| Developer | Publisher | Platforms |
|---|---|---|
| rose-engine | Humble Games | Microsoft Windows-Xbox Series X/S-Xbox One-Nintendo Switch-PlayStation 5-PlayStation 4 |
Signalis game consists of exactly the elements we liked in the first games of the Resident Evil and Silent Hill series, though new gamers may not like them. Therefore, one audience’s view of such a game may differ from another’s. Maybe one of us will fall in love with the game, and the other will not be able to stand it.
In a general conclusion at the beginning of the article, we can say that Signalis does not have a close relationship with modern gamers and new survival horror titles. It is a tribute to the era of 32-bit games, especially the classic survival horror ones of that period. If those old games have a place in your heart, you will like Signalis. Otherwise, you will probably hate it at the first glance!
We said the first glance because the game is visually quite similar to PS1 console titles, although fortunately, the 3D models are not shaky like those times. Textures look completely incomprehensible and undeveloped. Of course, the same graphics were considered a realistic masterpiece for the PS1 console.
On the other hand, the game camera has an isometric view angle and is very close to your character. Of course, the camera is usually not fixed like in the old Resident Evil games, and the environment is not pre-rendered. Here you can’t even rotate the camera like in Silent Hill 1. Also sometimes the view becomes first-person. Fortunately, because of this closed angle of the camera, there is always a sense of fear of what lies ahead. Something that is rarely can be seen in recent horror games.
In our opinion, the game can visually derive a great sense of nostalgia, but I wish the developers could enrich it a little more in terms of visuals and audio. For example, the game has no audible dialogue at all, and the cutscenes are mostly a series of static anime drawings. It should be noted that this game is developed by a group of only two people. So we cannot fault the shortcomings of the game too much.
Of course, the sounds we heard are acceptable, and the music, especially when dealing with enemies, is mainly inspired by the works of Akira Yamaoka for the Silent Hill series. But the composers have not been able to add anything to Yamaoka music and have only produced a suitable copy.
All these factors as well as the lack of dialogue in the game have made a special and stunning atmosphere. The atmosphere is similar to the Resident Evil series at first hours, but as you progress, it tends to be dark and eerie like in the Silent Hill series.
The game story also helped to create this breathtaking atmosphere. At first, it seems that we are only dealing with a science fiction story about artificial intelligence, but as we advance in the story, we see that the symbolic and complicated narrative of the game intends to raise important questions in the field of human relationships and philosophical matters.
Understanding the story requires you to immerse yourself in it and carefully read everything. From the posters on the walls to the many memo files you can find in the environment. Because mysterious cut scenes, the symbols, and secrets in the game, won’t give you much information about the events surrounding you.
In terms of gameplay, Signalis follows the usual rules of the survival horror genre. Save resources and take less damage. Of course, playing on normal difficulty will give you enough ammo and health-increasing items but your inventory is cruelly limited.
As in classic games, closed doors and locked boxes hinder your progress more than enemies. During the game, you will usually be looking at the game map, and you take a key from point A and use it at point B. Of course, interesting puzzles are waiting for you as well, which are usually not difficult to solve if you read the texts you find. But I admit that I had to get help from the guides available on the Internet two or three times during my playtime. In general, the puzzles are varied and fun. Especially since the hero has a radio which allows creative solutions in solving puzzles.
In Signalis you fight with enemies and a few bosses. The enemies are not so diverse and it is not difficult to run from them. But sometimes, the combination and number of enemies become too large, so there is no other choice but to fight with them. Like the old Resident Evil games, these enemies usually don’t die until they are burned, but you have other creative ways to defeat them. In general, the enemies play the role of distractions so that you can’t roam freely in the environment without fear.
In the end, we emphasize that Signalis is a valuable creation. The number of developers of this game does not reach the fingers of one hand, but they have managed to produce a game that easily entertains a person for ten hours.
| GAMEPLAY | ART | VALUE |
|---|---|---|
| 85% | 90% | 90% |