Signalis does horror very well. I don't play too many horror games, but I can say that I really enjoyed this one...mostly.
Signalis excels in it's art direction and it's sound design. Frequently the sound was the primary reason for my fear during many sections of the game. Many parts relied on rapidly switching images and loud sounds, using anticipation to a great benefit. This was easily the best part of Signalis.
The gameplay of Signalis is pretty decent, but is rather lacking in some areas. For one, the AI of the enemies is super easy to avoid, and I found myself dodging them later in the game rather than fighting them. The puzzles are for the most part pretty excellent. Never anything too hard, but nothing too simple either. This breaks down a bit towards the end of the game where it's less puzzles more items.
If I had one thing I didn't like about Signalis, it would be it's length. This may be a bit spoilery, but when I reached the "ending" of the game, I was a bit relieved and worn out. When I found out that there was more, I gave up and decided I was fine without witnessing the "true ending" of Signalis. The game dragged on a little too long, and I think the extra ending area of the game was overdone and I didn't actually complete it.
Signalis was very good, easily one of the best horror games of the year, but I can't help but wish it was a little bit shorter or at least didn't fake me out with an ending. I highly recommend this to any fan of horror games.
Update 10/17/23: In hindsight, this game was pretty fantastic, bumped up to 4 stars.
Signalis excels in it's art direction and it's sound design. Frequently the sound was the primary reason for my fear during many sections of the game. Many parts relied on rapidly switching images and loud sounds, using anticipation to a great benefit. This was easily the best part of Signalis.
The gameplay of Signalis is pretty decent, but is rather lacking in some areas. For one, the AI of the enemies is super easy to avoid, and I found myself dodging them later in the game rather than fighting them. The puzzles are for the most part pretty excellent. Never anything too hard, but nothing too simple either. This breaks down a bit towards the end of the game where it's less puzzles more items.
If I had one thing I didn't like about Signalis, it would be it's length. This may be a bit spoilery, but when I reached the "ending" of the game, I was a bit relieved and worn out. When I found out that there was more, I gave up and decided I was fine without witnessing the "true ending" of Signalis. The game dragged on a little too long, and I think the extra ending area of the game was overdone and I didn't actually complete it.
Signalis was very good, easily one of the best horror games of the year, but I can't help but wish it was a little bit shorter or at least didn't fake me out with an ending. I highly recommend this to any fan of horror games.
Update 10/17/23: In hindsight, this game was pretty fantastic, bumped up to 4 stars.
Reviewed on Oct 31, 2022