them isn’t more engaging.
Don’t let these minor gripes keep you away from Signalis, though. This is a horror gem that’s absolutely worth playing, thanks to authentic PS1 vibes and a uniquely oppressive atmosphere. Could a larger budget and a few gameplay tweaks have elevated it from very good to all-time classic? Perhaps developer rose-engine’s next game will provide us with an answer. I’ll certainly be looking forward to it.
The DNA of the original PlayStation runs thick through Signalis’ veins. The most obvious influence is Silent Hill, lending generous portions of metaphysical horror and gameplay conventions like limited inventory space. Dig a bit deeper, though, and you’ll spot traces of Metal Gear Solid, as evidenced by style of the first-person 3D sections, as well as the presence of a radio with tunable frequencies. Psycho Mantis would feel right at home here.
Signalis spent eight years in development and it shows. The backstory, woven of interplanetary empires and oppressive societies, resonates fully with the graphics and gameplay, from the design of the metallic coffin you pilot through space to the emotionless violence of the Replikas you encounter. It’s a game that asks deep questions but never forces answers. You can ponder over the true meaning of your journey or you can run from room to room and blast Replikas. Regardless of how you choose to play, you’ll be rewarded.
Why, then, did I also feel disappointment? It mostly comes down to limitations. While the game looks great as is, the overhead camera perspective always keeps the player at arm’s length from the horror. Although pre-rendered backgrounds like those in the original Resident Evil games were probably out of the question given the game’s indie scope, a dynamic camera system like the one in Dino Crisis and Resident Evil: Code Veronica could’ve made for a nice middle ground. As it stands, running through the game’s rectangular spaces feels more Zelda than horror. Of course, classic survival horror locales like the Spencer Mansion are also largely grid-based, but clever camera work made those grids come alive. The world of Signalis feels static in comparison.
Combat mechanics are also not a strong point. Shooting is functional but not particularly fun, and usually I found myself running around enemies unless I absolutely had no choice but to clear a path. Perhaps this was the developers’ intent, but given the wide variety of weapons they provide it’s a shame that firing them isn’t more engaging.
Don’t let these minor gripes keep you away from Signalis, though. This is a horror gem that’s absolutely worth playing, thanks to authentic PS1 vibes and a uniquely oppressive atmosphere. Could a larger budget and a few gameplay tweaks have elevated it from very good to all-time classic? Perhaps developer rose-engine’s next game will provide us with an answer. I’ll certainly be looking forward to it.
TL;DR: A sapphic delight that, while standing on the shoulders of its influences, is still worth your time and money.
Longer: Can a game be great if it every single aspect of itself has clear influences from its inspirations? What is the difference between homage and derivative?
If I could somehow wipe my memory of playing Resident Evil, NieR Automata, Metal Gear Solid, and Silent Hill 2 and play Signalis with fresh eyes it would be an all-time great for me. But I do remember those games, which makes me feel very conflicted.
Signalis is almost like a collage in the form of a game. For every puzzle, every NPC, and every plot beat, I think to myself, "Oh that's just like X from Y!" I admit, finding the references is a bit of fun in itself, but that's certainly not enough to make a good piece of media (see: Ready Player One).
Perhaps I'm willing to give Signalis leeway because it nails the details so perfectly. Aesthetically, it is akin to a demake. Especially in the first-person portions, I felt myself hurdled back in time to my childhood self sitting on a tie-die beanbag chair in a wood-paneled room playing my dad's PlayStation.
However, it wisely eschews things like tank controls (though, I do think you can opt into them in the settings) to make it playable to 2022's sensibilities.
I need to get out of bed and make coffee. The rest of the review coming soon…
Longer: Can a game be great if it every single aspect of itself has clear influences from its inspirations? What is the difference between homage and derivative?
If I could somehow wipe my memory of playing Resident Evil, NieR Automata, Metal Gear Solid, and Silent Hill 2 and play Signalis with fresh eyes it would be an all-time great for me. But I do remember those games, which makes me feel very conflicted.
Signalis is almost like a collage in the form of a game. For every puzzle, every NPC, and every plot beat, I think to myself, "Oh that's just like X from Y!" I admit, finding the references is a bit of fun in itself, but that's certainly not enough to make a good piece of media (see: Ready Player One).
Perhaps I'm willing to give Signalis leeway because it nails the details so perfectly. Aesthetically, it is akin to a demake. Especially in the first-person portions, I felt myself hurdled back in time to my childhood self sitting on a tie-die beanbag chair in a wood-paneled room playing my dad's PlayStation.
However, it wisely eschews things like tank controls (though, I do think you can opt into them in the settings) to make it playable to 2022's sensibilities.
I need to get out of bed and make coffee. The rest of the review coming soon…
Great, but ultimately lacking: Signalis is the model indie game. And believe me, that is both a blessing and a curse.
Like any good indie game, Signalis is niche. The survival horror genre it calls home is now long dead--killed by its own god-king, Resident Evil. Although 'killed' might be the wrong word--'evolved' is probably a better choice. But it's hard to deny that games like Signalis are a rare sight in 2023. If there's one place--and only one place--where we'd see an honest-to-god survival horror game now, it would be in the indie sphere. And if you're a huge fan of the classics like I am, then that's a good thing.
...Is something my lizard brain wants to say...but my critical side starts to take over. When I first saw Signalis I knew I could immediately write it off as:
"Resident Evil + Silent Hill with a retro sci-fi anime aesthetic."
I say 'write off' because watching a line-up of indie game announcements is like seeing them get procedurally generated in real time. And unfortunately, "Silent Hill," "anime," "retro," and "sci-fi" are some of the most common marbles that get pulled from the "let's make an indie game" bag. More importantly--now that I've actually played the game--I can confirm I wasn't wrong to pigeonhole the Signalis like that.
And don't get me wrong, Signalis is a good game. A very good game. Hell, for a team of two people, it's an honest-to-God miracle that it turned out this good. But unfortunately for Signalis, the flaws are all the more clear when you get this close to greatness.
The House that Evil Built
The first thing you could slight Signalis for is its total lack of originality. And believe me, when I say 'lack of originality,' I mean there's not a single unique bone in the game's body.
But that's not really a bad thing...right?
Right. I'd say it's not a massive issue.
The problem isn't that Signalis is a hodgepodge of a some basic visual, gameplay, narrative, and atmospheric ideas. The problem is that Signalis isn't really better than any of its influences. And if the parts aren't performing up-to-snuff, then I regret to inform you that the whole isn't really pulling its weight either. But let's shelve this point for now--we should talk about some gameplay first.
Signalis' hollistic gameplay experience is...well I mean it'sResident Evil meets the more puzzle-heavy focus of Silent Hill. If you've played those games then you know what to expect. If you haven't played 'em--and you for some reason want my opinion on them--you'll have to wait for my Halloween review series (that'll get delayed until March). But the games are, in a word, excellent. Perhaps not perfect games (Resident Evil would be rendered obsolete by its Gamecube REmake), but they're absolutely iconic and deserve a playthrough from anyone serious about understanding gaming history. Unfortunately though, Signalis' fails to improve upon the now decades-old survival horror formula and even manages to throw some new problems in the mix.
If you love survival horror as much as I do, then you probably know exactly what I did when I booted Signalis up. Max difficulty (or the max allowed on first playthrough), tank controls turned way the fuck ON, and every single quality-of-life feature disabled. The damn genre ain't called survival comfort...I want the game to hurt me plenty.
Unfortunately, it doesn't take long to see how the Signalis fails hardcore survival horror fans. The game is made like most niche indie game titles are--with the expectation that you've already cut your teeth on all the classics. Because, dear god...the designers certainly have. Nearly every room in Signalis is filled with brutal (and sometimes admittedly clever) chokepoints, insane enemy placements, and ultra-tight turns that are custom-designed to fuck up your day. Obviously the RE games had their tough spots--sometimes turning the dial to eleven is exactly what good horror needs--but it was nowhere near this insane.
Seriously, I went back and reviewed a good half hour of Resident Evil gameplay to make sure I wasn't crazy. And thankfully, if there's one thing I can still remember, it's how RE plays.
Within an hour, Signalis is throwing you shit harder than nearly anything Resident Evil offered--at least in terms of area design. Moreover, Signalis makes a crucial change that basically kills the tank controls for anyone but the most ultra-hardcore of super players. In Resident Evil (and its clones), most enemies would only damage you if they made an active effort to hurt you. The zombie bastards might shamble all over the mansion, but they didn't bite unless they made for a real lunge at you. This was--in all likelihood--a way to tip the scales back in the players favor. After all, players would be wrestling with confusing tank controls for their entire playthrough. Signalis, on the other hand, gives enemies the accursed touch of death--meaning a simple bump into an enemy, no matter how slight, equals damage. And believe me, on hardcore difficulties that means you're always just three bumps away from certain death.
Don't get me wrong, I love my survival horror games to be tough. But this? This was just unfun. There are just so many brutal enemy placements and crazy small bottlenecks that transformed the tank controls from the ultimate way to 'enter the survival horror' into the most unfortunate way to 'experience the tedium and boredom' of running through the same areas over and over again after dying for the umpteenth time.
These issues are only compounded by the game's peculiar camera perspective. I'm sure you know that most of the survival horror classics feature the iconic 'fixed camera perspective'--something that heightens the genre's atmospheric and 'cinematic' qualities. Signalis, on the other hand, decides to have a go at a tilted top-down perspective. It's not inherently a bad thing…although it definitely diminishes the game's ability to build a true sense of world like the classics did.
The real problem arises from how tank controls interact with this novel perspective--particularly when your character model is blocked by objects in the foreground. Tank controls are relative to your current position--meaning you can't figure out where the fuck you're going if you don't know which way you're currently facing. This sounds like a minor gripe, but it's a complete nightmare when a sizeable chunk of the game's rooms are filled to the brim with occluding objects and 'what-the-fuck-am-I-looking-at' levels of darkness.
Combine all of this with the game's most terrifying revelation--that the final boss is a bullet-hell challenge--and you have a recipe for a complete tank-control meltdown. I know I can't harp too much on an optional feature, but I'm frustrated they'd taunt players with a mechanic that's core to the survival horror genre…only to implement it in the shallowest way possible.
Needless to say, I decided to switch off tank controls within the first few hours of my playthrough. After all, why suffer? Especially for something as trivial as an optional control type.
I did keep the rest of the difficulty options cranked; although at this point it was perhaps for vanity's sake. The switch made everything far easier--the aforementioned bottlenecks-of-doom were suddenly turning into walks in the park. But tank controls aside, there were still massive design blunders to wrestle with.
