SIGNALIS

With a kind of retro style, SIGNALIS is one of the most interesting survival horror games I have seen in a while. I loved games like this back in the PS1 era and that is the kind of vibe I am getting here, but with a few modern attributes sprinkled over it all. With a dark sci-fi story running through it all, this is a game that has gotten survival horror fans very excited. I wanted to take a closer look at the game and try and get a few of my other survival horror fans out there more into what this game is offering.

Androids In Space

Talking about the story in SIGNALIS is a bit challenging as there is a lot to unpack here. Basically, the game takes place many, many years into the future and mankind has spread to the stars. There is one regime that reigns strong in the galaxy and the character we play as is called, Elster and Elster is a Replika. A Replika is what it sounds like, it is an android/robot type being with advanced AI that basically makes them alive. Elster awakens on a strange space station and something has gone very, very wrong here. Monsters roam the spacecraft and she starts a quest to find out what went wrong and why she is here. If you are into sci-fi, you are going to get a huge kick out of the sci-fi horror story that is being told here.

Resident Crisis!

As far as the gameplay of SIGNALIS goes, it has a very old-school kind of charm to it. It reminds me of the original Resident Evil and Dino Crisis and that is a very good thing. You need to roam around this space station all the while trying to avoid the monsters that are doing the same thing. However, you eventually will have to fight in order to survive, and combat in the game is challenging. Like all good survival horror games, supplies are scarce here so you have to be smart about how you use ammo and the other resources that you have at your disposal. This is a real slow burn kind of game and that is something that greatly appeals to me. There is also a lot of exploration and puzzle solving that you will have to deal with as well.

Old School In Design Only

While I may have used the term old-school, throwback, and retro to describe SIGNALIS. It has some very slick modern visuals that get you more invested in the story. The characters are done in 3D, but the game still has a bit of a 2D style to it if that makes sense. The animations in particular are fantastic and very fluid. The actual space station/ship that you are on is very creepy and thanks to the dynamic lighting and the awesome creature designs, the game manages to make you feel uneasy quite often. The cinematics and style overall do have a kind of sci-fi anime thing going on which is very cool.

Pros:

• This is a challenging survival horror game
• I liked the story that is being told here
• It has some challenging, but fun gameplay
• You want to solve the mystery of what is going on!

Cons:

• It may be a tad on the challenging side for some people
• While I am digging the story, I do worry it may be a tad too cryptic in places