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Signalis

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Signalis
Developer(s)rose-engine
Publisher(s)Humble Games
Playism
Director(s)Yuri Stern
Designer(s)
  • Barbara Wittmann
  • Yuri Stern
Programmer(s)Yuri Stern
Artist(s)Yuri Stern
Writer(s)
  • Barbara Wittmann
  • Yuri Stern
Composer(s)
  • 1000 Eyes
  • Cicada Sirens
EngineUnity[1]
Platform(s)
ReleaseOctober 27, 2022
Genre(s)Survival horror
Mode(s)Single-player

Signalis is a survival horror video game developed by rose-engine and published by Humble Games and Playism. The game was released for Windows PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on October 27, 2022. It received generally positive reviews upon release.

Gameplay

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The core gameplay consists of top-down shooter elements from a top-down 2.5D perspective, with occasional puzzle elements. Puzzles vary from manipulating switches and dials, to searching for certain frequencies to broadcast in Elster's radio implant.[2]

Difficulty and thematic elements are enhanced through the use of resource management as a gameplay and narrative mechanic. Elster is limited to six items on her person, including weapons, ammunition and key items for use in puzzle-solving and unlocking doors. In the fashion of Resident Evil, another survival horror series, there are safe rooms that allow the player to save progress and store their items for future use.[3][4]

Synopsis

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Setting

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Signalis takes place during an era with space travel and advanced technology, in an planetary system reminiscent of the solar system that is governed by the totalitarian Eusan Nation, which remains at war with a larger Empire from which it broke away. The political and economic center of the Eusan Nation is the Heimat colony, but it maintains outposts on other nearby worlds. Eusan employs Replikas, androids made with copied human neural imprints, as the bulk of its military and labor force. A consequence of using neural imprints is that Replikas inherit various idiosyncrasies from them, such as a compulsive desire to listen to music or bathe, and failure to indulge these idiosyncrasies can cause a Replika to destabilize and cease functioning. Natural-born human commanders called Gestalts manage and give direction to Replikas.

Plot

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The third version of Isle of the Dead by Arnold Böcklin. All versions of the painting feature prominently in the storyline.

A scout shuttle known as the Penrose-512 crashes on an unknown planet. An LSTR ("Elster") type Replika unit awakens and searches for her missing Gestalt partner, Ariane Yeong. She leaves the ship and descends through a hole in the ground, leading into a room with bookshelves and a radio. As she picks up The King in Yellow, the radio turns on and starts playing the Three Note Oddity, while lines from H. P. Lovecraft's The Festival flashes on the screen. The broadcast ends with visions of Ariane asking Elster to "Remember our promise" and "wake up".

Elster finds herself on the planet Leng, in a mining facility named Sierpinski-23. She searches for a woman resembling Ariane named Alina Seo. She discovers that most of the Gestalt staff are dead and the Replika workforce has degenerated, having turned into mindless beings that attack her on sight. Elster explores the facility, gathering supplies and looking for clues about what happened and Alina's location. She opens a box belonging to Alina and finds a red plate inside, before being transported to Ariane's mother's radio station and receiving a transmitter module. She encounters the facility's Replika administrator, Adler. After a brief interaction, he pushes her down an elevator shaft after telling her "You shouldn't have returned". Elster lands on dozens of bodies from other LSTR units, surviving the fall.

Continuing through Sierpinski-23, Elster finds Adler's diary, discovering he recollects memories he never lived - which he believes originated from other realities. Elster delves deeper into the mines below the facility, finding the lowest levels to consist of a gigantic mass of flesh before entering through a rectangular arch identical to one seen at the start of the game. Adler despairs about the fate of Falke, the commander of the facility, who changed when she returned from beyond the arch, never explaining what she saw. Elster crosses the arch and finds the Penrose, but injures herself attempting to open the airlock and subsequently passes out.

While unconscious, Elster dreams of a happy memory between Ariane and herself during their time within the Penrose-512 in which they dance to Schubert's Serenade after embracing each other. Elster regains consciousness and manages to reenter the Penrose-512. She jumps down a hole that has appeared in the ship, finding herself back in Sierpinski-23, though the environment has become inundated with masses of flesh. Making her way through the facility, Elster drops down another hole and finds herself on the colonized moon of Rotfront. She learns that Ariane signed up for the Penrose program to escape a discouraging future on Sierpinski-23. Elster continues on as the environment becomes more surreal, encountering Falke. Various collected notes reveal that Falke inherited Elster's memories and has a crisis of identity, leading the former to attack.