Enemies in Signalis will often 'patrol' a room a-la Metal Gear Solid guards. To spice things up, they'll keep moving even when you exit the room--meaning you'll never know exactly where they'll be when you enter again. Unfortunately, someone decided to allow enemies to patrol right in front of doorways. This might not seem awful at first glance, but there's another element at play here. You have to go through a baked animation every time you enter a room. Meaning you're relinquishing control until the animation completes. You and I might not be game-design geniuses, but I'll let you imagine how this one plays out.
It didn't happen often…but I can't express how frustrating it is to walk into a room and suddenly take massive damage before I have the chance to even move my character. It's a cruel joke: underthought game design at its worst. I work my ass off just to survive with ultra-limited healing items, and this is what I get?
Don't get me wrong, survival horror games are supposed to crank the heat up--sometimes way past comfortable and even sometimes past fair just to spice things up. But this was absolutely a step too far, and another reminder that other design choices (damage-on-touch) were just not working out.
I'll save you the rest of the boring itemized list and just say that Signalis is filled with similar micro-issues that add up to some missed potential. To be clear, it's nothing game-breaking. Not even anything that makes the experience really that bad, but it undeniably misses the mark--even when it had plenty of classics to directly learn from.
The King in Yellow
So the gameplay is slightly subpar to the classics…but that doesn't tell the whole story. After all, survival horror is just as defined by atmosphere and narrative as it is by gameplay--often moreso. And in this sense, Signalis performs pretty damn well…albeit with similar failings that hold it back from excellence.
Atmosphere is a very fickle beast. I think you'd agree that the best atmospheres are indescribable, right? It doesn't help that the lines between 'mediocre' and 'incredible' are usually separated by a few arbitrary and hyper-specific aspects. Hell, trying to review any atmosphere is nearly as tricky as making them. Music, photography, and film already have it bad enough--and you don't even get to interact with those mediums! So good luck trying to make an effective atmosphere when players are actually in control. You just know they're gonna get fed up with puzzles, accidentally clip into walls, and die forty times before clearing the area…so how the hell are you supposed to make an ambience that keeps them hooked? Give 'em an hour and they'll start looking beyond the game's aesthetics and see just its mechanics instead.
I'm not even gonna try and explain the 'good' and 'bad' with any specific examples. Like I said, 'atmosphere' is just too tricky to pin down. At least, too tricky to pin down without turning this into a 3 hour read. So I'll just leave the point as an exercise for you. You have your own survival horror favorites…right?
During its best moments, Signalis actually manages to nail those atmospheric highs--which is no small feat for an indie game. The cutscenes really shine in particular. The choices in editing, cinematography, music, and pacing feel genuinely directed and inspired. At least more directed inspired than the average triple-A game that actually tries to claim a 'cinematic' heritage. There are certain shots, moments, atmospheric slices, and vibes that I'll definitely be holding onto several years from now--and what more could you want from a game?
Well, I want a game to not ruin its own atmosphere with a desperate amount of failed scare attempts.
You get treated with industrial noise louder than a gun every time you approach an enemy in Signalis. And man. Have you played a Resident Evil game? You're gonna be approaching a lot of fucking enemies before the credits roll. To add insult to injury--you'll mainly be hearing the same song over and over again--a choice so completely baffling that it nearly destroys any sense of atmosphere the game was going for. It begs the question: why? What did rose-engine hope to accomplish beyond setting up some cheap, simple scares? Even the scares fade away quick--you're gonna be hearing this shit two thousand times before the game is over after all. It's shocking that design like this made it past the basic playtesting phase.
Welcome to Horror 101: don't fatigue the audience.
But even the aforementioned good moments are, truth be told, not entirely of Signalis' own creation.
They are, quite literally, inspired.
Of course, all art takes influence from other work--we all take influence from our environment every day. But Signalis goes a step further. Several crucial shots, environments, and scenes are essentially beat-for-beat remakes (or rip-offs, if you're a harsh critic) of classic moments in already great media. Shots from Evangelion (particularly The End of Evangelion), Ghost in the Shell, and Bakemonogatari get recreated one-for-one while other iconic elements from these series get very clearly folded into the mix. Especially the Monogatari series' trademark frenetic editing style [THIS SPACE IS LEFT INTENTIONALLY BLANK] and the distinct scenery from Evangelion's final moments.
And while references and homages are not inherently bad…I still detract some points from the score here. After all, I don't think any of these moments--that I often thought were Signalis' best offerings--were any better than the original scenes they were aping. Hell, half of the time it just made me want to go back and watch the original instead, which is a danger when you try to make such clear allusions. Signalis does well, but that's largely because it manages to stand on the shoulders of very large giants without completely blowing it. Not a very difficult, impressive, or interesting task.
But beyond the very clear pulls, there's plenty of other media you could read into the game's story and general vibe. Since we're already doing a popular art potpourri (did I mention the use of The Shining carpet?) I feel pretty at-home comparing Signalis' plot structure to David Lynch's Mulholland Drive. The similarities are pretty clear even at a surface level: the impossible-to-resolve narrative ambiguities, notions of dualism, the general dreamlike presentation, the thematic focus on love, desire, and identity, and the two sets of female lovers who may or may not be exactly the same people strewn across different versions of 'reality.' Well, 'reality' with a lot more air quotes than that. But anyways, making the comparison to Lynch makes it obvious in other ways why I think Signalis ultimately misses the mark.
I've made it clear that the game loves references, but unfortunately it doesn't stop at basic visual nods. Much of the story is directly pulled from/heavily relies on other works of art--namely Chamber's short story collection The King in Yellow and Böcklin's Isle of the Dead painting set. These two works appear frequently throughout the game's runtime, primarily serving as obvious signposting for thematic ideas. And, if I'm being honest, it doesn't work at all. The frequent references feel like a cheap way to impart thematic weight and gravitas without doing much of the work. Why is the King of Yellow here? Well, because the writers wanted you to feel the same way that the King in Yellow makes you feel. Why are we quoting Lovecraft? Because we're going for his vibe. Why are we constantly looking at the Isle of the Dead's many variations? Because…well that would be a spoiler. But let's say it [if you read the rest of this sentence you release me from all liability in your spoiler-free experience] involves doing something over and over again involving…death.
But--you might be wondering--what if I haven't actually read The King in Yellow? Or what if I don't know (or give two flying fucks) about The Isle of the Dead? Well…then you can go pound sand, I guess. You'll just be seeing some (admittedly cool) paintings and a neat book cover over and over again, but that's about it. You can certainly read whatever you'd like into these symbols--art's subjective after all --but I don't really find value in these works being here. Not on a thematic level, and definitely not on a metacontextual level either. They're without a doubt the most awkward plot feature the game has to offer.
And don't get me wrong, Signalis wouldn't be the first surrealist piece to be based on an existing piece of art. Lynch's Blue Velvet involves the song of the same name, while Mulholland Drive is practically one street over from Sunset Boulevard. Similar surrealist icons like Haruki Murakami don't pull punches when Norwegian Wood is about the Beatles song and After Dark similarly involves Five Spot After Dark. But I think the real difference is the use of these references. These two (among many others) seek to elevate and extend the feelings, themes, and ideas presented by their referenced work. Blue Velvet doesn't seek explanation or thematic resemblance through its source material. It's looking to take emotions from that artwork and convolve it with the darker and complex themes of abuse and sexual deviancy it uniquely presents. Signalis, by comparison, uses these art pieces to offload the hard work of thematic development to something they don’t' have to write. If you want answers, I guess you're gonna have to look up what The Isle of the Dead is. ¯\(ツ)/¯
Moreover, Signalis--like any other surrealist art missing the mark--is pretty devoid of truly memorable objects/places/moments that are distinctly surreal. Being 'weird' is one thing: it's trivial to make up shit that don't make any sense. Most bad writers do that every day. The truly surreal, in my book, presents things that speak to you on a subconscious level. They provide content that doesn't make 'logical sense'…but it compels you. It compels you through something deeper--something you understand but just can't explain. It's the kinda stuff that hits different. The shit that'll stick with you forever.
They're the sorts of themes, emotions, and experiences you couldn't possibly get in regular, non-surreal media. The examples--even just through Lynch--are plentiful and obvious: The Red Room from Twin Peaks, the 'room above a convenience store' and the ring from Fire Walk With Me, the blue key and box from Mulholland Drive, every-other-fucking scene in Inland Empire, etc. etc. Beyond objects, just about anything can be made compelling when framed the right way. Be it phrases like 'fire walk with me' or just the mundane act of walking into the alley behind a Denny's…anything can be transformed into the most horrific shit you'll ever experience--provided the author knows what they're doing.
Signalis is missing these types of beats and feelings to a painful degree. That's not a massive strike against the game…but it is a shame that they couldn't reach greater heights when they had such a good foundation to work off of. I guess filling the game with End of Eva iconography will suffice…
And to be clear, I don't think you really need to pick Lynch/Murakami to do this. Considering how much else is ripped from famous stuff, the creators might have been pulling from different sources. I'm only using Lynch and Murakami because they're famous and there's a decent chance you've encountered them already. I don't think I'm getting 'cool guy cred' by name dropping a more obscure guy who does the same shit. And if you actually haven't encountered Lynch or Murakami...then put down the damn controller! Experience something that isn't a video game every once in a while! If a Doom WAD can convince TikTok kids to read fucking House of Leaves…then let this be the review that gets you to watch Mulholland Drive and read Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World!
As for the actual meat of Signalis' narrative…it's pretty good--especially for a medium as devoid of good narratives as gaming is. The lore is…serviceable, the characters are interesting enough, and the pacing designed to keep your intrigue. It's not going to reinvent the wheel, nor is it the best exploration of these ideas. But it mainly flows with grace and manages to stick the landing pretty well--provided you can handle ambiguity and incoherence in your narratives.
I will admit though: it is very funny to see hundreds of articles, video essays, and comments get themselves worked up over Signalis' lack of conventional narrative cohesion. Contradictory and unresolved plots have been around for a very long time--and are just as valid a way to tell a story as any other. So learn to just enjoy the ride and forget about the logic. Does your life make any more sense?
Das Model
All in all, Signalis is a model indie game: It's a passion project born of a very small and dedicated team. It seeks to explore genres that have long been forgotten by the mainstream. It tries more experimental approaches that you won't find in huge commercial products. And it manages to do it all with a good art style, charming presentation, and great gameplay. A very reasonable $20 ask, and an awesome way to kill a weekend.
