Signalis

Signalis is a nostalgic haunt that knows exactly where it came from but still dares to forge ahead, too.

A sapphic, sci-fi fever dream that finds horror and beauty among the stars, Signalis is dense and alluring to the last.

Tense, haunting and beautiful. Inventory shenanigans aside, one of the best survival horror games yet.

Signalis is a game that asks you to repeatedly plunge yourself into the abyss and face what meets you there. Those willing to look beyond its occasional nagging pain points and homage-laden surface will find a surprisingly intimate take on cosmic horror, one which beckons the player to consider, again and again and again, the question of what truly makes a person who they are, and just how far are they willing to go to keep a promise to a friend.

Signalis conjures a memorable retro-futuristic vibe with its art design, matched with a story that explores the terrifying extremes of sentient life. But its Resident Evil inspired systems feel overly mechanical and fail to produce tension, draining energy from a potentially chilling scenario.

In engaging with the story’s opaque and contradictory surfaces, one may flail about, tentatively reaching for this or that hypothesis. But if the game wants to get nuts, let’s get nuts. Maybe Ariane is somehow adrift in her own dream, in which her subconscious is drawing from the tyranny of the Eusan regime and from Ariane’s personal torments, which are adumbrated in notes and cutscenes. Elster may be a dreamed-up figment after all, a conduit for Ariane’s vague psychic baggage, whereas Ariane may herself be subject to the dreams of a less discernible entity (“the red eye beyond the gate”). In any event, Elster and Ariane seem to be searching for each other, and for some mystical escape hatch — a means of jettisoning their dismal surroundings. They do not wish to die, but they long to see beyond the veil, and to answer at last some dimly perceived wake-up call.

Signalis is like playing a classic survival horror on your PS1, but you accidentally spilled a bucket of raw meat in the disc tray. Also, your PS1 is possessed by a malevolent cosmic entity that you're madly in love with.

A hallmark of excellence. There may be flaws, but they are negligible and won't cause massive damage.

All in all, this is an astoundingly stylish effort from such a small studio. Signalis is riveting in both the construction of its world and the tense survival horror gameplay it executes so well. Don’t overlook it because of its very late last-gen release: rose-engine’s effort has its feet firmly planted in the future.

Signalis is a near-perfect love letter to the survival horror genre. Its atmosphere and tension feel natural and earned, with callbacks to sci-fi classics scattered throughout. It is at its best when you're darting between enemies, using stealth and patience rather than brute force. While some of the combat encounters felt a little forced, the puzzles are just the right mix of challenging and approachable. The surreal imagery and unique storytelling structure add to the overall polish of a game that is the perfect length for what it is. Highly recommended.