(This review is purposely vague to avoid spoilers where I can)

STORY:
- The story is a bit difficult to understand, and while a lot is left to interpretation, "what the hell happened" will be made clear once you reach the very end.
- This game made me cry, a lot, most players I talked to had a very strong emotional response. (Love, despair and the banality of human suffering tend to do that)
- The authors created their own blend of an "Alien" type universe that mixes chinese and german inspirations, it is so refreshing to see something that isn't completely grounded in american culture or once.

GRAPHICS:
Given that this game is clearly attempting to mimic a specific console era (that I am peticularly fond of), this is what matters in this section.
- This game looks incredibly good!
- Easily rivals some of the best games of the late PSX & early PS2 era.
- Everything is rendered in the pixelated glory before the days of hardware texture filtering.
- Discretely leverage modern tech, such as realtime lighting and some fairly interesting shader magic.
- There is a CRT filter for maximum immersion, but I would not recommend using it for live streaming.

SOUND DESIGN:
- There is very little bad I have to say about it, the ambiences and musics fit the game quite well.
- Some of the subtle ambient noises are absolutely haunting.

GAMEPLAY:
- Pretty solid, it has all the trappings of classic survival horror games of the era: limited inventory, weird puzzles, lore elements scattered everywhere in the game world, stealth, combat, moments of utter panic, boss fights, save rooms, even cryptic radio transmissions.
- It is an homage to classics like the original silent hill, resident evil, dino crisis, parasite eve, and maybe metal gear solid while we are at it?
- I've only played with "modern" controls, which feature mouse aiming. Oldschool "tank controls" are also available and might have been the original intent for the game.

CRITICISM:
- Some of the enemy sounds got on my nerves after a while?
- Some of the puzzles feel that they've been watered down a little too much after what I assume was playtest feedback.
- I'm assuming that the authors have shaped the game based on some of their own experiences, but the game sometimes feels like an anti-communist hit piece. I LOVED the setting, but a bit more nuance would have been welcome.
- The German and Chinese "stinger" cards that sometimes flash/scroll onscreen during some sequence could have been translated. STIRB or 死 flashing on your screen doesn't quite have the same effect on you if you don't know what it means.

CONCLUSION:
It is a really good game, but if you are like me, it will probably reopen some old wounds inside your mind.
I rarely enjoy games this much nowadays, and I pretty much enjoyed Signalis from begining to end, so that's saying something.

10/10 will weep again.

ADDENDUM:
(original review is unchanged)

I think the reason why this game's disjointed dream-like story is resonating with so many people, is that it is talking to the current generation and stirring those thoughts of hopelessness and disillusion we have about the world we live in.

The game themes go deeper than plain anti communism, it is full of anger and rage against the suffocating obsession for control of a declining society.

That applies to the DDR, but it also apply to current day western capitalistic systems.

Things are not going well...
The future is bleak, meaningless and features rising ocean levels...
Private property is quickly becoming a privilege...
Billionaires ponder about running their very own space colonies on what is effectively indentured servitude...

(This review is purposely vague to avoid spoilers where I can) STORY: - The story is a bit difficult to understand, and while a lot is left to interpretation, "what the hell happened" will be made clear once you reach the very end. - This game made me cry, a lot, most players I talked to had a very strong emotional response. (Love, despair and the banality of human suffering tend to do that) - The authors created their own blend of an "Alien" type universe that mixes chinese and german inspirations, it is so refreshing to see something that isn't completely grounded in american culture or once. GRAPHICS: Given that this game is clearly attempting to mimic a specific console era (that I am peticularly fond of), this is what matters in this section. - This game looks incredibly good! - Easily rivals some of the best games of the late PSX & early PS2 era. - Everything is rendered in the pixelated glory before the days of hardware texture filtering. - Discretely leverage modern tech, such as realtime lighting and some fairly interesting shader magic. - There is a CRT filter for maximum immersion, but I would not recommend using it for live streaming. SOUND DESIGN: - There is very little bad I have to say about it, the ambiences and musics fit the game quite well. - Some of the subtle ambient noises are absolutely haunting. GAMEPLAY: - Pretty solid, it has all the trappings of classic survival horror games of the era: limited inventory, weird puzzles, lore elements scattered everywhere in the game world, stealth, combat, moments of utter panic, boss fights, save rooms, even cryptic radio transmissions. - It is an homage to classics like the original silent hill, resident evil, dino crisis, parasite eve, and maybe metal gear solid while we are at it? - I've only played with "modern" controls, which feature mouse aiming. Oldschool "tank controls" are also available and might have been the original intent for the game. CRITICISM: - Some of the enemy sounds got on my nerves after a while? - Some of the puzzles feel that they've been watered down a little too much after what I assume was playtest feedback. - I'm assuming that the authors have shaped the game based on some of their own experiences, but the game sometimes feels like an anti-communist hit piece. I LOVED the setting, but a bit more nuance would have been welcome. - The German and Chinese "stinger" cards that sometimes flash/scroll onscreen during some sequence could have been translated. STIRB or 死 flashing on your screen doesn't quite have the same effect on you if you don't know what it means. CONCLUSION: It is a really good game, but if you are like me, it will probably reopen some old wounds inside your mind. I rarely enjoy games this much nowadays, and I pretty much enjoyed Signalis from begining to end, so that's saying something. 10/10 will weep again. ADDENDUM: (original review is unchanged) I think the reason why this game's disjointed dream-like story is resonating with so many people, is that it is talking to the current generation and stirring those thoughts of hopelessness and disillusion we have about the world we live in. The game themes go deeper than plain anti communism, it is full of anger and rage against the suffocating obsession for control of a declining society. That applies to the DDR, but it also apply to current day western capitalistic systems. Things are not going well... The future is bleak, meaningless and features rising ocean levels... Private property is quickly becoming a privilege... Billionaires ponder about running their very own space colonies on what is effectively indentured servitude...