But I think there's also a darker side to being the 'model' indie game. A side so dark that it might even make it into an horror game like Signalis! It's clearly based on (or ripping off) several already great games. It has very little to offer in terms of new ideas that expand upon those masterpieces. It doesn't surpass, or even meet those classic in almost every way. It somehow manages to screw up things the 'originals' got right in the first place. Its writing is incredibly uneven and can't help but shove in distracting meta-references to other art. Its presentation is tied to incredibly played out niches. And…most importantly…It rarely seems to understand what made the games it imitates 'masterpieces' in the first place.
So what do you think?
I'm the kind of guy that would rather just replay Resident Evil than play a worse version of it. But Signalis manages enough developed ideas to justify its own existence. And let's not forget just how insane it is that primarily two people developed it. I know my ass isn't doing that--and I know yours ain't either. It's just a shame the game couldn't punch above the 'great for 2022 indie games' weightclass and into the 'great for the decade' or 'great for the genre' ones instead. But such is the nature of the 'model' indie game--they aren't seeking greatness, they're seeking the familiar.
Here's hoping that rose-engine's sophomore effort escapes the model.
Like any good indie game, Signalis is niche. The survival horror genre it calls home is now long dead--killed by its own god-king, Resident Evil. Although 'killed' might be the wrong word--'evolved' is probably a better choice. But it's hard to deny that games like Signalis are a rare sight in 2023. If there's one place--and only one place--where we'd see an honest-to-god survival horror game now, it would be in the indie sphere. And if you're a huge fan of the classics like I am, then that's a good thing.
...Is something my lizard brain wants to say...but my critical side starts to take over. When I first saw Signalis I knew I could immediately write it off as:
"Resident Evil + Silent Hill with a retro sci-fi anime aesthetic."
I say 'write off' because watching a line-up of indie game announcements is like seeing them get procedurally generated in real time. And unfortunately, "Silent Hill," "anime," "retro," and "sci-fi" are some of the most common marbles that get pulled from the "let's make an indie game" bag. More importantly--now that I've actually played the game--I can confirm I wasn't wrong to pigeonhole the Signalis like that.
And don't get me wrong, Signalis is a good game. A very good game. Hell, for a team of two people, it's an honest-to-God miracle that it turned out this good. But unfortunately for Signalis, the flaws are all the more clear when you get this close to greatness.
The House that Evil Built
The first thing you could slight Signalis for is its total lack of originality. And believe me, when I say 'lack of originality,' I mean there's not a single unique bone in the game's body.
But that's not really a bad thing...right?
Right. I'd say it's not a massive issue.
The problem isn't that Signalis is a hodgepodge of a some basic visual, gameplay, narrative, and atmospheric ideas. The problem is that Signalis isn't really better than any of its influences. And if the parts aren't performing up-to-snuff, then I regret to inform you that the whole isn't really pulling its weight either. But let's shelve this point for now--we should talk about some gameplay first.
Signalis' hollistic gameplay experience is...well I mean it'sResident Evil meets the more puzzle-heavy focus of Silent Hill. If you've played those games then you know what to expect. If you haven't played 'em--and you for some reason want my opinion on them--you'll have to wait for my Halloween review series (that'll get delayed until March). But the games are, in a word, excellent. Perhaps not perfect games (Resident Evil would be rendered obsolete by its Gamecube REmake), but they're absolutely iconic and deserve a playthrough from anyone serious about understanding gaming history. Unfortunately though, Signalis' fails to improve upon the now decades-old survival horror formula and even manages to throw some new problems in the mix.
If you love survival horror as much as I do, then you probably know exactly what I did when I booted Signalis up. Max difficulty (or the max allowed on first playthrough), tank controls turned way the fuck ON, and every single quality-of-life feature disabled. The damn genre ain't called survival comfort...I want the game to hurt me plenty.
Unfortunately, it doesn't take long to see how the Signalis fails hardcore survival horror fans. The game is made like most niche indie game titles are--with the expectation that you've already cut your teeth on all the classics. Because, dear god...the designers certainly have. Nearly every room in Signalis is filled with brutal (and sometimes admittedly clever) chokepoints, insane enemy placements, and ultra-tight turns that are custom-designed to fuck up your day. Obviously the RE games had their tough spots--sometimes turning the dial to eleven is exactly what good horror needs--but it was nowhere near this insane.
Seriously, I went back and reviewed a good half hour of Resident Evil gameplay to make sure I wasn't crazy. And thankfully, if there's one thing I can still remember, it's how RE plays.
Within an hour, Signalis is throwing you shit harder than nearly anything Resident Evil offered--at least in terms of area design. Moreover, Signalis makes a crucial change that basically kills the tank controls for anyone but the most ultra-hardcore of super players. In Resident Evil (and its clones), most enemies would only damage you if they made an active effort to hurt you. The zombie bastards might shamble all over the mansion, but they didn't bite unless they made for a real lunge at you. This was--in all likelihood--a way to tip the scales back in the players favor. After all, players would be wrestling with confusing tank controls for their entire playthrough. Signalis, on the other hand, gives enemies the accursed touch of death--meaning a simple bump into an enemy, no matter how slight, equals damage. And believe me, on hardcore difficulties that means you're always just three bumps away from certain death.
Don't get me wrong, I love my survival horror games to be tough. But this? This was just unfun. There are just so many brutal enemy placements and crazy small bottlenecks that transformed the tank controls from the ultimate way to 'enter the survival horror' into the most unfortunate way to 'experience the tedium and boredom' of running through the same areas over and over again after dying for the umpteenth time.
These issues are only compounded by the game's peculiar camera perspective. I'm sure you know that most of the survival horror classics feature the iconic 'fixed camera perspective'--something that heightens the genre's atmospheric and 'cinematic' qualities. Signalis, on the other hand, decides to have a go at a tilted top-down perspective. It's not inherently a bad thing…although it definitely diminishes the game's ability to build a true sense of world like the classics did.
The real problem arises from how tank controls interact with this novel perspective--particularly when your character model is blocked by objects in the foreground. Tank controls are relative to your current position--meaning you can't figure out where the fuck you're going if you don't know which way you're currently facing. This sounds like a minor gripe, but it's a complete nightmare when a sizeable chunk of the game's rooms are filled to the brim with occluding objects and 'what-the-fuck-am-I-looking-at' levels of darkness.
Combine all of this with the game's most terrifying revelation--that the final boss is a bullet-hell challenge--and you have a recipe for a complete tank-control meltdown. I know I can't harp too much on an optional feature, but I'm frustrated they'd taunt players with a mechanic that's core to the survival horror genre…only to implement it in the shallowest way possible.
Needless to say, I decided to switch off tank controls within the first few hours of my playthrough. After all, why suffer? Especially for something as trivial as an optional control type.
I did keep the rest of the difficulty options cranked; although at this point it was perhaps for vanity's sake. The switch made everything far easier--the aforementioned bottlenecks-of-doom were suddenly turning into walks in the park. But tank controls aside, there were still massive design blunders to wrestle with.
Enemies in Signalis will often 'patrol' a room a-la Metal Gear Solid guards. To spice things up, they'll keep moving even when you exit the room--meaning you'll never know exactly where they'll be when you enter again. Unfortunately, someone decided to allow enemies to patrol right in front of doorways. This might not seem awful at first glance, but there's another element at play here. You have to go through a baked animation every time you enter a room. Meaning you're relinquishing control until the animation completes. You and I might not be game-design geniuses, but I'll let you imagine how this one plays out.
It didn't happen often…but I can't express how frustrating it is to walk into a room and suddenly take massive damage before I have the chance to even move my character. It's a cruel joke: underthought game design at its worst. I work my ass off just to survive with ultra-limited healing items, and this is what I get?
Don't get me wrong, survival horror games are supposed to crank the heat up--sometimes way past comfortable and even sometimes past fair just to spice things up. But this was absolutely a step too far, and another reminder that other design choices (damage-on-touch) were just not working out.
I'll save you the rest of the boring itemized list and just say that Signalis is filled with similar micro-issues that add up to some missed potential. To be clear, it's nothing game-breaking. Not even anything that makes the experience really that bad, but it undeniably misses the mark--even when it had plenty of classics to directly learn from.
The King in Yellow
So the gameplay is slightly subpar to the classics…but that doesn't tell the whole story. After all, survival horror is just as defined by atmosphere and narrative as it is by gameplay--often moreso. And in this sense, Signalis performs pretty damn well…albeit with similar failings that hold it back from excellence.
Atmosphere is a very fickle beast. I think you'd agree that the best atmospheres are indescribable, right? It doesn't help that the lines between 'mediocre' and 'incredible' are usually separated by a few arbitrary and hyper-specific aspects. Hell, trying to review any atmosphere is nearly as tricky as making them. Music, photography, and film already have it bad enough--and you don't even get to interact with those mediums! So good luck trying to make an effective atmosphere when players are actually in control. You just know they're gonna get fed up with puzzles, accidentally clip into walls, and die forty times before clearing the area…so how the hell are you supposed to make an ambience that keeps them hooked? Give 'em an hour and they'll start looking beyond the game's aesthetics and see just its mechanics instead.
I'm not even gonna try and explain the 'good' and 'bad' with any specific examples. Like I said, 'atmosphere' is just too tricky to pin down. At least, too tricky to pin down without turning this into a 3 hour read. So I'll just leave the point as an exercise for you. You have your own survival horror favorites…right?
During its best moments, Signalis actually manages to nail those atmospheric highs--which is no small feat for an indie game. The cutscenes really shine in particular. The choices in editing, cinematography, music, and pacing feel genuinely directed and inspired. At least more directed inspired than the average triple-A game that actually tries to claim a 'cinematic' heritage. There are certain shots, moments, atmospheric slices, and vibes that I'll definitely be holding onto several years from now--and what more could you want from a game?
Well, I want a game to not ruin its own atmosphere with a desperate amount of failed scare attempts.
You get treated with industrial noise louder than a gun every time you approach an enemy in Signalis. And man. Have you played a Resident Evil game? You're gonna be approaching a lot of fucking enemies before the credits roll. To add insult to injury--you'll mainly be hearing the same song over and over again--a choice so completely baffling that it nearly destroys any sense of atmosphere the game was going for. It begs the question: why? What did rose-engine hope to accomplish beyond setting up some cheap, simple scares? Even the scares fade away quick--you're gonna be hearing this shit two thousand times before the game is over after all. It's shocking that design like this made it past the basic playtesting phase.
Welcome to Horror 101: don't fatigue the audience.
But even the aforementioned good moments are, truth be told, not entirely of Signalis' own creation.
They are, quite literally, inspired.
