Signalis Reviews
Tense, haunting and beautiful. Inventory shenanigans aside, one of the best survival horror games yet.
A sapphic, sci-fi fever dream that finds horror and beauty among the stars, Signalis is dense and alluring to the last.
Signalis conjures a memorable retro-futuristic vibe with its art design, matched with a story that explores the terrifying extremes of sentient life. But its Resident Evil inspired systems feel overly mechanical and fail to produce tension, draining energy from a potentially chilling scenario.
A stylish replication of survival horror's roots, which manages to capture and refresh the unsettling horrors of the genre's 90s origins.
Signalis is a game that asks you to repeatedly plunge yourself into the abyss and face what meets you there. Those willing to look beyond its occasional nagging pain points and homage-laden surface will find a surprisingly intimate take on cosmic horror, one which beckons the player to consider, again and again and again, the question of what truly makes a person who they are, and just how far are they willing to go to keep a promise to a friend.
Signalis is a nostalgic haunt that knows exactly where it came from but still dares to forge ahead, too.
A hallmark of excellence. There may be flaws, but they are negligible and won't cause massive damage.
If you are a lover of classic survival horror, you will enjoy a great adventure, familiar and at the same time fresh, and that reinvents with enough intelligence all the tropes of the genre: limited inventory, enemies that return, puzzles that invite you to explore... All with a beautiful pixel art and a retrofuturistic entity that they fall in love with.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Signalis is a thought-provoking and atmospheric title that is a genuine standout for fans of the more cerebral elements of survival horror, although one that does require you to look past some of its more dated aspects.
A love letter to horror that was perhaps not suitable for anyone but, precisely for this reason, to be devoured in one go if you like the genre.
Review in Italian | Read full review
While Signalis won't be leading to a full-on fifth-gen survival horror renaissance, if only because some of the genre's past sins still linger, it still delivers an enjoyable adventure that perfectly captures the feel of the classic era while also doubling down on more detailed cosmic horrors and twisted visuals, capped off with some sturdy combat and impressive puzzle design.
Signalis offers an incredible story with a terrifying atmosphere that is just as much about your surroundings as it is about the creatures.
Signalis is a near-perfect love letter to the survival horror genre. Its atmosphere and tension feel natural and earned, with callbacks to sci-fi classics scattered throughout. It is at its best when you're darting between enemies, using stealth and patience rather than brute force. While some of the combat encounters felt a little forced, the puzzles are just the right mix of challenging and approachable. The surreal imagery and unique storytelling structure add to the overall polish of a game that is the perfect length for what it is. Highly recommended.
Fundamentally, Signalis is an accomplished emulation of PSX survival horror. Its graphics are both authentic to the era and perfectly disturbing. Taking place in a fascinating world and populated by threatening creatures, it’s a game I very much wish I could enjoy more than I did. The crushing limitation on the player’s inventory coupled with a reliance on memory puzzles that represent a genuine accessibility issue put me off wanting to ever play the game again to get an ending more satisfying than the rather unfulfilling conclusion I got. That’s a real shame, because it’s still one of the best retraux survival horrors out there. It’s just not good enough for me to love it like I want to.
Signalis is like playing a classic survival horror on your PS1, but you accidentally spilled a bucket of raw meat in the disc tray. Also, your PS1 is possessed by a malevolent cosmic entity that you're madly in love with.
In engaging with the story’s opaque and contradictory surfaces, one may flail about, tentatively reaching for this or that hypothesis. But if the game wants to get nuts, let’s get nuts. Maybe Ariane is somehow adrift in her own dream, in which her subconscious is drawing from the tyranny of the Eusan regime and from Ariane’s personal torments, which are adumbrated in notes and cutscenes. Elster may be a dreamed-up figment after all, a conduit for Ariane’s vague psychic baggage, whereas Ariane may herself be subject to the dreams of a less discernible entity (“the red eye beyond the gate”). In any event, Elster and Ariane seem to be searching for each other, and for some mystical escape hatch — a means of jettisoning their dismal surroundings. They do not wish to die, but they long to see beyond the veil, and to answer at last some dimly perceived wake-up call.
Signalis is a masterful recreation of classic survival horror. Mechanically, it ticks every box that the genre requires. Yet this indie gem shines in how it evolves the formula, both mechanically and narratively for more modern audiences. Developer rose-engine pushed beyond the boundaries of a simple homage to create something that stands on its own as the best horror game of the year.
For several years rose-engine channeled their creative prowess to create it's own take on Resident Evil and Silent Hill. The results are weird, purposely uneven, while at the same time beautiful and ambiguous. Basically it's everything and more you could have hoped for by listening to this radio frequency.
Review in Russian | Read full review
rose-engine has created a heartfelt love letter to retro classic survival horror titles with their debut project Signalis. Despite some frustrations, it conjures up a tense experience from start to finish with its compelling narrative, immaculate atmosphere, and beautiful pixel art.
An engaging story and a disturbing atmosphere are the best features in this game that recalls the gameplay style of classics 90s survival horror. A repetitive combat and bland stealth elements drop its overall value.
Review in Italian | Read full review