Signalis

I don’t play survival horror very often; I’ve only messed around with a few Resident Evil titles, that’s about it. But I want to deep dive into this genre. Even though I’m a late bloomer, this genre has really piqued my interest. So, while I was looking for something to sink my teeth into, I stumbled upon Signalis. It’s been on my radar for a while anyway.

Well, first of all, I want to talk about the visuals because I absolutely fell in love with them. The general art style is exactly my vibe. Plenty of black, red, and white. I’m already a sucker for designs brought to life with high contrast colors. The game’s retro sci-fi aesthetic is also top-tier. Everything from the menus to the character models is beautifully crafted. Honestly, it’s fucking breathtaking straight up eye candy.

Even though I’m a newcomer to the genre, I know that the most important thing in survival horror is level design. I don’t think I have enough experience to criticize it properly, though. I mean, I enjoyed exploring the areas, but I didn't feel like the game did anything mind blowing in that regard. As for the story, I liked it. They did a great job combining cosmic horror analogies with romance. We aren't given enough time or dialogue to truly get to know the characters, but the personalities they laid out were enough to make me care about them.

Also, it’s the kind of story where you have to read a ton of notes and actually use your brain. You have to pay close attention to your surroundings because the game uses environmental storytelling pretty effectively. I had a blast trying to piece together the general plot. The puzzles were also quite satisfying. It’s an incredible indie gem, and I’m amazed that it was made by only two people. I’ve followed the developers, and I’ll jump on their next project like a starving dog.

By the way, there are tons of references to the book 'The King in Yellow,' which has been sitting on my shelf for a long time. I wish I had read the book first; I’m sure I would have enjoyed the story even more. But man, what a ride.