Of course, all art takes influence from other work--we all take influence from our environment every day. But Signalis goes a step further. Several crucial shots, environments, and scenes are essentially beat-for-beat remakes (or rip-offs, if you're a harsh critic) of classic moments in already great media. Shots from Evangelion (particularly The End of Evangelion), Ghost in the Shell, and Bakemonogatari get recreated one-for-one while other iconic elements from these series get very clearly folded into the mix. Especially the Monogatari series' trademark frenetic editing style [THIS SPACE IS LEFT INTENTIONALLY BLANK] and the distinct scenery from Evangelion's final moments.
And while references and homages are not inherently bad…I still detract some points from the score here. After all, I don't think any of these moments--that I often thought were Signalis' best offerings--were any better than the original scenes they were aping. Hell, half of the time it just made me want to go back and watch the original instead, which is a danger when you try to make such clear allusions. Signalis does well, but that's largely because it manages to stand on the shoulders of very large giants without completely blowing it. Not a very difficult, impressive, or interesting task.
But beyond the very clear pulls, there's plenty of other media you could read into the game's story and general vibe. Since we're already doing a popular art potpourri (did I mention the use of The Shining carpet?) I feel pretty at-home comparing Signalis' plot structure to David Lynch's Mulholland Drive. The similarities are pretty clear even at a surface level: the impossible-to-resolve narrative ambiguities, notions of dualism, the general dreamlike presentation, the thematic focus on love, desire, and identity, and the two sets of female lovers who may or may not be exactly the same people strewn across different versions of 'reality.' Well, 'reality' with a lot more air quotes than that. But anyways, making the comparison to Lynch makes it obvious in other ways why I think Signalis ultimately misses the mark.
I've made it clear that the game loves references, but unfortunately it doesn't stop at basic visual nods. Much of the story is directly pulled from/heavily relies on other works of art--namely Chamber's short story collection The King in Yellow and Böcklin's Isle of the Dead painting set. These two works appear frequently throughout the game's runtime, primarily serving as obvious signposting for thematic ideas. And, if I'm being honest, it doesn't work at all. The frequent references feel like a cheap way to impart thematic weight and gravitas without doing much of the work. Why is the King of Yellow here? Well, because the writers wanted you to feel the same way that the King in Yellow makes you feel. Why are we quoting Lovecraft? Because we're going for his vibe. Why are we constantly looking at the Isle of the Dead's many variations? Because…well that would be a spoiler. But let's say it [if you read the rest of this sentence you release me from all liability in your spoiler-free experience] involves doing something over and over again involving…death.
But--you might be wondering--what if I haven't actually read The King in Yellow? Or what if I don't know (or give two flying fucks) about The Isle of the Dead? Well…then you can go pound sand, I guess. You'll just be seeing some (admittedly cool) paintings and a neat book cover over and over again, but that's about it. You can certainly read whatever you'd like into these symbols--art's subjective after all --but I don't really find value in these works being here. Not on a thematic level, and definitely not on a metacontextual level either. They're without a doubt the most awkward plot feature the game has to offer.
And don't get me wrong, Signalis wouldn't be the first surrealist piece to be based on an existing piece of art. Lynch's Blue Velvet involves the song of the same name, while Mulholland Drive is practically one street over from Sunset Boulevard. Similar surrealist icons like Haruki Murakami don't pull punches when Norwegian Wood is about the Beatles song and After Dark similarly involves Five Spot After Dark. But I think the real difference is the use of these references. These two (among many others) seek to elevate and extend the feelings, themes, and ideas presented by their referenced work. Blue Velvet doesn't seek explanation or thematic resemblance through its source material. It's looking to take emotions from that artwork and convolve it with the darker and complex themes of abuse and sexual deviancy it uniquely presents. Signalis, by comparison, uses these art pieces to offload the hard work of thematic development to something they don’t' have to write. If you want answers, I guess you're gonna have to look up what The Isle of the Dead is. ¯\(ツ)/¯
Moreover, Signalis--like any other surrealist art missing the mark--is pretty devoid of truly memorable objects/places/moments that are distinctly surreal. Being 'weird' is one thing: it's trivial to make up shit that don't make any sense. Most bad writers do that every day. The truly surreal, in my book, presents things that speak to you on a subconscious level. They provide content that doesn't make 'logical sense'…but it compels you. It compels you through something deeper--something you understand but just can't explain. It's the kinda stuff that hits different. The shit that'll stick with you forever.
They're the sorts of themes, emotions, and experiences you couldn't possibly get in regular, non-surreal media. The examples--even just through Lynch--are plentiful and obvious: The Red Room from Twin Peaks, the 'room above a convenience store' and the ring from Fire Walk With Me, the blue key and box from Mulholland Drive, every-other-fucking scene in Inland Empire, etc. etc. Beyond objects, just about anything can be made compelling when framed the right way. Be it phrases like 'fire walk with me' or just the mundane act of walking into the alley behind a Denny's…anything can be transformed into the most horrific shit you'll ever experience--provided the author knows what they're doing.
Signalis is missing these types of beats and feelings to a painful degree. That's not a massive strike against the game…but it is a shame that they couldn't reach greater heights when they had such a good foundation to work off of. I guess filling the game with End of Eva iconography will suffice…
And to be clear, I don't think you really need to pick Lynch/Murakami to do this. Considering how much else is ripped from famous stuff, the creators might have been pulling from different sources. I'm only using Lynch and Murakami because they're famous and there's a decent chance you've encountered them already. I don't think I'm getting 'cool guy cred' by name dropping a more obscure guy who does the same shit. And if you actually haven't encountered Lynch or Murakami...then put down the damn controller! Experience something that isn't a video game every once in a while! If a Doom WAD can convince TikTok kids to read fucking House of Leaves…then let this be the review that gets you to watch Mulholland Drive and read Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World!
As for the actual meat of Signalis' narrative…it's pretty good--especially for a medium as devoid of good narratives as gaming is. The lore is…serviceable, the characters are interesting enough, and the pacing designed to keep your intrigue. It's not going to reinvent the wheel, nor is it the best exploration of these ideas. But it mainly flows with grace and manages to stick the landing pretty well--provided you can handle ambiguity and incoherence in your narratives.
I will admit though: it is very funny to see hundreds of articles, video essays, and comments get themselves worked up over Signalis' lack of conventional narrative cohesion. Contradictory and unresolved plots have been around for a very long time--and are just as valid a way to tell a story as any other. So learn to just enjoy the ride and forget about the logic. Does your life make any more sense?
Das Model
All in all, Signalis is a model indie game: It's a passion project born of a very small and dedicated team. It seeks to explore genres that have long been forgotten by the mainstream. It tries more experimental approaches that you won't find in huge commercial products. And it manages to do it all with a good art style, charming presentation, and great gameplay. A very reasonable $20 ask, and an awesome way to kill a weekend.
But I think there's also a darker side to being the 'model' indie game. A side so dark that it might even make it into an horror game like Signalis! It's clearly based on (or ripping off) several already great games. It has very little to offer in terms of new ideas that expand upon those masterpieces. It doesn't surpass, or even meet those classic in almost every way. It somehow manages to screw up things the 'originals' got right in the first place. Its writing is incredibly uneven and can't help but shove in distracting meta-references to other art. Its presentation is tied to incredibly played out niches. And…most importantly…It rarely seems to understand what made the games it imitates 'masterpieces' in the first place.
So what do you think?
I'm the kind of guy that would rather just replay Resident Evil than play a worse version of it. But Signalis manages enough developed ideas to justify its own existence. And let's not forget just how insane it is that primarily two people developed it. I know my ass isn't doing that--and I know yours ain't either. It's just a shame the game couldn't punch above the 'great for 2022 indie games' weightclass and into the 'great for the decade' or 'great for the genre' ones instead. But such is the nature of the 'model' indie game--they aren't seeking greatness, they're seeking the familiar.
Here's hoping that rose-engine's sophomore effort escapes the model.
It's hard for me to put into exact words how this game made me feel but it's a truly special experience and I have not been able to stop thinking about it since I finished it.
Despite being from a genre I have minimal experience in (survival horror) I really loved every bit of it and solving puzzles made me feel like a genius. I've seen complaints about the minimal inventory but to me it only made the game feel more challenging, I really felt how important it was to think through my options and choose which items I wanted to carry and when.
As for the story itself, I feel so absorbed in it and all of its mystery. The game doesn't explicitly explain much to you but it feeds you plenty of hints, clues and details to help piece it together. I'm still unsure of some specifics of the story but when these pieces fit into place you can tell how much thought went into creating this game's world, and the story of Elster and Ariane. I can't recommend this game enough, it's only $20 and it's just so immaculately put together.
Despite being from a genre I have minimal experience in (survival horror) I really loved every bit of it and solving puzzles made me feel like a genius. I've seen complaints about the minimal inventory but to me it only made the game feel more challenging, I really felt how important it was to think through my options and choose which items I wanted to carry and when.
As for the story itself, I feel so absorbed in it and all of its mystery. The game doesn't explicitly explain much to you but it feeds you plenty of hints, clues and details to help piece it together. I'm still unsure of some specifics of the story but when these pieces fit into place you can tell how much thought went into creating this game's world, and the story of Elster and Ariane. I can't recommend this game enough, it's only $20 and it's just so immaculately put together.
Really solid survival-horror game that reminded me strongly of REmake, although I'm sure there's a lot of influence from other horror classics that I've never played myself.
Puzzles felt consistently clever and balanced, the analogue aesthetic creates a lovely spooky atmosphere, and the inventory limitations are always keeping you on your toes, forcing you to make important decisions.
I probably shouldn't have played this on the hardest difficulty with the limited inventory on my first playthrough, because the enemies just became annoying after the halfway point. I found it to drag a bit around this same part, although again, this is probably because I had the difficulty cranked up too high because I was worried the defaults would be too forgiving. A good chunk of my deaths were on purpose so I could reset back to my last save after I made a tiny mistake, or I'd just quit to menu and reload to wipe away the bullets I might have just wasted.
The aiming can also feel a bit off sometimes, like I can't target the enemy I'm pointing at. I played with a controller, for the record. I would definitely recommend the "Revised" inventory option, which I switched to maybe 80% through the game once I realised it just saved me having to re-equip my two modules all the time. It doesn't take away from the strict inventory, as all other key items, weapons and ammo still take up space.
Glad I finally got to experience this for myself after hearing nothing but good things for over a year now. I'd sooner revisit REmake though, but that's a high bar to clear.
Puzzles felt consistently clever and balanced, the analogue aesthetic creates a lovely spooky atmosphere, and the inventory limitations are always keeping you on your toes, forcing you to make important decisions.
