Signalis is an indie sci-fi game that takes several cues from PS 1 horror titles. The players take the role of Elster, an android emerging from a downed ship, exploring a mining facility in order to find the pilot of her vessel. Its basically the fusion of Resident Evil 1 gameplay and the atmosphere and themes of Silent Hill 2.
Plot and Story wise, in an era where most indie (and AAA) companies peek at dark souls storytelling and choose to basically just scatter some tidbits of lore and hope that the player will do their work for them by imagining what's going on, it's refreshing to see something actually developed. Unlike many other games, the logs aren't there just because. They offer vital information as to what's the facility, who Elster is seeking and what she is struggling against. The plot at first seems to be scattered and nonsensical, but if the player pays attention and check everything, from the logs, to the background and events, enough of the game can be pieced together for a coherent story. Enough care was given to it in order to use the purposeful 'holes' in information and unanswered questions to foment discussion, this is the kind of game where you play alongside a friend and talk about it for hours even after you're finished.
The ps1 era gameplay is both its greatest strength and its weakness. Top-down perspective with a limited inventory in a series of creepy cramped rooms with slow but hard-hitting monsters, where conserving ammo is vital? It's a great path for a tense and horror atmosphere that keeps the player on their toes and the game nails it. The 'blocky' models contrast very well in cutscenes with the hand-drawn pictures and evoke the era superbly.
Sadly, not only it also missed why the 'limited inventory' system was ditched as soon as it could, but tried to make it a feature. In my 'Darkwood' review I mentioned how horror is far more fragile than people give it credit for, and this is another example. In paper, having to carefully plan a route in order to avoid monsters as you seek keys and items, and go back to the safety of the save room may sound nice, but in practice it was ungodly boring. The corridor with two creepy nurses with knives quickly lose the horror factor when you go through it five times in a row. And in a game that is awfully dark (too dark, to be honest) the idea of the flashlight needing inventory space is asinine at best. Simply having dedicated slots for weapons, flashlight and bigger ammo piles would have spared a ton of headache without breaking the immersion.
So when I finished it and was told that there was a secret ending, I asked myself, "Do I want to go through this back-and-forth again?" The answer was "No" and also "Screw Nowhere." and I just watched it on youtube. Especially grating since there are no unlockables, a unlimited ammo or nifty prizes could have made replaying bearable.
It is a game worth playing and discussing, but please, spare yourself a headache and get some mods.
The good and the awful of the PS 1 era.
Signalis is an indie sci-fi game that takes several cues from PS 1 horror titles. The players take the role of Elster, an android emerging from a downed ship, exploring a mining facility in order to find the pilot of her vessel. Its basically the fusion of Resident Evil 1 gameplay and the atmosphere and themes of Silent Hill 2.
Plot and Story wise, in an era where most indie (and AAA) companies peek at dark souls storytelling and choose to basically just scatter some tidbits of lore and hope that the player will do their work for them by imagining what's going on, it's refreshing to see something actually developed. Unlike many other games, the logs aren't there just because. They offer vital information as to what's the facility, who Elster is seeking and what she is struggling against. The plot at first seems to be scattered and nonsensical, but if the player pays attention and check everything, from the logs, to the background and events, enough of the game can be pieced together for a coherent story. Enough care was given to it in order to use the purposeful 'holes' in information and unanswered questions to foment discussion, this is the kind of game where you play alongside a friend and talk about it for hours even after you're finished.
The ps1 era gameplay is both its greatest strength and its weakness. Top-down perspective with a limited inventory in a series of creepy cramped rooms with slow but hard-hitting monsters, where conserving ammo is vital? It's a great path for a tense and horror atmosphere that keeps the player on their toes and the game nails it. The 'blocky' models contrast very well in cutscenes with the hand-drawn pictures and evoke the era superbly.
Sadly, not only it also missed why the 'limited inventory' system was ditched as soon as it could, but tried to make it a feature. In my 'Darkwood' review I mentioned how horror is far more fragile than people give it credit for, and this is another example. In paper, having to carefully plan a route in order to avoid monsters as you seek keys and items, and go back to the safety of the save room may sound nice, but in practice it was ungodly boring. The corridor with two creepy nurses with knives quickly lose the horror factor when you go through it five times in a row. And in a game that is awfully dark (too dark, to be honest) the idea of the flashlight needing inventory space is asinine at best. Simply having dedicated slots for weapons, flashlight and bigger ammo piles would have spared a ton of headache without breaking the immersion.
So when I finished it and was told that there was a secret ending, I asked myself, "Do I want to go through this back-and-forth again?" The answer was "No" and also "Screw Nowhere." and I just watched it on youtube. Especially grating since there are no unlockables, a unlimited ammo or nifty prizes could have made replaying bearable.
It is a game worth playing and discussing, but please, spare yourself a headache and get some mods.