Wow, this was absolutely worth the wait. Signalis is very much Resident Evil and Silent Hill. Signalis is also Blade Runner, Ghost in the Shell, Neon Genesis Evangelion and a whole lot of other things. Most importantly, however, Signalis is also Signalis: an eerie dystopian mind-bender with an extremely strong aesthetic. When there are so many sources of inspiration in play I'd imagine it's real easy to lose track of what it is you're trying to convey while making that love letter to PS1 survival horror and your favorite animes but I thought rose-engine definitely succeeded in bringing their own vision to the mix. The art direction is superb and cohesive, the gameplay is totally RE and I loved the (Japanese-)German flair in everything.
I don't want to go into the the narrative with this one, partly because I'm still trying to piece it together myself but also because that's exactly what it is about: a fascinating mystery to try and unravel for yourself. You play as an 'LSTR' unit technician Replika and you're on a mission to find someone in a remote work facility, that's the premise. I really enjoyed the level design, lots of satisfying shortcuts to unlock and steely high-tech spaces to explore. RE2 vibes down to a tee.
I played the game with the tank controls on - as any self-respecting old-school survival horror fan would - and though there was some stickiness when moving near objects or walls I felt like it was the right move. The strafing felt unnecessary to me though, I would have preferred more precise control over the aiming instead. Combat in general was quite competent, the shooting felt good and I liked the self-defense mechanics. The big negative I've seen mentioned a lot has to do with the limited inventory space and I get it. I anticipated a lot of backtracking and item management so I wasn't annoyed by it but it would have been nice to have a separate slot for the current equipment and/or module, I'm sure that would alleviate the problem for most players.
The highlight of the game for me were the audiovisuals, I was in constant awe entering from one area to another, but a close second has to be the puzzles. They are a nice mix of both RE and SH and I had more than one aha moment during my playthrough which is always a good thing. The gripes I have with the game are more to do with a slight lack of polish (e.g. entering a door can be awkward) rather than the content itself. I guess some key visuals could have been a tad more original and certain editing choices felt less meaningful than others but I didn't really mind personally, I was fully tapped in and into it all.
I could go on and on about Signalis but I'll wrap it up here. This is a game I respect immensely more than anything. I feel like it is a (sadly) rare case where the developers actually understand what people loved about the old games their indie title is striving for. And thank god this wasn't a fucking bite-sized three-hours-at-most nu-horror game but an actual, hefty game with a proper structure. They understood and they delivered. Brilliant work, rose-engine! You kept your promise.
I don't want to go into the the narrative with this one, partly because I'm still trying to piece it together myself but also because that's exactly what it is about: a fascinating mystery to try and unravel for yourself. You play as an 'LSTR' unit technician Replika and you're on a mission to find someone in a remote work facility, that's the premise. I really enjoyed the level design, lots of satisfying shortcuts to unlock and steely high-tech spaces to explore. RE2 vibes down to a tee.
I played the game with the tank controls on - as any self-respecting old-school survival horror fan would - and though there was some stickiness when moving near objects or walls I felt like it was the right move. The strafing felt unnecessary to me though, I would have preferred more precise control over the aiming instead. Combat in general was quite competent, the shooting felt good and I liked the self-defense mechanics. The big negative I've seen mentioned a lot has to do with the limited inventory space and I get it. I anticipated a lot of backtracking and item management so I wasn't annoyed by it but it would have been nice to have a separate slot for the current equipment and/or module, I'm sure that would alleviate the problem for most players.
The highlight of the game for me were the audiovisuals, I was in constant awe entering from one area to another, but a close second has to be the puzzles. They are a nice mix of both RE and SH and I had more than one aha moment during my playthrough which is always a good thing. The gripes I have with the game are more to do with a slight lack of polish (e.g. entering a door can be awkward) rather than the content itself. I guess some key visuals could have been a tad more original and certain editing choices felt less meaningful than others but I didn't really mind personally, I was fully tapped in and into it all.
I could go on and on about Signalis but I'll wrap it up here. This is a game I respect immensely more than anything. I feel like it is a (sadly) rare case where the developers actually understand what people loved about the old games their indie title is striving for. And thank god this wasn't a fucking bite-sized three-hours-at-most nu-horror game but an actual, hefty game with a proper structure. They understood and they delivered. Brilliant work, rose-engine! You kept your promise.