I probably shouldn't have played this on the hardest difficulty with the limited inventory on my first playthrough, because the enemies just became annoying after the halfway point. I found it to drag a bit around this same part, although again, this is probably because I had the difficulty cranked up too high because I was worried the defaults would be too forgiving. A good chunk of my deaths were on purpose so I could reset back to my last save after I made a tiny mistake, or I'd just quit to menu and reload to wipe away the bullets I might have just wasted.
The aiming can also feel a bit off sometimes, like I can't target the enemy I'm pointing at. I played with a controller, for the record. I would definitely recommend the "Revised" inventory option, which I switched to maybe 80% through the game once I realised it just saved me having to re-equip my two modules all the time. It doesn't take away from the strict inventory, as all other key items, weapons and ammo still take up space.
Glad I finally got to experience this for myself after hearing nothing but good things for over a year now. I'd sooner revisit REmake though, but that's a high bar to clear.
There are so many ps1-style indie horror games in recent years that recreate the graphical look well, but don’t actually capture the magic of what made games of that era so great, gameplay-wise. Signalis does, and it does it without feeling derivative or trite.
Enjoyable puzzles that have you thinking and encourage level exploration, but aren’t impossibly hard. Masterful storytelling that unfolds slowly in dribs and drabs, and remains ambiguous, leaving you to continue theorising after the game is over. Player and enemy movement, level design and sound design that come together to create a sense of dread.
The six slot inventory is tedious, and will have you running back and forth many, many times. The cutesy anime girl art in the cutscenes is also amusing and slightly jarring for a game of this style, but I much prefer that over the low-poly psx-style graphics that are popular. The boss fights are also nothing to write home about combat-wise, but they do help develop the story.
Overall, minor nitpicks aside, this game was phenomenal. If you like older silent hill/resident evil games definitely play Signalis - it is more than just a cheap clone of those games, it stands up well on its own, and has its own story to tell.
Enjoyable puzzles that have you thinking and encourage level exploration, but aren’t impossibly hard. Masterful storytelling that unfolds slowly in dribs and drabs, and remains ambiguous, leaving you to continue theorising after the game is over. Player and enemy movement, level design and sound design that come together to create a sense of dread.
The six slot inventory is tedious, and will have you running back and forth many, many times. The cutesy anime girl art in the cutscenes is also amusing and slightly jarring for a game of this style, but I much prefer that over the low-poly psx-style graphics that are popular. The boss fights are also nothing to write home about combat-wise, but they do help develop the story.
Overall, minor nitpicks aside, this game was phenomenal. If you like older silent hill/resident evil games definitely play Signalis - it is more than just a cheap clone of those games, it stands up well on its own, and has its own story to tell.
"Mi colega fuma porros y está perfecto"
El colega:
El colega:
Incredible game, had me completely enraptured the entire time I was playing and I've continued to think about it nigh-constantly since finishing it. The atmosphere is incredible, the areas are very well designed, and I couldn't stop thinking about the story, and each new unfolding of the story only brought me in further.
I'll be thinking about this one for a long time to come.
I'll be thinking about this one for a long time to come.
I don't even know what to say about this. It's just an absolutely amazing game. A perfect mix of old-school RE gameplay and Silent Hill's nightmarish story-telling and ethos, fused with the gorgeous pixel art/anime aesthetic. My survival horror boner was thoroughly quenched and satisfied by the end.
I got the "Memory" ending, which is apparently the "Resident Evil veteran's" ending according to one article I looked up to try and explain the ending. I don't know if I'll ever try and get the others, but at least I have other playstyles to try out in future - whenever I inevitably revisit this game.
I got the "Memory" ending, which is apparently the "Resident Evil veteran's" ending according to one article I looked up to try and explain the ending. I don't know if I'll ever try and get the others, but at least I have other playstyles to try out in future - whenever I inevitably revisit this game.
As a pretty big horror fan, I was very much looking forward to playing Signalis earlier this year when I finally got it. I’d heard a ton of really good things about it and it felt like it was about time. I was not at all prepared for the existential dread that awaited me. And also for how great Signalis truly is.
On a gameplay level, Signalis follows the basic gameplay formula of the survival horror titles of old; there’s a clear focus on resource management, a ton of puzzle solving and the fixed camera angles to go along with it. In this department Signalis isn’t groundbreaking or anything, far from it, but that’s not its aim. This is a game that’s more about refinement than it is about revolutionizing the genre, which is totally fine (especially considering how this style of game has gone out of fashion, in the mainstream at least). Signalis combines the harsh resource management of Resident Evil on PS1, along with its level philosophy, and the structure and puzzle design of the golden age of Silent Hill to great results. The difficulty curve here is a designer’s wet dream, easing the player into the gameplay loop over time while never running the risk of being stale. There’s always something new in each area, a new challenge to confront head on; the pace is so great that I don’t think newcomers to the genre would have any difficulty adapting to it at all. That isn’t to say Signalis isn’t difficult, however; the tight inventory system, in which you’re only ever allowed to carry 6 items at a time, forces you to think about every possibility each and every time you venture out into the horrors that lay in wait. Weapons and ammunition are robbed of all importance as key items needed to progress take up inventory space, leaving you defenseless against all enemies and forcing you to come up with solutions on the fly. Even downing an enemy doesn’t guarantee your safety, as they will eventually get back up when you least expect it unless you take drastic measures to get rid of them, which will cost you even more resources. Again, nothing that’s never been seen in the genre, however all of these pieces coming together really make Signalis a prime example of something that is greater than the sum of its parts; another one of these pieces that makes it so great being the atmosphere.
Signalis adopts a retro-inspired visual style which resembles the PS1 era graphics, and while on the surface it may look like something chosen for the sake of nostalgia there is quite a bit more to it. With this level of graphical fidelity our brains have to fill in a lot of the blanks, and for a game that is all about cosmic horror and the fear of the unknown, it’s pretty easy to see why this artstyle fits the game like a glove. The dark hallways of the space station of course have an eeriness to them, but also a very slight sense of comfort as you’re still seeing things you’re vaguely familiar with. As the game progresses, however, this familiarity is pulled from under you, and as you descent further down this hellhole the true fear of that which you don’t even recognize truly sets in. This is all accompanied by masterful sound design and a soundtrack that knows when to pull its punches and when to go for the jugular. Atmosphere in games is always a bit hard to put into words, but just playing a bit of the game really tells you all you need to know. Simply phenomenal.
I mentioned that Signalis falls under the category of “cosmic horror” and honestly that’s about the only way you can describe its story and how its told. Signalis is very vague with its plot, leaving lore and character motivations up to the players who are up to the task of exploring this world (i.e. notes, computer files, pictures, environmental storytelling, etc). Uncovering the horrors that these characters are going through fills you with a sense of dread that few others in the medium can even grasp, and there are several points where it truly feels like the game is toying with you just as much as it is toying with its characters. I’d say it’s the most comparable experience to a classic Silent Hill that has released ever since the disbandment of Team Silent, so props to them. I don’t want to go into much detail here in case someone does decide to give it a go, but it is one downer of a story with few, if any, bright spots that left me feeling quite hollow.
Signalis is a modern classic and one of the greatest to ever do it in my eyes, undoubtedly the best game I’ve played all year. If you’re a fan of horror and haven’t played this, do not pass up the opportunity to do so. It is worth every minute of your time.
On a gameplay level, Signalis follows the basic gameplay formula of the survival horror titles of old; there’s a clear focus on resource management, a ton of puzzle solving and the fixed camera angles to go along with it. In this department Signalis isn’t groundbreaking or anything, far from it, but that’s not its aim. This is a game that’s more about refinement than it is about revolutionizing the genre, which is totally fine (especially considering how this style of game has gone out of fashion, in the mainstream at least). Signalis combines the harsh resource management of Resident Evil on PS1, along with its level philosophy, and the structure and puzzle design of the golden age of Silent Hill to great results. The difficulty curve here is a designer’s wet dream, easing the player into the gameplay loop over time while never running the risk of being stale. There’s always something new in each area, a new challenge to confront head on; the pace is so great that I don’t think newcomers to the genre would have any difficulty adapting to it at all. That isn’t to say Signalis isn’t difficult, however; the tight inventory system, in which you’re only ever allowed to carry 6 items at a time, forces you to think about every possibility each and every time you venture out into the horrors that lay in wait. Weapons and ammunition are robbed of all importance as key items needed to progress take up inventory space, leaving you defenseless against all enemies and forcing you to come up with solutions on the fly. Even downing an enemy doesn’t guarantee your safety, as they will eventually get back up when you least expect it unless you take drastic measures to get rid of them, which will cost you even more resources. Again, nothing that’s never been seen in the genre, however all of these pieces coming together really make Signalis a prime example of something that is greater than the sum of its parts; another one of these pieces that makes it so great being the atmosphere.
Signalis adopts a retro-inspired visual style which resembles the PS1 era graphics, and while on the surface it may look like something chosen for the sake of nostalgia there is quite a bit more to it. With this level of graphical fidelity our brains have to fill in a lot of the blanks, and for a game that is all about cosmic horror and the fear of the unknown, it’s pretty easy to see why this artstyle fits the game like a glove. The dark hallways of the space station of course have an eeriness to them, but also a very slight sense of comfort as you’re still seeing things you’re vaguely familiar with. As the game progresses, however, this familiarity is pulled from under you, and as you descent further down this hellhole the true fear of that which you don’t even recognize truly sets in. This is all accompanied by masterful sound design and a soundtrack that knows when to pull its punches and when to go for the jugular. Atmosphere in games is always a bit hard to put into words, but just playing a bit of the game really tells you all you need to know. Simply phenomenal.
I mentioned that Signalis falls under the category of “cosmic horror” and honestly that’s about the only way you can describe its story and how its told. Signalis is very vague with its plot, leaving lore and character motivations up to the players who are up to the task of exploring this world (i.e. notes, computer files, pictures, environmental storytelling, etc). Uncovering the horrors that these characters are going through fills you with a sense of dread that few others in the medium can even grasp, and there are several points where it truly feels like the game is toying with you just as much as it is toying with its characters. I’d say it’s the most comparable experience to a classic Silent Hill that has released ever since the disbandment of Team Silent, so props to them. I don’t want to go into much detail here in case someone does decide to give it a go, but it is one downer of a story with few, if any, bright spots that left me feeling quite hollow.
Signalis is a modern classic and one of the greatest to ever do it in my eyes, undoubtedly the best game I’ve played all year. If you’re a fan of horror and haven’t played this, do not pass up the opportunity to do so. It is worth every minute of your time.
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"PERHAPS, THIS IS HELL."
I had high expectations for Signalis since its release in October 2022 but was busy catching up to the genre with Silent Hill and Resident Evil to fully understand the depth of the survival horror era.
