Signalis (2022)

it took me about 12 hour to complete this game and since doing so I've been going through an almost 8 hour video on it explaining this convoluted story.

This game at times feels a bit like Ghost in the Shell or Blade Runner because it introduces the normalized android/synths in society and does so in some neat and smart ways. But the game ends up resembling the last episode of Evangelion (It also likes to toss you a fake ending to make you say 'what that is it' only to actually make you react that way again by the time you get to the second ending, even the TRUE/GOOD ending is just as confusing) In any case I did love the world, setting but am left with many questions about the world, what was going on and why. (or even how some of the things prsented in the game are even possible)

I ultimately enjoyed it but feel mixed on some design choices:

I seem to be in a minority but i thought these puzzles were too difficult, tedius and annoying (Remember in Resident Evil 2 That herbicide puzzle Imagine a harder version of it.)

limited inventory cap goes with the survival horror territory... but six items? That's pretty rough because one slot for the flashlight, one for a weapon and maybe another slot for some ammo... those are the basic, bare necessities in Signalis, but that leaves you with half your slots left. Thus, looting is a real chore because of this and I found myself spending so much time just going back and forth to loot. IMO, they should have made it so that the flashlight is a 'freebie' or that you can equip a disposable taser to the equipment slot and it free up an inventory slot (that would have helped a lot) I later realized from a video on youtube you can actually change this in the options (didnt explore this or know) Enemies will resurrect and it wasn't really clear if i could prevent this. Supposedly that was what flares were for (but feels like one or two of those guys got back up again later) it annoying but its not a dealbreaker as there is quite a bit of ammo to go around (assuming you're carrying it, going back to point two)

Some of the awesome things here:
The engine is just sick. It's really cool how it will switch from one scene to another into first-person mode, or even do it directly from top-down isometric mode... I wish there were more first-person sequences because there really is a lot of detail when it does it and it's very satisfying to see stuff up close in this game.
a pretty gorgeus look, feel and aesthetic. Janky MSX-inspired computers and weird foreigny tech. Multilingual blocks of text, words in German, Chinese, (possibly more), This game is a visual stimuli feast.
References and explores themes related to literature and music and builds off of them.
very on point and atmospheric sound and music.
in-game lore and notes are great. (Story however, is a muddled, confusing mess)
fighting, exploring and making progress by clearing levels is quite satisfying.

But Let's face it, these endings are not good. Watch any let's play and you'll see players exulting a 'what? that's it? that's the end?" because they are so non-resolutional and unsatisfying. In fact these endings are bad enough to the point that I had a dream in which I unlocked a *fifth secret ending... This ending we will call it the 'Act of Defiance ending' occurs in the office. the player will notice another book appear on the upper bookshelf called Grimm's Fairy Tales. This ending is actually the only good ending (I hated these endings and thought they were all bad endings and that most of them weren't even that different from each other.) At certain times in the game, the player will realize that they are hallucinating or dreaming and will go lucid and alter small events within the game before the normal game resumes itself. For example there is a vertical mirror in one of the rooms in which the player can look at and the player comments how they do not recognize themselves. If the player continues to do this several time the appearance of the player character will change and will go into a a strange sequence in which the player questions what is happening. Another sequence later occurs when collecting two dream journals and putting them together to create a 'Tome of Forgotten memories' this book consists of journal notes that the eLUR unit we play as has forgotten, and journal notes of another unit as well, and the memories turn out to be identical. (Perhaps the memories are of the Island of Death, the Beach scene or Maybe the dreaded city of Carcosa itself.) Finally the third triggering sequence is at the very end in which the player tries to leave the Penrose 512 ship repeatedly and refuses to advance towards the game ending. The player will then be shown a cutscene in which the EULR will sit down in the ruined ship and open the book Grimm's Fairy Tales and begin reading from it and imaging the scenes of one of the stories.

This title is an indie survival horror game developed by the two-person German studio rose-engine. It skillfully blends retro aesthetics with modern storytelling, evoking the classic survival horror titles of the late '90s and early 2000s, drawing comparisons to Resident Evil and Silent Hill. The MS is called Elster, a combat-trained android searching for her missing partner, Ariane, on a desolate planet. The story unfolds in a fragmented, dreamlike way, exploring themes of identity, memory, and existential dread. Its psychological depth and emotional resonance have been widely praised, I dare to say it has the same level of quality as big franchises such as Silent Hill.

Gameplay features a top-down 2.5D perspective with fixed camera angles, limited inventory management, and intricate puzzles. Combat is deliberate and resource-constrained, heightening tension and requiring strategic thinking. While some aspects, like aiming and boss fight design, have minor flaws, they do not significantly impact the overall experience. In fact, I think the somewhat clunky nature of them are actually a feature, since it makes everything much more realistic when it comes to the protagonist mental state while dealing with the nightmarish situation she is in.

Visually, Signalis draws inspiration from early PlayStation-era games, with a distinctive art style complemented by a haunting, atmospheric soundtrack that enhances immersion. The game received generally favorable reviews, earning praise for its atmosphere and environmental storytelling. It was included in Polygon's list of the best games of 2022 and recognized as the best horror game of 2022 by several outlets. A standout for me is the level of replayability, which is not something new to the frachise, but the way this was implemented into the game's narrative is one of the most creative things I've ever experienced in any game.

