After hitting the credits and mulling this game over in my head for a couple of weeks now, I find I am disappointed with it. When this game released, it was the hot new shit, and finding new survival horror in the vein of the classics we all love is still pretty rare. So I knew I had to play this game.
I wont even begin to talk about the game's convoluted story, because I did not enjoy it and honestly I did not follow. Maybe I am just stupid, and that is fine. If you wanna have a confusing-ass story, that's your deal, and I don't need to understand the story completely to have a good time, but from my end it sure does feel like a game that is meant to be complicated so that people think it is smarter than it actually is. Like bait for Youtube channels to make videos like SIGNALIS STORY EXPLAINED as so many games do in a post-Souls world. But honestly that's still fine because even with a weak story, the atmosphere, sounds, and music were so on point, I can forgive this shortcoming. The gameplay however, is where this game lost me, and lost me hard.
I found gameplay to mostly miss the mark. I love survival horror classics of the 5th gen/6th gen era so I am no stranger to what some would call outdated mechanics of those games, but when it comes to the implementation of those mechanics here, they are such an annoyance that it really drug the entire experience down for me completely.
The gameplay is mixed between two specific titles, which clearly are Signalis's biggest influences. Those being Silent Hill 2, and Resident Evil 1. These two games are indeed both survival-horror games, but when their mechanics are slapped together haphazardly, it makes for a very wonky experience. The biggest example is the inventory slots, and item box management. This mechanic is straight out of Resident Evil. The problem with this however, is the game gives you only 6 slots, the minimum amount from the first Resident Evil game, reserved for Chris Redfield who was considered the games harder character to play. However, in RE1 most of the items in the mansion are health items and ammunition, which means, if playing efficiently, even with 6 slots, as long as you watch your health and ammo, you wont run into the slot limit, and therefor have to run back to the item box TOO often. Signalis however has many many MANY puzzle items to pick up, multiple in each room, which means to progress, you are forced to pick all of these up at some point or another, meaning many forced trips back to the item box. It feels like item boxes and item limits were included because they are Resident Evil survival horror staples, but not thinking about how they would influence the moment to moment gameplay and exploration of THIS game.
It is even more frustrating when examining the fact that this games primary influence, Silent Hill 2, also has many puzzle items to pick up in many different rooms. BUT, that game HAS NO INVENTORY LIMIT. Meaning exploration is never interrupted. And then Silent Hill 2 gives you items like a flashlight, which you pretty much need at all times to be able to play the game. Signalis also gives you a flashlight, and you pretty much need it at all times to play the game, especially when they start introducing traps, but guess what, THAT TAKES UP ONE OF YOUR 6 SLOTS. See why this mixing and matching doesnt work??? You now have 6 slots, minus 1 for your flashlight, MINUS ANOTHER ONE FOR YOUR GUN, which you will pretty much have on hand at all times. So really you DON'T have 6 slots, you actually have about 4.
The good news is if you are on PC, you can fix this problem that did not need to exist in the first place, giving yourself just about as many slots as you want, and when you do this, the game feels more like it falls into place, and most of the annoyance is removed. The bad news is, if you are on console, you can pretty much get fucked, as not only does Signalis only give you 6 slots, but UNLIKE Resident Evil, the series Signalis idolizes this inventory mechanic so much for, there is no option in game to upgrade your inventory amount. Meaning you will take those 6 slots from start to finish. And yeah, I know in RE1 you cannot upgrade your slot amount, but hey, Signalis devs, did you ever ask yourself why, in almost all future RE games you are able to give yourself more slots and more inventory? And in the case of Resident Evil 1specifically, did you maybe ever wonder why more people play as Jill (who has 8 slots) than Chris (who has only 6 slots)? It's definitely worth thinking about!
I still believe after all that, that this is a game that survival horror fans should play, because even with my opinion of the game's shortcomings, there are still great things to experience here, but the gameplay needs to be improved for the sequel. I cannot see a bigger audience jumping on otherwise.
To not end this on a sour note and whip this around to a positive, if I had to say the kindest thing I can to these developers, it would be this:
YOU GUYS should be the ones remaking Silent Hill 2. FUCK Blooper Team! Never have I felt so close to that initial playthrough of SH2 than hearing this music, being so creeped out by these monster designs, being drowned in this thick atmosphere. It is truly amazing what an indie team with passion can accomplish over a larger studio that just pumps out dogshit and keeps failing upwards.