What a ride it's been, to come to the conclusion of nearly 30 years of survival horror with Signalis.
It was breathtaking for the entirety of my playthrough and I loved playing it.
But what's more is the understanding behind it. I had no problem witnessing the result of the magnificent community that worked together to ensure proper explanation and theories about the world to us and the audacity from the devs to make a deep enough story that self drives anyone to craziness as it did to the characters from the game.
The fact that two people created this game amazes me, and the level of detail and love that emanates from it makes me really grateful that inde dev can now express themselves to a wider audience thanks to the digitization of games.
Signalis is not a reference dump.
What's the difference between a good reference and a bad one, or between homage and plagiarism?
It’s the purpose, and Signalis' aim, to bring such a tragic story to life, moves me.
It's a compelling story of romance, purpose and promise.
A story in which the boundary of identity between gestalt and human is revealed in a magnificent movement of devotion.
I had to read a few theories online to fully understand some very simple plot details from the game's documentation. But I think it's part of the beauty of video games to be able to create a community that helps each other in a never ending loop of friendship that crosses the boundary of distance between players.
I love tank control, I love Tchaikovski, I love Lovecraft, I love romance, I love time traveling and loop, I love difficulty, I love NieR, Neon Genesis Evangelion, GinEiDen and Monogatari. What more to ask than Signalis to be one of my favorite games of all time ? God, I love video games.
I had high expectations for Signalis since its release in October 2022 but was busy catching up to the genre with Silent Hill and Resident Evil to fully understand the depth of the survival horror era.
What a ride it's been, to come to the conclusion of nearly 30 years of survival horror with Signalis.
It was breathtaking for the entirety of my playthrough and I loved playing it.
But what's more is the understanding behind it. I had no problem witnessing the result of the magnificent community that worked together to ensure proper explanation and theories about the world to us and the audacity from the devs to make a deep enough story that self drives anyone to craziness as it did to the characters from the game.
The fact that two people created this game amazes me, and the level of detail and love that emanates from it makes me really grateful that inde dev can now express themselves to a wider audience thanks to the digitization of games.
Signalis is not a reference dump.
What's the difference between a good reference and a bad one, or between homage and plagiarism?
It’s the purpose, and Signalis' aim, to bring such a tragic story to life, moves me.
It's a compelling story of romance, purpose and promise.
A story in which the boundary of identity between gestalt and human is revealed in a magnificent movement of devotion.
I had to read a few theories online to fully understand some very simple plot details from the game's documentation. But I think it's part of the beauty of video games to be able to create a community that helps each other in a never ending loop of friendship that crosses the boundary of distance between players.
I love tank control, I love Tchaikovski, I love Lovecraft, I love romance, I love time traveling and loop, I love difficulty, I love NieR, Neon Genesis Evangelion, GinEiDen and Monogatari. What more to ask than Signalis to be one of my favorite games of all time ? God, I love video games.
When I saw the space lesbians fall in love, I cried, because I realized I will never go to space, become a lesbian, or fall in love.
Why is that indie devs who make survival horror game throwbacks feel like they have no understanding how they worked? Alisa had godawful combat that it forced you to do and this one's got tedious ass puzzles. Also everything being uguu anime girls doesn't make this scary at all, it just reminds me how I remember people saying the Higurashi anime was so scary and it just looked goofy as shit to me. Man, is the modern horror game scene in such dire straits when the most mediocre stuff is just lauded.
Gameplay-wise Signalis is akin to the OG Resident Evil in design, puzzles, and combat. You have a limited inventory with which you must juggle weapons, items, and puzzle objects. Enemies and their varieties are well placed and spread across the play time and areas, and you have a good variety of weapons at hand.
Enemies aren't much difficult once you get to learn fighting and avoiding them. Puzzles are fun as they're not too difficult but like old RE games, having a pen and paper nearby will do you good.
The narrative is simple but encompassing, but the presentation is especially well done. Very atmospheric and visually beautiful. It might lead you down different thoughts and interpretations but in the end it's simply beautiful. I'd strongly recommend a playthrough.
Enemies aren't much difficult once you get to learn fighting and avoiding them. Puzzles are fun as they're not too difficult but like old RE games, having a pen and paper nearby will do you good.
The narrative is simple but encompassing, but the presentation is especially well done. Very atmospheric and visually beautiful. It might lead you down different thoughts and interpretations but in the end it's simply beautiful. I'd strongly recommend a playthrough.
I'm relatively new to this genre, but I liked this one a lot.
The aesthetic alone SLAPS, german + japanese + some analog horror + some Lovecraftian concepts = really good idea and very well executed.
The game's visuals are really pleasant to see even though they are doing that PS1/DS thing. Specifically, the lighting system of the game is really good and adds a LOT to the atmosphere.
The gameplay loop is basically getting a key and opening X thing to get another key or something like that, and the loop continues, until the end. Although I don't think this is bad per se - I had some fun - this is pretty much the only thing you'll be doing throughout the entire game. Good thing it's only 10ish hours or so.
You'll also solve some puzzles and do some killing.
The puzzles are nice, most of them are relatively hard (especially if you're not experienced, like me) but most of the time, you'll be able to choose between solving it solo, or using some help that the game itself provides to you through documents and such. It's optional. No handholding if you don't want.
The killing on the other hand fucking sucks ass. Your character is slow and clunky compared to every enemy, and although it is probably intentional, it's STILL considerably frustrating. On top of that, the enemies REVIVE (yes.) so you have to burn them with a super scarce item if you don't want to have to deal with them again. This ended up being an interesting mechanic since you need to decide where to use said item, usually in places where you go all the time (hallways to saverooms, recurrent puzzles, etc)
The story is confusing, I'll have to watch some YT videos to understand it completely, but it's nice to read about the world of the game through diaries or documents.
The final thing that I want to add, is that, again, I am new to this genre. Taking this into consideration, I was not afraid, but wary, apprehensive ALL THE FUCKING TIME. Since you're always low on ammo, health items, and shit, you're afraid of using anything you have, cuz you don't know what comes next. I finished the game without using the nitro or the grenade thing ONCE.
I had some conflicting thoughts, cuz even though I WAS having fun, I was also feeling something that I should not feel while playing a videogame, at least to my notions.
If it was indeed intentional, congratulations to the devs.
The ending could be better, the final area is good but it definitely lacked some final boss or a final section.
I'm not even sure if the game only has one ending. I probably skipped something, but them's the breaks
The aesthetic alone SLAPS, german + japanese + some analog horror + some Lovecraftian concepts = really good idea and very well executed.
The game's visuals are really pleasant to see even though they are doing that PS1/DS thing. Specifically, the lighting system of the game is really good and adds a LOT to the atmosphere.
The gameplay loop is basically getting a key and opening X thing to get another key or something like that, and the loop continues, until the end. Although I don't think this is bad per se - I had some fun - this is pretty much the only thing you'll be doing throughout the entire game. Good thing it's only 10ish hours or so.
You'll also solve some puzzles and do some killing.
The puzzles are nice, most of them are relatively hard (especially if you're not experienced, like me) but most of the time, you'll be able to choose between solving it solo, or using some help that the game itself provides to you through documents and such. It's optional. No handholding if you don't want.
The killing on the other hand fucking sucks ass. Your character is slow and clunky compared to every enemy, and although it is probably intentional, it's STILL considerably frustrating. On top of that, the enemies REVIVE (yes.) so you have to burn them with a super scarce item if you don't want to have to deal with them again. This ended up being an interesting mechanic since you need to decide where to use said item, usually in places where you go all the time (hallways to saverooms, recurrent puzzles, etc)
The story is confusing, I'll have to watch some YT videos to understand it completely, but it's nice to read about the world of the game through diaries or documents.
The final thing that I want to add, is that, again, I am new to this genre. Taking this into consideration, I was not afraid, but wary, apprehensive ALL THE FUCKING TIME. Since you're always low on ammo, health items, and shit, you're afraid of using anything you have, cuz you don't know what comes next. I finished the game without using the nitro or the grenade thing ONCE.
I had some conflicting thoughts, cuz even though I WAS having fun, I was also feeling something that I should not feel while playing a videogame, at least to my notions.
If it was indeed intentional, congratulations to the devs.
The ending could be better, the final area is good but it definitely lacked some final boss or a final section.
I'm not even sure if the game only has one ending. I probably skipped something, but them's the breaks
que indie incrivel, um presente de coração pra quem gosta de jogos de terror antigos igual Silent Hill e Resident Evil
Puzzles incriveis, achei todo puzzle que envolve a frequencia de radio algo foda pra caralho, foi o primeiro jogo que eu fiz anotações em caderno e no celular pra facilitar os puzzles, achei legal essa experiencia k
o terror é algo bem feito aqui tambem, acho que podiam ter mais boss fights, mas a dificuldade que é voce ser encurralado pelos monstros é algo mto aterrorizante, ainda mais pela escassez de munição no jogo, toda bala conta
no final das contas, é um jogo não necessário, mas OBRIGATÓRIO a qualquer fã de jogos de terror, especialmente a quem ama silent hill, já que o estilo, a trilha sonora e etc lembram BASTANTE o Silent
9/10
Puzzles incriveis, achei todo puzzle que envolve a frequencia de radio algo foda pra caralho, foi o primeiro jogo que eu fiz anotações em caderno e no celular pra facilitar os puzzles, achei legal essa experiencia k
o terror é algo bem feito aqui tambem, acho que podiam ter mais boss fights, mas a dificuldade que é voce ser encurralado pelos monstros é algo mto aterrorizante, ainda mais pela escassez de munição no jogo, toda bala conta
no final das contas, é um jogo não necessário, mas OBRIGATÓRIO a qualquer fã de jogos de terror, especialmente a quem ama silent hill, já que o estilo, a trilha sonora e etc lembram BASTANTE o Silent
9/10
I usualy don't write about games I haven't finished but I think I played enough of Signalis to where I have qualified myself and i do have opinions.
Signalis has some things to say but the plot and themes feel like they're trying a bit too hard to be vague and shadowy when, at the core of what Signalis is trying to do, is pretty touching. Using motifs of industrialization, automation, and authoritarianism seen from a gritty German aesthetic is quite interesting; using these to tackle a love story is a good idea. Unfortunately, the power a story like that should pack is lost a bit in a haze of ambiguity and I'm left a bit confused and disinterested by the end.
