The hardest part about writing a review like this is that for all this game gets right, the most interesting parts for me are what it gets wrong. Still, this being a review for a product I need to say this first:

Signalis is a game I can recommend to almost anyone. If you have even a passing interest in horror or even remotely enjoyed survival horror games like the early Resident Evil series then this is a must-play. If you don't like jumpscares or don't usually like spooky stuff then I would still recommend Signalis for the story and puzzles. This game is more unnerving than outright scary in my opinion. If any of that sounds even slightly like you then there is another reason I would call this game a must-play.

rose-engine had a very specific creative vision for Signalis and they went for it wholeheartedly, even if it meant risking mass-market appeal. Of course, that isn't all it takes to make a game worth playing, they also pulled it off amazingly well. I especially have to stress this point given what I'm about to say about this game. My main criticism is very subjective and personal, this is an extremely well-made game and a shining example of the best that indie games can offer.

If you are even slightly irritated by many high-profile game releases being the same market-tested risk-averse product every year with just enough changes to fool most buyers in the marketing, then games like this deserve a try just for the support alone. I want games like Signalis to be as successful as possible so more people are inspired to make things they believe in rather than things they believe will make the most money. Give it a chance.

But again, all of that is the least interesting part of Signalis for me.

I was beyond happy when I saw one of the early trailers for Signalis. After releasing my first indie game in 2018 I went through a period of writing down and trying out a bunch of game ideas for my next release. The main idea I landed on was very similar in conception: a top-down 3D pixellated low-poly survival horror game with a complex story and dreamlike horror aesthetic. I ended up not making this game. There were a lot of reasons - I wasn't ready to do this complex and large game idea justice with my skills at the time, I was studying and working full-time, etc. But the biggest reason was that same question: "What is it in service of?"

Once I knew I wouldn't be making that game, I became very interested in seeing how Signalis would turn out. The trailer I saw oozed style, it seemed to have a very similar vibe, and the idea seemed to be in very good hands. So having finally played it I'm glad the game turned out this great. Had any part of the execution faltered I wouldn't have gotten as much food for thought as I did.

Signalis has a lot of depth. There are a lot of references to other media, a lot of messy details to untangle, and a lot of symbolism. The story it tells is ultimately coherent and has some powerful themes but it reveals itself once you have read almost all of the text in the game. You might call this form of storytelling "obtuse" or "overcomplicated" but I feel like it's a valid creative choice if done with intention and care (very much the case here). The game conveys a specific mood and does it very well. My biggest complaint really is that these are things I can really only say about the story in the game. If I wanted to apply a similar level of analysis to the moment-to-moment gameplay then I sadly reach the same question and still no clear answer: "What is it in service of?"

For as well as Signalis pulls off the survival horror gameplay, it never really felt like it was saying all that much to me. Killing or avoiding enemies, solving puzzles, planning how to use your 6 inventory slots, it was all perfectly balanced and implemented but I never felt like it enhanced the emotional moments or the "point" of the game. I never felt confident in that similar game idea because I couldn't figure out what the point of the gameplay would be in the story. I kept asking

"But what is it in service of? Why are you doing these things? Is it just to kill time between the actually important stuff?"

and never got to an answer. I was hoping Signalis would show me a glimpse of what it would look like to have gameplay moments enhance the story. But it never did. I could come up with a post hoc analysis like "dying and repeating is actually this story thing" or "the malformed humanoid enemies and pulsing flesh are a metaphor for this story detail" but I never actually felt that way while playing or replaying the game.

And that is the biggest failure of this game for me. I never felt like the interactivity in Signalis made the story better than if this was a movie. In fact, most of the important story details you need to piece together the whole thing are given in plain text. This isn't to say that the storytelling made me feel nothing. I think 2 of the 3 main endings are genuinely powerful emotional moments and the artwork and music really enhance them. The aesthetic of the game in general helps deliver this powerful mood. But that's all it ever really does.

It's not like there is a moment where you use your guns or items for something really thematically interesting that makes some story detail hit like a truck as it happens during gameplay. You mostly just absorb the story through cutscenes and text and then go back to killing enemies and solving puzzles. It doesn't feel like your or the enemies’ violence is ever part of the theme of the game. The puzzles fit the environment and are sometimes connected to story details but it's not like understanding the solution makes you understand some theme or idea in the story. Inventory management helps push you to make interesting choices on the map but it is only connected to the theme through a piece of lore.

Maybe there should have been some dream sequence where you have to pick up 6 identification cards out of 10 to pick who lives. Maybe there should have been a clearer link between how you play and which ending you get, like using the aiming magnetism to have to avoid shooting a friend. Maybe having more story-focused puzzles like choosing the right path in a dialogue tree when reliving a memory. I'm not saying I think I would have made a better game or that these ideas are better than what is in the game. It is absurdly difficult to make something cohesive and atmospheric and Signalis deserves high praise for where its at.

However, between the complicated storytelling and lack of strong purpose in the gameplay, I'm left feeling like a much more powerful experience was lost here somewhere. I know it's a vague and cruel "main criticism" to have but that is just how I'm left feeling. For as powerful as the ending was for me, it could have moved me a lot more if I felt what it was saying rather than understanding some interpretation of it later on.

I'm very glad this game exists. It gave me a lot to think about and helped me clear up what I want to focus on in my own games going forward. For as much as I vomited word salad about my big bad gripe with the game I still had a great time playing it and I'm glad there are people out there who care this much about what they make.