I wont even begin to talk about the game's convoluted story, because I did not enjoy it and honestly I did not follow. Maybe I am just stupid, and that is fine. If you wanna have a confusing-ass story, that's your deal, and I don't need to understand the story completely to have a good time, but from my end it sure does feel like a game that is meant to be complicated so that people think it is smarter than it actually is. Like bait for Youtube channels to make videos like SIGNALIS STORY EXPLAINED as so many games do in a post-Souls world. But honestly that's still fine because even with a weak story, the atmosphere, sounds, and music were so on point, I can forgive this shortcoming. The gameplay however, is where this game lost me, and lost me hard.
I found gameplay to mostly miss the mark. I love survival horror classics of the 5th gen/6th gen era so I am no stranger to what some would call outdated mechanics of those games, but when it comes to the implementation of those mechanics here, they are such an annoyance that it really drug the entire experience down for me completely.
The gameplay is mixed between two specific titles, which clearly are Signalis's biggest influences. Those being Silent Hill 2, and Resident Evil 1. These two games are indeed both survival-horror games, but when their mechanics are slapped together haphazardly, it makes for a very wonky experience. The biggest example is the inventory slots, and item box management. This mechanic is straight out of Resident Evil. The problem with this however, is the game gives you only 6 slots, the minimum amount from the first Resident Evil game, reserved for Chris Redfield who was considered the games harder character to play. However, in RE1 most of the items in the mansion are health items and ammunition, which means, if playing efficiently, even with 6 slots, as long as you watch your health and ammo, you wont run into the slot limit, and therefor have to run back to the item box TOO often. Signalis however has many many MANY puzzle items to pick up, multiple in each room, which means to progress, you are forced to pick all of these up at some point or another, meaning many forced trips back to the item box. It feels like item boxes and item limits were included because they are Resident Evil survival horror staples, but not thinking about how they would influence the moment to moment gameplay and exploration of THIS game.
It is even more frustrating when examining the fact that this games primary influence, Silent Hill 2, also has many puzzle items to pick up in many different rooms. BUT, that game HAS NO INVENTORY LIMIT. Meaning exploration is never interrupted. And then Silent Hill 2 gives you items like a flashlight, which you pretty much need at all times to be able to play the game. Signalis also gives you a flashlight, and you pretty much need it at all times to play the game, especially when they start introducing traps, but guess what, THAT TAKES UP ONE OF YOUR 6 SLOTS. See why this mixing and matching doesnt work??? You now have 6 slots, minus 1 for your flashlight, MINUS ANOTHER ONE FOR YOUR GUN, which you will pretty much have on hand at all times. So really you DON'T have 6 slots, you actually have about 4.
The good news is if you are on PC, you can fix this problem that did not need to exist in the first place, giving yourself just about as many slots as you want, and when you do this, the game feels more like it falls into place, and most of the annoyance is removed. The bad news is, if you are on console, you can pretty much get fucked, as not only does Signalis only give you 6 slots, but UNLIKE Resident Evil, the series Signalis idolizes this inventory mechanic so much for, there is no option in game to upgrade your inventory amount. Meaning you will take those 6 slots from start to finish. And yeah, I know in RE1 you cannot upgrade your slot amount, but hey, Signalis devs, did you ever ask yourself why, in almost all future RE games you are able to give yourself more slots and more inventory? And in the case of Resident Evil 1specifically, did you maybe ever wonder why more people play as Jill (who has 8 slots) than Chris (who has only 6 slots)? It's definitely worth thinking about!
I still believe after all that, that this is a game that survival horror fans should play, because even with my opinion of the game's shortcomings, there are still great things to experience here, but the gameplay needs to be improved for the sequel. I cannot see a bigger audience jumping on otherwise.
To not end this on a sour note and whip this around to a positive, if I had to say the kindest thing I can to these developers, it would be this:
YOU GUYS should be the ones remaking Silent Hill 2. FUCK Blooper Team! Never have I felt so close to that initial playthrough of SH2 than hearing this music, being so creeped out by these monster designs, being drowned in this thick atmosphere. It is truly amazing what an indie team with passion can accomplish over a larger studio that just pumps out dogshit and keeps failing upwards.
2 Comments
This comment was deleted
Or just update the game to make it better. Oh, that's what they just did? Yeah, that's because I was right.
smhomg
10 months ago