While the thematic elements round out to be a solid attempt at what they were going for from a design perspective the systems in place are a bit of a mess. The culprit here is the inventory system. It's completely unnecessary and poorly implemented. Signalis, like most fruits that fell from the Team Silent tree, has a key fetish; the things are falling out of your pockets. The issue is that the game wants you to engage in combat, going by the abundance of resources for combat such as health and ammunition. With all of these resources on top of the absurd amount of keys, you end up being more frustrated by the commute back to the big red inventory box. This also disincentivizes combat. This endless running around really does suck the tension out of the whole experience. By the end, I had no respect for the enemies or the threat they were meant to pose. Unfortunately, the only thing that did produce even a little tension was the absolutely incredible opening fifteen minutes, which was really good and got me to the seven-hour mark by the power of it alone.
There is something to be said about the audio and visual design which, for the most part, is really good. I think the anime-esque character design is a very questionable choice that, again, serves to zap the experience of seriousness and tension. This is mostly made up for by the awesome environmental design and fairly neat enemy design.
The audio is crisp and generally effective. Some of the industrial clangings can really drone on and become irritating after you get into the habit of just running around enemies rather than just engaging them. Silent Hill 2, for which comparison is inevitable, does this better because silence and variety in sound are much more thoroughly explored while Signalis can be a bit loud at times. However, this can be a plus if you interpret this aspect as more of a play on how repressive the environment is as you're always being watched by some sort of camera which was a cool touch.
Overall, I couldn't really bring myself to see the end. I had pretty much pieced together what happens but couldn't be bothered to sit through the combat, exploration, or key tomfoolery. I did end up googling the ending and I was mostly right.
Can't recommend but I am excited to see what these talented folks have cooking next.
Signalis has some things to say but the plot and themes feel like they're trying a bit too hard to be vague and shadowy when, at the core of what Signalis is trying to do, is pretty touching. Using motifs of industrialization, automation, and authoritarianism seen from a gritty German aesthetic is quite interesting; using these to tackle a love story is a good idea. Unfortunately, the power a story like that should pack is lost a bit in a haze of ambiguity and I'm left a bit confused and disinterested by the end.
While the thematic elements round out to be a solid attempt at what they were going for from a design perspective the systems in place are a bit of a mess. The culprit here is the inventory system. It's completely unnecessary and poorly implemented. Signalis, like most fruits that fell from the Team Silent tree, has a key fetish; the things are falling out of your pockets. The issue is that the game wants you to engage in combat, going by the abundance of resources for combat such as health and ammunition. With all of these resources on top of the absurd amount of keys, you end up being more frustrated by the commute back to the big red inventory box. This also disincentivizes combat. This endless running around really does suck the tension out of the whole experience. By the end, I had no respect for the enemies or the threat they were meant to pose. Unfortunately, the only thing that did produce even a little tension was the absolutely incredible opening fifteen minutes, which was really good and got me to the seven-hour mark by the power of it alone.
There is something to be said about the audio and visual design which, for the most part, is really good. I think the anime-esque character design is a very questionable choice that, again, serves to zap the experience of seriousness and tension. This is mostly made up for by the awesome environmental design and fairly neat enemy design.
The audio is crisp and generally effective. Some of the industrial clangings can really drone on and become irritating after you get into the habit of just running around enemies rather than just engaging them. Silent Hill 2, for which comparison is inevitable, does this better because silence and variety in sound are much more thoroughly explored while Signalis can be a bit loud at times. However, this can be a plus if you interpret this aspect as more of a play on how repressive the environment is as you're always being watched by some sort of camera which was a cool touch.
Overall, I couldn't really bring myself to see the end. I had pretty much pieced together what happens but couldn't be bothered to sit through the combat, exploration, or key tomfoolery. I did end up googling the ending and I was mostly right.
Can't recommend but I am excited to see what these talented folks have cooking next.
when the l̶̞̘̥̤̖̮͓̱͉̱̮̤̺͊̒͜͝ͅe̵̢̟̹̖̳͔͑́̍̀̑t̴̨̠̟̞̺̟͔̰́̆̽̄͜͠͝ ̸̯̙̪̖̫̳̣̗̭͖̳̞̀͋̈̋̅̇̊̔́͐͐͝m̷̱̤̯̹̼̼̘̭͊̈͌͂̓͆̌͂͠͝ȩ̴̳̲̘͚̈́ ̸̢̡̢̼̳̝̮̺̟͙̰̥̙͎̣̋͛̆̀̾ͅd̵̝̱̯̭̤̙̖̊̏͐̌̀̽͜i̶͇̙̖̥̫̳̟͖͔͔̞͎͖͍͔͐̿͗́̽̊̑̓͝ȩ̶̤̝͙͇̳̑̈́̈͛͊̉̂̓̈̅̍͂̋̅͠͠͠ yuri makes you cry at 1 a.m :c
The bitterness of death and the joys of life
Signalis is a game with so much depth that you could delve into it for hours upon hours after finishing the game, exploring each and every little detail. Looking into the lore is crazy. The soundtrack of the game is phenomenal and sets the tone for the game perfectly (it's now all in my playlist).
The art is beautiful to the point where I felt the need to screenshot every second when a cutscene played.
The gameplay is not its strong suit, not to say it's bad; it's enough to carry the game until the very end and not deter from a replay either, but nonetheless, the game should be played with other factors in mind instead, as that's where it truly shines.
Here's a quote from the game below, and if it interests you in the slightest, then I highly recommend checking this game out.
"It is calling to me from below.
the song of a god
that whispers to the sleeping.
A dark sun is setting.
Over the black ocean
a red eye in the sky
staring, unblinking, forever
and deep below the earth.
await answers to questions
yet unasked"
R̵͉̔è̷͕͇̈́m̵̤̋͜e̷̠͆̀m̵͔͒̌b̵̡̗͗͗e̵͓̽r̶̨̡̀̎ ̴͆ͅo̶̙̯̓͘u̸̡̓r̷̰̒ ̸̗̈́p̷͎̒͐r̶̘̔̋ǒ̸̫̾m̶͈̘͒i̵̱̹͘s̴̳͗͜e̸̱̘͝
Once finished with the game, I definitely recommend watching some videos diving into the lore and what people think the true story is. Although I do believe the best way to experience this game is to go in blind and play before watching anything of the sort.
Signalis is a game with so much depth that you could delve into it for hours upon hours after finishing the game, exploring each and every little detail. Looking into the lore is crazy. The soundtrack of the game is phenomenal and sets the tone for the game perfectly (it's now all in my playlist).
The art is beautiful to the point where I felt the need to screenshot every second when a cutscene played.
The gameplay is not its strong suit, not to say it's bad; it's enough to carry the game until the very end and not deter from a replay either, but nonetheless, the game should be played with other factors in mind instead, as that's where it truly shines.
Here's a quote from the game below, and if it interests you in the slightest, then I highly recommend checking this game out.
"It is calling to me from below.
the song of a god
that whispers to the sleeping.
A dark sun is setting.
Over the black ocean
a red eye in the sky
staring, unblinking, forever
and deep below the earth.
await answers to questions
yet unasked"
R̵͉̔è̷͕͇̈́m̵̤̋͜e̷̠͆̀m̵͔͒̌b̵̡̗͗͗e̵͓̽r̶̨̡̀̎ ̴͆ͅo̶̙̯̓͘u̸̡̓r̷̰̒ ̸̗̈́p̷͎̒͐r̶̘̔̋ǒ̸̫̾m̶͈̘͒i̵̱̹͘s̴̳͗͜e̸̱̘͝
Once finished with the game, I definitely recommend watching some videos diving into the lore and what people think the true story is. Although I do believe the best way to experience this game is to go in blind and play before watching anything of the sort.
We're all Replikas, after all. In the end, what's one drop to an ocean? When I die, they'll just make another.
The horror genre is home to some of gaming's best stories and storytelling... sometimes. The genre is known for some brilliant works that confront us with all sorts of anxieties stemming to our human existence: the fear of death, of the other, of the unknown, of losing one's memory, or the integrity of one's body and mind, to name a few. Games like Silent Hill 2 are called classics because of how masterfully they pull the player into this turmoil of emotions felt by its characters, tying that to the horror seen on-screen. Yes, the guy with the triangular hat is scary, but he is also a manifestation of something far more dire -- and more real -- than a man with a big knife and dirty clothes.
Alas, the genre is often found diluted by other influences that detract a bit from the horror. Games that focus too much on the combat and/or and the shooting, or in the momentaneous scares instead of the overall experience, or in being youtube-bait with loud noises and hideous, incongruent visuals. Again, quality will vary among all of these, it's not that they're necessarily bad, but it's only every few years that we get one of those horror gems that trap us in an unrelenting atmosphere of dread, yet make us reach for more with each second.
Signalis is such a gem.
ACHTUNG! ACHTUNG! 39486 60170 24326 01064
Coming out of absolutely nowhere, the game was developed by rose-engine, a duo of game developers living in Germany. It takes place in a distant future, in a part of the galaxy ruled by a dystopian regime, and where Replikas, androids whose different models aid humans in their tasks, exist in large numbers. You take on the role of one such Replika named Elster, who awakens alone in her ship and heads to the S-23 Sierpinski mining facility in search of her partner, Ariane.
To go any deeper into the setting would be to spoil it, as part of the beauty of the game is how it uses character diaries and environmental storytelling to slowly unveil what happened to the people of this world. More than that, there's a dream-like quality to the game's sequences that gradually evolves into a horrifying nightmare, the world around Elster making ever less sense as she stoically pushes forward on her mission, and that is better experienced than read about. All I can say is that, while some accuse the game of being too vague, beneath the nightmarish visions and seeming discontinuities, there's a complete and heartfelt story being told that the more attentive players will be able to piece together.
It's like everything was taken apart and put back together by someone who doesn't understand how any of it works.
Gameplay takes place in a top-down fashion and borrows a lot from retro horror games like Resident Evil and Silent Hill, down to the puzzles and inventory management (and optionally, tank controls). Signalis toys with its players through its mechanics, offering them a variety of guns but little ammo to shoot from them, plenty of healing items you can't fit in your low inventory space, and an aiming system that forces you to wait for a good shot as enemies slowly enclose you. True to its survival horror nature, it's a game that punishes those who try to approach it as an action game, hoarding every item and recklessly engaging enemies, in a way that's beautiful to witness.
It's easy to take a superficial look at Signalis and say it's a copy of classic games, but that's not remotely true. For instance, rather than confusing cheap visuals for retro, the game presents itself in an impressive, carefully put together artstyle that meshes low-fi assets and low-precision geometry with more modern tech, such as dynamic lighting and a variety of custom shader effects, in a way that feels striking and original. Looking further than just visuals, though, Signalis's influences go far beyond just those two games I mentioned -- in fact, it goes far beyond just games, and almost warrants a bibliography. There's touches of Ghost in the Shell, Alien and Evangelion; there's references to biblical works as well as Lovecraft stories such as The Whisperer in Darkness, and The King In Yellow is more than an influence, it's a motif that makes frequent appearances throughout the story.