Elster defeats Falke, as flashbacks of both Elster's and Falke's memories are shown. Elster returns to the arch where Adler waits for her, warning Elster that no matter what she does, once she crosses the arch, time will loop again and reality will fall apart with it shattering at any time. Elster continues regardless and a scuffle ensues, with both Replikas being mortally wounded — Adler being shot and Elster stabbed in the eye. Elster continues on, returning to the wreckage of the Penrose, where it is revealed that if the scout pilots failed to find a habitable planet, they were not expected to survive the journey. It is additionally revealed that, during the latter stages of the journey, the ship's nuclear reactor malfunctions, Ariane develops symptoms of acute radiation syndrome, and Elster seals her in the ship's cryogenic pod to keep her alive as long as possible.

Depending on the player's actions throughout the game, four endings are possible:

  • To acquire the "Leave" ending, the player must be conservative with ammunition, heal frequently, and spend a long time exploring. In this ending, Elster cannot work up the courage to see Ariane again and instead leaves the ship to succumb to her wounds in the wasteland outside.
  • To get the "Memory" ending, the player must utilize a balanced playstyle. Elster awakens Ariane, but she does not remember who Elster is nor their promise. Elster stays by Ariane's side until she succumbs to her wounds.
  • The "Promise" ending requires the player to play aggressively, killing numerous enemies, dealing a significant amount of damage, and spending a long time in-game. Elster awakens Ariane, who remembers her and asks her to keep their promise. Elster reluctantly kills Ariane before succumbing to her own wounds.
  • In the secret "Artifact" ending, after acquiring three hidden keys throughout the game (only on a second playthrough) that unlocks Ariane's safe which yields a vase of white lilies, Elster performs an esoteric ritual that results in her apparent death. A following scene of her and Ariane dancing can then be seen inside the wreckage of the Penrose-512.

Development

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The game was developed by the two person German studio rose-engine, with development beginning in 2014.[4][5] Additional help was brought on through external composers.[2] The game was released across multiple platforms on October 27, 2022.[6] Publishing was handled by Humble Games and Playism.[5]

Aesthetically, the game pulls inspiration from the graphics of the fifth generation of video game consoles, particularly from the original PlayStation. The game includes a CRT mode to further mimic the effect.[6][7] Additional aesthetic influence comes from more traditional artwork, incorporating The Shore of Oblivion by Eugen Bracht as well as Arnold Böcklin's Isle of the Dead into the game.[8] Literary influences include The Festival by H. P. Lovecraft and The King in Yellow by Robert W. Chambers.[2][6] Filmic works by Stanley Kubrick, Hideaki Anno and David Lynch helped shape the narrative's themes of identity and memory in the game.[9]

Reception

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Signalis received "generally favorable" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic,[10] and 85% of critics recommended the game, according to OpenCritic.[11]

Critics generally praised the atmosphere and environmental storytelling of the game, although limited inventory and combat received criticism.[13][4][2]

Some reviewers offered praise of the overall game, while noting a specific aspect that they felt held it back. The Verge noted issues with a few puzzles, but praised the overall game.[17] GameSpot noted that the aiming was "unreliable", while Nintendo Life instead critiqued that the boss fights of the game were not well suited to the combat system.[12]

The game was included on Polygon's list of the best games of 2022.[18] Willa Rowe, in a review published by Inverse, referred to the game as the "best horror game of 2022".[19]

Accolades

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Year Award Category Result Ref.
2023 12th Annual New York Game Awards Chumley's Speakeasy Award for Best Hidden Gem Won [20][21]
34th GLAAD Media Awards GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Video Game Nominated [22]
Gayming Awards 2023 Best LGBTQ+ Indie Game Award Nominated [23]
Authentic Representation Award Nominated
Best LGBTQ+ Character Award Nominated
Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film [de] Animated Games Award Germany Won [24]
Anifilm International Competition of Computer Games Best Visual Art Nominated [25]
12th International Games and Playful Media Festival Most Amazing Award Nominated [26]
German Computer Game Awards 2023 Best German Game Nominated [27]
Best Debut Won
Best Game Design Nominated
Best Graphic Design Nominated
Best Audio Design Won
Horror Game Awards 2023 Horror Game of the Year Nominated [28][29]
Best Character Nominated
Best Narrative Won
Best Game Design Nominated
Best Score/Soundtrack Nominated
Best Indie Horror Won
German Developer Awards 2023 Best Graphics Nominated [30]
Best Story Nominated
Best Indie Game Nominated

