SIGNALIS is an intriguing title, to say the least. rose-engine‘s “classic survival horror” launches 27 October 2022 on PC, PS4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox and Gamepass and, dare I say it, has fully captured me in its dystopian future in its opening hours. I’m told to expect a cosmic mystery and terrifying creatures, a combination of words I don’t typically enjoy. For this game, I am willing to make an exception.

HOLD THE PHONE

My first stop is the Options menu, which is immediately accessible following the health and content warnings prior to the actual start of the game. Considering my gripes about accessibility, I am incredibly grateful for this relatively small, but nonetheless significant change for me. On top of that, there are tooltips for the various options! The game will inform you about the recommended settings, which will be highlighted in blue.

Here are what I’d consider the more notable settings:

• Controls Style, offering modern standard movement or Tank to replicate the classic feeling
• Automatic reloading and use of Stun Prods (where applicable) on on/off toggles
• Combat Accessibility which is basically the difficulty setting, in Casual, Normal and Survival flavours
• Film grain and CRT Mode for full visual immersion

For what it’s worth, I played the game with most of the effects off and at least 70% brightness because places and images being too dark starts triggering my motion sickness.

HELLO, WORLD?

The initial “vibe” (so to speak) I get from this game is a blend of the classic Resident Evil games, Ghost in the Shell, and the Alien franchise. What exactly that means, please do look forward to the full review. For now, take a seat, and let me attempt to break down the basic mechanics you’ll need to contend with.

Our leading Replika, Elster, feels incredibly sluggish, and sprinting isn’t any much faster. I don’t consider this a bad thing, though, as it does fit perfectly well with its setting. The game is primarily a top-down view, with things not quite being a literal pixel hunt as interactable items have a red bracket over them. There is a little problem with the hitbox where if two items are too close together, your cursor needs to move further than you might expect to mouse over the intended item.

Elster has an incredibly limited inventory, stuck with only six items and no ability to drop things. Even if you’ve equipped anything – namely, One weapon and tool each – they will still occupy a slot. Hope you like juggling items! Certain tools have limited uses, and of course, your weapons have varying ammo counts, and there are Things lurking around. Sprinting will make you more noticeable which could be a last resort if you’re out of healing items and ammo. Even once you down the creatures – whether by bullets or stun prods – they still squirm around, requiring a close-up finishing blow. Even on Casual, the threat of dying is real and you know what’s the kicker?

There are no checkpoints. You better remember to save once you’ve made significant headway.

The creatures also get back up if you “linger too long” in an area. Enjoy.

You too can subject other people to this experience as one game can store multiple profiles so that everyone can screech at their own progress at their own pace. As with any good classic survival horror, the backtracking and note-taking should be something enthusiasts are well acquainted with, besides the minor crafting elements and gosh dang puzzles.

ROAD LESS TRAVELLED

I’ve always had trouble over horror / horror-adjacent games, motion sickness being the main culprit before the actual scares. Genuinely, I’m really happy about the very quick transition to the settings so that I at least could take in more of the atmosphere that SIGNALIS has to provide. I admittedly still get lost despite the fairly clear map, but I can’t fault its labelling. If you’re still able to interact with a key component – a puzzle, for example – it is highlighted red on the map until you get round to it, so you know what still needs doing.

Presentation, execution and unique touches are what brings life to ideas that you could dismiss as unoriginal; though I assume I can guess certain paths the game might take, it still pulls me along.

I can see why some might bounce off this game, though. You’re forced to manage that tiny, tiny inventory rather than a limitless bag of other genres you may be used to. I can see people accusing the game of unnecessary padding due to the amount of backtracking required not just for obtaining key items, but also ensuring you’ve kept your save up to date. Additionally, the slow movement may not be for everyone. At worst, it can be clunky, as you wish Elster could just go, when you need to go back to that one place across the map.

I’ll say it again, though: SIGNALIS thus far has had me in its grip, and I’ll be seeing this ride through.

Now excuse me, I have some more plot threads to connect, so, till next time.