And all of it comes together to form an authentic, enticing whole, with the wealth of themes developed over the course of the experience being remarkable for a game with under ten hours of runtime. Propelled by its ideas of Replikas and Bioresonance, as well as its surreal hellscapes, Signalis paints a harrowing picture of existence in this distant, dystopian age where reality has stopped making sense, tipping its brush in themes of love and loss; of humanity, guilt and insanity; of memory, oblivion and identity. What makes you, you, and how much of it would you have to lose to stop being you? How much does the trauma we suffer change us? How far would you go for someone who is dear to you, and when does that love go too far?
And in those days, people will seek death, and they will not find it.
If you're a fan of survival horror games, Signalis should be at the top of your list for 2022 -- in fact, if you're in that group, I would recommend playing on Survival difficulty outright, as it makes the game's stakes even higher. Even if you aren't a fan of the genre, though, if you can put up with a few scares, the storytelling, visuals and overall experience contained within it are hard to miss. Signalis is a beautiful game that will make you uneasy at every turn – then have you wishing for more when it's over.
The horror genre is home to some of gaming's best stories and storytelling... sometimes. The genre is known for some brilliant works that confront us with all sorts of anxieties stemming to our human existence: the fear of death, of the other, of the unknown, of losing one's memory, or the integrity of one's body and mind, to name a few. Games like Silent Hill 2 are called classics because of how masterfully they pull the player into this turmoil of emotions felt by its characters, tying that to the horror seen on-screen. Yes, the guy with the triangular hat is scary, but he is also a manifestation of something far more dire -- and more real -- than a man with a big knife and dirty clothes.
Alas, the genre is often found diluted by other influences that detract a bit from the horror. Games that focus too much on the combat and/or and the shooting, or in the momentaneous scares instead of the overall experience, or in being youtube-bait with loud noises and hideous, incongruent visuals. Again, quality will vary among all of these, it's not that they're necessarily bad, but it's only every few years that we get one of those horror gems that trap us in an unrelenting atmosphere of dread, yet make us reach for more with each second.
Signalis is such a gem.
ACHTUNG! ACHTUNG! 39486 60170 24326 01064
Coming out of absolutely nowhere, the game was developed by rose-engine, a duo of game developers living in Germany. It takes place in a distant future, in a part of the galaxy ruled by a dystopian regime, and where Replikas, androids whose different models aid humans in their tasks, exist in large numbers. You take on the role of one such Replika named Elster, who awakens alone in her ship and heads to the S-23 Sierpinski mining facility in search of her partner, Ariane.
To go any deeper into the setting would be to spoil it, as part of the beauty of the game is how it uses character diaries and environmental storytelling to slowly unveil what happened to the people of this world. More than that, there's a dream-like quality to the game's sequences that gradually evolves into a horrifying nightmare, the world around Elster making ever less sense as she stoically pushes forward on her mission, and that is better experienced than read about. All I can say is that, while some accuse the game of being too vague, beneath the nightmarish visions and seeming discontinuities, there's a complete and heartfelt story being told that the more attentive players will be able to piece together.
It's like everything was taken apart and put back together by someone who doesn't understand how any of it works.
Gameplay takes place in a top-down fashion and borrows a lot from retro horror games like Resident Evil and Silent Hill, down to the puzzles and inventory management (and optionally, tank controls). Signalis toys with its players through its mechanics, offering them a variety of guns but little ammo to shoot from them, plenty of healing items you can't fit in your low inventory space, and an aiming system that forces you to wait for a good shot as enemies slowly enclose you. True to its survival horror nature, it's a game that punishes those who try to approach it as an action game, hoarding every item and recklessly engaging enemies, in a way that's beautiful to witness.
It's easy to take a superficial look at Signalis and say it's a copy of classic games, but that's not remotely true. For instance, rather than confusing cheap visuals for retro, the game presents itself in an impressive, carefully put together artstyle that meshes low-fi assets and low-precision geometry with more modern tech, such as dynamic lighting and a variety of custom shader effects, in a way that feels striking and original. Looking further than just visuals, though, Signalis's influences go far beyond just those two games I mentioned -- in fact, it goes far beyond just games, and almost warrants a bibliography. There's touches of Ghost in the Shell, Alien and Evangelion; there's references to biblical works as well as Lovecraft stories such as The Whisperer in Darkness, and The King In Yellow is more than an influence, it's a motif that makes frequent appearances throughout the story.
And all of it comes together to form an authentic, enticing whole, with the wealth of themes developed over the course of the experience being remarkable for a game with under ten hours of runtime. Propelled by its ideas of Replikas and Bioresonance, as well as its surreal hellscapes, Signalis paints a harrowing picture of existence in this distant, dystopian age where reality has stopped making sense, tipping its brush in themes of love and loss; of humanity, guilt and insanity; of memory, oblivion and identity. What makes you, you, and how much of it would you have to lose to stop being you? How much does the trauma we suffer change us? How far would you go for someone who is dear to you, and when does that love go too far?
And in those days, people will seek death, and they will not find it.
If you're a fan of survival horror games, Signalis should be at the top of your list for 2022 -- in fact, if you're in that group, I would recommend playing on Survival difficulty outright, as it makes the game's stakes even higher. Even if you aren't a fan of the genre, though, if you can put up with a few scares, the storytelling, visuals and overall experience contained within it are hard to miss. Signalis is a beautiful game that will make you uneasy at every turn – then have you wishing for more when it's over.
Binned it off when it gave me a puzzle I've seen dozens of times before, yet still felt the need to hand me the solution in a note in the very same room, as if it was trying to rush me back towards the dogshit combat. Tedious.
Talvez isso seja o Inferno
SIGNALIS foi uma grata surpresa e um dos indies que mais gostei de jogar esse ano. Seu horror cósmico fascina tanto pela estética quanto pela narrativa. Indo na contramão de roteiros cada vez mais simplistas e mastigados, o jogo apresenta uma história que responde poucas perguntas.
Os desenvolvedores da rose-engine também aproveitam o potencial da mídia dos videogames para aplicar recursos narrativos que seriam mais difíceis de aplicar em filmes ou livros, o que reforça o potencial dos jogos não só como entretenimento, mas como uma manifestação artística legítima.
Sinto que o jogo ainda guarda alguns segredos que podem ajudar a desvendar mais da história e com seu lançamento e eventualmente mais pessoas discutindo sobre ele, eu talvez consiga ter mais respostas. E provavelmente mais perguntas também?
Se você curte esse gênero literário, vale muito a pena conferir SIGNALIS. Eu também recomendo para fãs de survival horror clássicos, mesmo que não estejam habituados com o horror cósmico. É uma excelente forma de conhecer o gênero.
Review completo: https://gamelodge.com.br/critica-signalis-e-um-horror-cosmico-que-se-instalou-na-minha-cabeca/
SIGNALIS foi uma grata surpresa e um dos indies que mais gostei de jogar esse ano. Seu horror cósmico fascina tanto pela estética quanto pela narrativa. Indo na contramão de roteiros cada vez mais simplistas e mastigados, o jogo apresenta uma história que responde poucas perguntas.
Os desenvolvedores da rose-engine também aproveitam o potencial da mídia dos videogames para aplicar recursos narrativos que seriam mais difíceis de aplicar em filmes ou livros, o que reforça o potencial dos jogos não só como entretenimento, mas como uma manifestação artística legítima.
Sinto que o jogo ainda guarda alguns segredos que podem ajudar a desvendar mais da história e com seu lançamento e eventualmente mais pessoas discutindo sobre ele, eu talvez consiga ter mais respostas. E provavelmente mais perguntas também?
Se você curte esse gênero literário, vale muito a pena conferir SIGNALIS. Eu também recomendo para fãs de survival horror clássicos, mesmo que não estejam habituados com o horror cósmico. É uma excelente forma de conhecer o gênero.
Review completo: https://gamelodge.com.br/critica-signalis-e-um-horror-cosmico-que-se-instalou-na-minha-cabeca/
It is hard to describe how much joy it brings me that there are a pair of brilliant minds at the helm of rose-engine who truly understand the horror video game genre. SIGNALIS feels like the best of all worlds, having borrowed the best parts of its predecessors to create something unique.
From the moment you open up the inventory screen for the first time, the inspiration is plain. The Silent Hill/Resident Evil is here, and the striking art style comes from a fidelity just above the PS1 era but not PS2. You also aren't locked to tank controls, and can even move around while aiming. There are a multitude of weapons (evidently a couple of which are very missable), but the ones I did not miss sound and feel amazing. The game also even features a radio, but unlike the one featured in the Silent Hill series, there are quite a lot of extra gameplay functions, many puzzles of which make use of tuning it to different channels to find solutions. A lot of the major puzzles lean a little too often on being collectathons to unlock your next area, but they are usually made up of smaller more interesting puzzles to claim the pieces. The map screen is well done too, marking the names of rooms you have visited and the status of doors you have tried (unlocked/locked/broken). It will also mark key interactables if present, but you aren't told if you have picked up every item which I feel is a good balance.
The story is intriguing and emotional with a focused cast of interesting characters and themes, and the tone is a lot closer to something like Silent Hill than Resident Evil. If you love classic survival horror and science fiction, SIGNALIS is unmissable. I'm really glad there are game creators out there who still truly get it.
From the moment you open up the inventory screen for the first time, the inspiration is plain. The Silent Hill/Resident Evil is here, and the striking art style comes from a fidelity just above the PS1 era but not PS2. You also aren't locked to tank controls, and can even move around while aiming. There are a multitude of weapons (evidently a couple of which are very missable), but the ones I did not miss sound and feel amazing. The game also even features a radio, but unlike the one featured in the Silent Hill series, there are quite a lot of extra gameplay functions, many puzzles of which make use of tuning it to different channels to find solutions. A lot of the major puzzles lean a little too often on being collectathons to unlock your next area, but they are usually made up of smaller more interesting puzzles to claim the pieces. The map screen is well done too, marking the names of rooms you have visited and the status of doors you have tried (unlocked/locked/broken). It will also mark key interactables if present, but you aren't told if you have picked up every item which I feel is a good balance.
The story is intriguing and emotional with a focused cast of interesting characters and themes, and the tone is a lot closer to something like Silent Hill than Resident Evil. If you love classic survival horror and science fiction, SIGNALIS is unmissable. I'm really glad there are game creators out there who still truly get it.