I highly encourage trying to 100% this game, since this feels like the intended way of playing it, not just because of the challenge and the completionist status, but mainly because of it's story. You'll only get to experience everything it is trying to convey if you dig deep into the alternative endings and optional content, and it'll be a blast of an experience. Overall, Signalis is highly recommended for fans of psychological and retro survival horror, offering a compelling narrative, immersive design, and thoughtful gameplay that make it a standout experience. This is definitely one of the best survival horror games of all time, and a must-play if you like this genre to any extent.

EDIT 05.08.2024 I did after abandoning this game because of the awful awfully stressful and at times dumb mechanics return to it. There was something haunting me, pulling me in. I came back after a 6-month hiatus, utterly confused. I resorted to playing the rest of the game with a walkthrough. I CAN NOT UNDERSTAND why anyone would make this kind of inventory system, a blast from the past MY ASS. But all that aside, and kinda just tugging along at casual difficulty with a great walkthrough, damn this game is just something else.

The vibe is perfect. The art direction is incredible and the music and story just nail the whole thing down as one of the most hauntingly atmospheric games I've ever experiencedd. It's a game that will linger with you for a long time after, even so much that even though you might hate the gameplay beyond comprehension, yet still play and just mush through all that slog just to get to the FUCKING VIBES.

I will never ever regret coming back to this game, even though it was a slog, in the end. It was all worth it.

LEGACY REVIEW The best part about this game for me was the vibe, the haunting soundtrack with the art style is just fantastic. I most of all enjoyed the 1st person little intermissions between gameplay. The gameplay loop was to me repetitive and boring. Puzzles are funny but after doing obscure puzzles for hours and having to run back and forth to reshuffle my inventory I gave up on the game, a real shame since the story seems really cool.

A stylish, old school inspired, science fiction, psychological, survival horror game at an affordable price point. Yes please and thank you!

Signalis plays how you would expect a survival horror to and is heavily inspired by Resident Evil and Silent Hill. You have a limited inventory space, which means considering what to pick up and planning your trips to the item box. You use the map to get around and see what needs to be explored next. Every enemy encounter needs consideration as you have limited health, ammo and items and you will probably need to back track through each location again too. There are good puzzles to solve which are not too easy but not too obtuse. The game does not hold your hand either and there are no constant check points. It’s all very satisfying to play and it is the type of game that is hard to put down. I found myself saying “I’ll just check out these two rooms” or “I’ll just see what this key opens.” Then another hour would fly by and I’m still playing.

The combat is the weakest part. The way the enemies move, look and sound is creepy but they don’t really pose a threat on their own. One or two enemies can usually be easily dodged around or put down. The way the game ups the difficulty is by throwing small groups at you and/or heavily restricting space. It would have been cool if the enemies were a challenge on their own and a greater variety in enemies and how they attack would have been good too. I found the combat definitely got tiresome by the start of a second play through. There are also some first person sections which felt too slow and tedious.

The story, world and lore of Signalis is interesting and I really enjoyed it. It’s not told in a direct way and there is room for interpretation. There are multiple endings as well which are all valid. The art direction and sound all fit perfectly with this story and world. It looks somewhat like a PS1 era game but has so much of its own personality and style which I am a big fan of.

Signalis was easily one of the best games released in 2022. The very small development team are absolute legends and I can’t wait to see what they do next. If you have any interest in survival horror then you need to play this or even if you just like good games in general then I recommend Signalis.

8.3/10

I don't generally like horror. I hate scary movies, I despise jump scares- I don't like being scared. But sometimes a game offers something compelling enough to make me shove all that to the side for 8-12 hours, and this is one of those games.

The world is incredibly well built, in the sense that it's little drops of lore and propaganda posters feel like part of a bigger picture, even if you as the player will never actually see that. It's a weird kind of Control-meets-Metroid-Fusion environment that works SO so well. The art style is gorgeous, but it's also fascinating in how it changes perspective and fidelity at times. I felt so immersed the whole time I was in this game, and I was really eager to keep exploring and uncovering what this world held.

The one thing this game has though, that I honestly wish it didn't- are enemies. I get that might be antithetical to what it's trying to do, and that my personal taste in games usually only wants combat if the system is fun and that's not universal- but I found the enemies here as a means to keep me from exploring, which I was having so much fun doing. Especially boss battles (which I almost ALWAYS view as a roadblock stopping me from having fun with a game so take that with a grain of salt). In small doses it helped add to the tension, but as an actual obstacle I just wasn't a fan.

Also, some of the puzzles here were really cool. How ever a few (especially towards the end) got REALLY heady and intertwined.

This is a really great game, my problems are nitpicky and/or just the result of personal preference. Very excited to see what comes next from this studio.