References

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  1. ^ Saver, Michael (December 27, 2022). "Made with Unity: 2022 in review". Unity Technologies. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e Egan, Toussaint (October 25, 2022). "Signalis is a near pitch-perfect ode to Resident Evil and Silent Hill". Polygon. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
  3. ^ Wilde, Thomas (October 18, 2022). "Signalis and the Oppressive Mechanics of Survival Horror [Hands-On Preview/Interview]". Bloody Disgusting!. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d Brooke, Sam (October 25, 2022). "Review: Signalis (PS4) - Last-Gen Release Has Its Feet in the Future". Push Square. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c Van Allen, Eric (October 25, 2022). "Review: Signalis". Destructoid. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
  6. ^ a b c d Greer, Sam (October 25, 2022). "Signalis review - a sumptuously atmopsheric survival horror". Eurogamer. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
  7. ^ a b LeClair, Kyle (October 25, 2022). "Review: Signalis". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
  8. ^ Rodrigues, M.D. (October 25, 2022). "Signalis is an artful throwback to old-school survival horror". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
  9. ^ "SIGNALIS on Steam". Steam. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  10. ^ a b c d e "Signalis". Metacritic. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  11. ^ a b "Signalis Reviews". OpenCritic. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  12. ^ a b Cannon, Trent (October 29, 2022). "Review: Signalis - Brilliantly Tense And Surreal Sci-Fi Survival Horror". Nintendo Life. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
  13. ^ a b Delaney, Mark (October 27, 2022). "Signalis Review - Silent Thrill". GameSpot. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
  14. ^ Bailes, Jon (October 25, 2022). "Signalis review: 'Adheres too closely to Resident Evil's aging rules'". GamesRadar+. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
  15. ^ Musgrave, Shaun (October 31, 2022). "SwitchArcade Round-Up: Reviews Featuring Signalis and Sophstar, Plus Today's New Releases and Sales". TouchArcade. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  16. ^ Tarason, Dominic (November 22, 2022). "Signalis review". PC Gamer. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  17. ^ Webster, Andrew (October 28, 2022). "Signalis is old-school PlayStation-era horror at its best". The Verge. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
  18. ^ Mahardy, Mike; et al. (Polygon Staff) (March 2, 2022). "The 50 best video games of 2022". Polygon. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  19. ^ Rowe, Willa (October 25, 2022). "Signalis is the best horror game of 2022". Inverse. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  20. ^ "12th Awards Nominees + Winners!". The New York Videogame Critic Circle. January 17, 2023. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  21. ^ Bankhurst, Adam (January 17, 2023). "New York Game Awards 2023: Elden Ring Wins Two Awards as Phil Spencer Is Honored". IGN. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  22. ^ "The Nominees for the 34th Annual GLAAD Media Awards". GLAAD. 2023. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  23. ^ "Gayming Awards 2023 Winners Revealed". Gayming Magazine. Gray Jones Media Ltd. April 24, 2023. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  24. ^ "The Winners of the Trickstar Professional Awards". Internationales Trickfilm-Festival Stuttgart. April 26, 2023. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  25. ^ "Official Selection 2023". Anifilm. 2023. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  26. ^ "Nominees". A Maze. 2023. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  27. ^ "Signalis". Deutscher Computerspielpreis. 2023. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  28. ^ "Horror Game Awards". Horror Game Awards. 2023. Retrieved September 8, 2023.[dead link]
  29. ^ Gardner, Matt (September 8, 2023). "Horror Game Awards 2023 Winners: 'Resident Evil 4', 'Signalis' Take Top Honors". Forbes. Forbes Media. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  30. ^ "The Nominees of the German Developer Awards 2023". Deutscher Entwicklerpreis. November 2, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
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