The core gameplay consists of top-down shooter elements from a top-down 2.5D perspective, with occasional puzzle elements. Puzzles vary from manipulating switches and dials, to searching for certain frequencies to broadcast in Elster's radio implant.[2]
Difficulty and thematic elements are enhanced through the use of resource management as a gameplay and narrative mechanic. Elster is limited to six items on her person, including weapons, ammunition and key items for use in puzzle-solving and unlocking doors. In the fashion of Resident Evil, another survival horror series, there are safe rooms that allow the player to save progress and store their items for future use.[3][4]
Synopsis
Signalis is set in a retrofuturist world,[5] in a planetary system reminiscent of the Solar System that is governed by the totalitarian Eusan Nation, which remains at war with the Eusan Empire, from which it broke away. The Nation employs Replikas, "biosyntheticclones manufactured to emulate model workers and soldiers".[6]
The player character, Elster, is a ship technician Replika unit[7] that awakens in the wreck of her crashed scout shuttle and sets out to look for the human pilot of her ship, encountering strange events of possibly supernatural origin in an underground mining facility.[8]
The game features multiple endings depending on the choices of the player.[9]
Development
The game was developed by the two person German studio rose-engine, with development beginning in 2014.[4][10] Additional help was brought on through external composers.[2] The game was released across multiple platforms on October 27, 2022.[5] Publishing was handled by Humble Games and Playism.[10]
Signalis received "generally favorable" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic,[16] and 85% of critics recommended the game, according to OpenCritic.[17]
Critics generally praised the atmosphere and environmental storytelling of the game, although the limited inventory and combat received criticism.[19][4][2]
Some reviewers offered praise of the overall game, while noting a specific aspect that they felt held it back. The Verge noted issues with a few puzzles, but praised the overall game.[8]GameSpot noted that the aiming was "unreliable", while Nintendo Life instead critiqued that the boss fights of the game were not well suited to the combat system.[18]
The game was included on Polygon's list of the best games of 2022.[23] Willa Rowe, in a review published by Inverse, referred to the game as the "best horror game of 2022".[24] The game was included on PC Gamer's list of the top 100 PC games of all time.[25]
^Savage, Phil; et al. (Evan Lahti, Morgan Park, Robin Valentine, Robert Jones, Joshua Wolens, Fraser Brown, Andy Edser, Tyler Colp, Elie Gould, Nick Evanson) (October 14, 2024). "The top 100 PC games". PC Gamer. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