Signalis is an interesting case. It wears its inspiration on its sleeve, offering itself as one of the most overt homages I’ve seen in games. In fact, this game would almost certainly nor exist without the likes of Resident Evil or Silent Hill. And yet it is as far a derivative effort as they come. The reason for this is because of how much it also is its own thing, bringing to the table a fresh, unique perspective on the genre that, despite being highly influenced by the OGs, nevertheless manages to impress, engage and inspire completely on its own.

It is hard to talk about this game without going into spoilers, so I’ll mostly focus on the broad strokes. In a nutshell, Signalis is classic survival horror at its best, in the sense that everything that makes a great game in the genre is present here.

From the start you notice its stellar presentation, with an incredible atmosphere, a fantastic pixel art style (even if it comes coated in a slight anime aesthetic which isn’t my favourite) and a trance-like audiovisual design, which depending on the situation can hypnotise, induce tension or evoke emotion. This whole aspect sets its tone perfectly throughout the entire game, and I do mean the entire game, from the title screen to the very end. The soundscape is particularly incredible, and likely among the top 3 I’ve experienced in survival horror.

Another thing Signalis does superbly well is how it addresses the common mechanics and gameplay commonplaces in the genre. Inventory management is very well handled: you only get 6 slots throughout your entire playthrough, which directly encourages the player to engage with a thought out decision-making process. You often don’t know what lies ahead yet you also have to plan ahead. These moments work great in the way of tension buildup, and as you learn the ropes you become more intuitively attuned in your guesswork. This, along with save rooms and puzzles, is a page taken straight from the early Resident Evil games, and puzzle design in particular is handled in a remarkable fashion. This is yet another area where Signalis strongly shows its inspiration, yet still manages to create something new, intuitive, logical and challenging. There are some puzzles you solve that will make you feel incredibly good about your deductive skills, which is a testament to how well the whole structure is laid out for the player.

Level design is an aspect where this game excels once again. Anyone familiar with classic survival horror knows that solid, interconnected levels - along with a useful, reactive map - is crucial to a good experience. Signalis takes everything important into account, and delivers it masterfully. There are some - clearly intentional - segments where you are left without a map, thus eliciting feelings of disorientation and added tension. However, the way these are handled makes you understand exactly how to navigate appropriately in little to no time. This actually ties directly into its broader game design: it feels daunting to navigate through its maze-like corridors at first, but Signalis is so expertly crafted that, even though it never holds your hand, it is never unfair either: there’s always something - a hint, a map label, a visual nudge, a small piece of a puzzle - ready to propel you forward. All of this is by design, and it makes the game rise above the pack.

As if all this wasn’t enough, these gameplay aspects are further enhanced by some very welcome QoL additions that, for the most part, make the game feel awesome to play. Automatic interaction between items and great aiming, for example, are two such additions. It is unfair to ask for a similar level of quality from games made over 20 years ago, but in regards to how it feels to play, it is hard to go back to older similar titles after you’ve played around with Signalis.

Last but certainly not least, the story is something that is worth mentioning, especially in how it uses storytelling as a central device to keep you enthralled and wanting to uncover more: as enigmatic as it is, it is fascinating to see not only how the game weaves into its narrative themes of pain, loss, identity, sickness and consciousness, but also how maturely it does so. If in tone there is a lot of Silent Hill at play, in story there are also clear Nier: Automata strokes, yet Signalis somehow manages to tell itself apart from both in how it delivers its own tale in its own way, ever so subtly. One particular example of this subtlety happens sort of midway through the game, where the themes of existentialism and consciousness come into play simply by pure environmental suggestion, yet hit the player really hard as long as they are paying attention. Signalis does this, somewhat frequently, and always effectively. It leaves you wanting to know more, to talk about it, to understand it better, to sit in reserved contemplation, regardless of whatever ending you get - there are several of them.

This isn’t a perfect game of course, despite all the high praise I just sent its way. Most of its issues are niggles that don’t really need bringing up, but one aspect that can be extremely frustrating is transitioning to different rooms when you’re engaged with enemies, where you often get stuck trying to activate the door. Precisely because the rest of the experience is so fluid, these moments stand out like a sore thumb, and can result in heavy loss of HP or even death. It is annoying because this is clearly a design flaw that could have easily been addressed, yet it is there and it is prevalent enough to take you out of the experience.

But put everything I said on a scale, and you will easily conclude this has in no way made a significant dent in my appreciation for this game. When all was said and done, Signalis left a mark in me like few games this year did. It is somewhat difficult to unreservedly sing its praises, because like I said in the beginning, we know that it simply wouldn’t exist without the classics that came before and inspired it. At the same time, however, it acts as its own separate entity, capable of proudly affirming in the same breath ‘This is where I came from, but this isn’t me’. If you like old-school survival horror, you owe it to yourself to experience this firsthand. Chances are you’ll see it just like I did. 9/10

But also because the story is good ^

Imagine if old school Resident Evil had not only modern, but interestingly modern controls. Or if Silent Hill trusted its audience more with the plot. Imagine you made a promise to a friend. This is one of those games you should give a try if the trailers piqued your interest at all. It's relatively cheap and just the right length, which helps.

Though to be clear, this is absolutely it's own game, it's own story. I loved my time in this scary world, so give it a shot!

Pro tip: You don't always have to pick up everything.