Signalis

Play it on: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Windows (Steam Deck: OK)
Current goal: Re-piece together the story (I’m lost)

If I’m not playing indie sci-fi horror delight Signalis this weekend, it’s only because one of two things happened: I’m stuck in the Dark Place, or Signalis’ wonderful presentation and nostalgia-invoking gameplay has inspired me to make creepy synthesizer sounds into a messed-up reverb patch for hours at a time.

Read More: Signalis Is A Grimy Exercise In Survival Horror, And I Love It

Signalis is the kind of game that nourishes both the gamer and artist in me. Its damaged, lo-fi, retro aesthetic entirely permeates the game down to its menus, delivering a fully integrated experience of creepy uncertainty and dread. Once you boot it up, you are in its world. Signalis’ visual presentation, all haunting corridors visible from a top-down camera punctuated by first-person puzzles, creates that kind of classic PlayStation experience I remember fondly.

As a survival horror, Signalis shares much in common with classic Resident Evil games. Clomp around hallways populated by mean and nasty things that scream and try to kill you; gauge whether or not running or spending ammo is worth it; solve cryptic puzzles; collect keys to unlock rooms, etc. It’s a satisfying game loop, often oscillating between a feeling of being helplessly lost and then elation as you find the right key or figure out the correct sequence for a puzzle. Throughout, that satisfying sense of dread.

Right now I find the story, mostly told through in-game documents and cryptic cutscenes, a little hard to follow. Signalis keeps its cards close to its chest, at least early on. A sense of mystery and confusion fits right at home with this eerie survival horror game, but I’ll probably take the time to re-read all the various documents I’ve found so far to try and understand exactly what’s happening here. — Claire Jackson